<p>My parents keep steering me away from a career in law, because they know people who went to law school who arent working as lawyers because they couldn't find jobs! I know competition is fierce, but If I work hard in school, do you think I'll be able to find a job? Please speak the brutal truth- if its impossible say so.
Thanks.
Michele</p>
<p>Michele -- it all depends on where you go to school, and how well you do there. If you go to a good school, and/or do very well in school, getting a job shouldn't be a problem.</p>
<p>If you don't go to a good school, and/or don't do well, it will be much more difficult. </p>
<p>The real question, in my opinion, is whether you really have a passion to be a lawyer (after learning what it really involves). If you do, don't let anything stop you. </p>
<p>If you don't, and are just doing it for the money, then take a long, hard look before you enter the profession. As discussed elsewhere, there are easier, faster, and more secure ways to make money without incurring so much debt.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. I'm doing a lot of career searching now- I read most of John Grishman's books, and A Civil Action to learn more about law and did mock trial last year and it is something i like to do. So right now I'm keeping a lot of ideas open, because I'm entering college undecided. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>John Grisham's books are nothing like legal practice. :)</p>
<p>I think you should ask your parents where these people went to school, what other skills they have, and where they graduated in their class. There is a huge difference between someone who graduates reasonably well at a top law school and someone who has an undistinguished academic record at a medicore law school. Also, it depends on where these people want to practice: if they were trying to get to NYC from a 3rd tier law school in Kansas, it won't happen. Legal jobs are increasingly more specialized, and jobs do depend on what else you can bring to the table. Fluency in Spanish would help get a job in immigration law, or a CPA for tax law, or a science degree for patent law. The people who get jobs in bad economies are the ones who can pair law with something else - not the poli sci majors with little else to offer.</p>
<p>Yea I'll have to ask- It was a husband/wife team, one works as a lawyer and one doesn't. I think they went to Villanova or Temple. Yea I realize John Grishman's books are so fake, compared to reading the real deal with a Civil Action. Life isn't as exciting as it is portrayed in literature. Thanks for your help- I have 3 yrs hs spanish and plan to continue in college because that is a skill applicable in many fields.</p>