<p>Hi, I am wondering if I should pursue my art career because it is a true passion of mine, or should I sacrifice my love to make money as an attorney. I'd love to become an industrial designer or artist full time, maybe even an art director. But, my mom hates that idea of me not making money. I'd like to be an attorney, but I wouldn't be truly happy. What should I do? </p>
<p>You should keep in mind that in the current economic climate, there are very few lawyers that are making enough money to warrant the huge expense of law school. It seems as though people continue to hold on to the idea that a JD goes hand in hand with an Italian suit and a corner office - this is far from the case.</p>
<p>Many lawyers are suffering with incredibly poor employment prospects and crippling debt in one of the worst blood baths the legal field has seen in decades. The legal field is very pedigree based and admissions into top law schools that promise meaningful and high paid employment is very much a task that must be taken on very early in one’s undergraduate career with determination and commitment. (Meaning, you can’t just decide three months before graduation that you want to go to Harvard Law School when you have an abysmal GPA and no exposure to the LSAT). </p>
<p>Even the lawyers that DO make the fabled 6 figure salaries often have to slave long hours doing unfulfilling work to get those paychecks which are typically funneled directly to loan repayment. </p>
<p>I’d say to avoid law school at all costs unless being an attorney is something you are very serious about (I’m talking about being unable to picture yourself as anything else but a lawyer) - law school is a massive commitment in virtually all aspects and is much more like a gamble than a backup plan to appease your mother. </p>
<p>Don’t give up on your dreams. Honestly, a fine arts major with no debt is in a much better position than most law school graduates (85+%) with six figure debt. </p>
<p>You do not have to have any specific major or course work to apply to law school. High GPA and LSAT score is what matters: <a href=“http://lawschoolnumbers.com”>http://lawschoolnumbers.com</a> . Note that the law job market is not particularly good unless you do well at a highly ranked (top 14) law school. Law school is also very expensive. If you are not really interested in being a lawyer, that does not seem to be a very good path to take.</p>
<p>So you can major in whatever you like without closing the door to law school. But make a realistic assessment of the job and career prospects of your possible career directions (law or non-law) and make appropriate financial choices. Specifically, if your possible career directions are not that well paid, you want to minimize the amount of debt you take for college and live frugally to minimize expenses while in college (the same applies if you do want to go to expensive law school).</p>
<p>Take it from me, working as a lawyer when you don’t like it is miserable. It is not a career where you can just show up and fake it.</p>
<p>Pursue your passion. You can always go back to law school later if you want to. But like others say, law is tough and you shouldn’t do it if you don’t like it.
As you take classes in college, talk to professors about what type of jobs there are for you. See if you can get an internship and get a taste of what it would be like as a designer.</p>
<p>I agree with the others. Pursuing a career that you hate for the money is not a good idea. It is hard to excel when you hate what you are doing.</p>
<p>However, your mother has a point. You need a skill set that will enable you to earn a living. In an ideal world your passion and careers line up. I suspect that for most this is not the case. They tend to find a major they enjoy and take courses that they are truly passionate about on the side. As adults they pursue jobs in their major that have a element of their passion or pursue the passion as a hobby.</p>
<p>Choosing a major/career is not a all or nothing decision, It is a balancing act. You are not sacrificing your love. You are looking for a path that will allow you to continue your passion. </p>
<p>You need to find a major/career that has an element of your passion. Your example of industrial design could work. Artist would be very career limiting unless you are extremely talented. Even then it is a rough path. Art director also sounds limiting.</p>
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<p>I hear this all the time, and I read articles on the lack of adequate jobs in the legal field, but I sometimes wonder if law students can’t get a sense of where they stand in terms of career opportunities early on. You know what law school you’ll be going to before you decide to pay the bill, and you can easily gain a sense of its ranking and the options available to its graduates. If you get into only a lowly ranked school or one where few students pass the bar or find suitable employment, you can decide not to go there. You can apply to jobs, master’s programs, and law school in your senior year of undergrad so that you have many options.</p>
<p>I may be seeing the rosy side of things because my sister, about to start her final year of law school, got a job offer from a white shoe firm yesterday. But that was hardly shocking, considering that when she was choosing her law school, she made certain to go to the a highly ranked school with a good placement record. (In the spirit of full disclosure, she only decided on law school right before her senior year.)</p>
<p>@Millancad - A lot of law schools manipulate data regarding their employment statistics to make it seem like their graduates are more successful than they actually are - when in reality, most law schools outside the top 14 don’t produce desirable results for the majority of their students.</p>
<p>Your sister was wise in going to a highly ranked school in this legal market - however, there are people at law schools in the top 14 (Georgetown comes to mind) who are struggling to find employment even though they did everything right and landed themselves in one of the top law schools in the nation. Nothing is certain - and if law school isn’t your passion, you should probably steer clear.</p>