<p>So law school is going to take me 150K into the hole. What do you guys think is a better plan? Work after college and save up money for a couple of years so you can pay for it, or pay it off after you graduate (going in right after college)?</p>
<p>you're likely to earn more as a lawyer than whatever you'll do with a bachelor's degree. so i think if you're certain that you want to be a lawyer (a HUGE if--it's really important to get a good idea of what lawyers do before applying/going to law school) you should go asap.</p>
<p>You can certainly go straight to law school, if you choose, but make sure that you want to have and plan to go to a school and get the grades that will allow you to have the kind of job with sufficient income to make the monthly payments on $150k of loans -- that is, a job with a big firm in a big city working big hours.</p>
<p>I'm graduating college at 19 (don't want to explain) and I was thinking working as a teacher in San Diego. That would be about 50K, and I would save most of it to pay for Law School. I was thinking I'd do that for 4 years or so, and I'd enter LS at about the same time as everyone else, except that I'd have very little to pay after law school. Should I do that, or pay it off AFTER LS right AFTER college?</p>
<p>wow, 50,000.</p>
<p>most people i talked to, especially lawyers, told me to work for a couple of years after college, preferebly in a law related field.</p>
<p>but then again, most lawyers tell me not to become a lawyer.</p>
<p>Of course, go right now to law school. If you teach for four years, you will at max produce 200K, however, you could possbily make as a lawyer an average of 500K in 4 years. Thus, do not waste 4 years teaching if you want to become a lawyer. Just go to law school asap. You will save 300k total and be able to pursue possbile a dual degree or possbily JD/PhD, which could really distinguish you from an already very competitive field of law graduates.</p>
<p>most lawyers don't make 100,000 plus right out of school. the average is closer to 60 or 50 thousand.</p>
<p>If you are interested in teaching, by all means teach for a few years. Life is not only about calculating the opportunity costs of taking one path versus another and figuring out where you will have the highest salary. I actually believe that having work experience before entering law school is incredibly valuable. Among both my law school classmates and the many law students who I have interviewed for jobs through the years, the students who have worked before law school frequently shine more brightly than their younger classmates. There is definitely a level of maturity that comes from not only age, but also having managed the responsibilities that come with full time employment, paying bills and living in the real world (i.e. not academia) for a while. Of course, that's not to say that there aren't plenty of very qualified and successful law students out there without work experience either. </p>
<p>As far as teaching goes, I think that it's a wonderful profession, and a teaching career would certainly give you a very interesting background for your law school applications (in fact, I know several former teachers who are now lawyers). However, don't overestimate the salary that you will make ($50,000 as a starting teacher's salary sounds very high) and don't underestimate the costs of taxes, rent, insurance etc. You might be able to save a lot less money than you think. In addition, I think that if your plan would be to work for four years before going to law school, you may have had to begin your master's degree in teaching by that time in order to comply with NCLB. Perhaps most importantly, it's a very difficult thing to say you are going to go to law school after working for four years. Four years is a very long time, and who knows where you will be then. You may find yourself at a place in your life where it is very tough to give up your teacher's salary to try to live on student loans. Obviously, I'm not suggesting that teaching for a few years is a bad idea, but don't do it only because you think you are going to save so much money for law school (because I'm not sure that you will save as much as you think -- and your savings will count against you in any financial aid calculation too). Do it because you want to teach.</p>
<p>In large law firms, most lawyers DO make more than 100K right after law school.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. I always here about taxes; what can I expect to pay in a play where the COL is high?</p>
<p>How many years SHOULD I work after undergrad. school?</p>
<p>Yes, Nglez, lawyers in large firms make more than $100,000/year right out. They are also in the minority - maybe 5-10% of law school grads make that money. </p>
<p>Sally's post is excellent. I will add a few things to it and the discussion:
While you would make more over those four years as a lawyer, you'll be paying interest on student loans for quite some time, which diminishes what you take home. </p>
<p>There's something to be said for intangible factors: having extra cash in law school; taking out fewer loans, or having a higher %age of your loans be subsidized; not having to take out bar study loans; and not having student debt that may preclude you from taking the job that you want. </p>
<p>Teaching would be a great thing to do before law school. I do think that professors will be less intimidating; you'll be used to speaking in front of a class (although not with your back to most of them); and all the benefits that Sally mentioned. Another big one is that, if you want to go into litigation, teaching will help your presentation skills. I became a much better presenter after a few years of volunteer teaching and tutoring. </p>
<p>San Diego is very expensive; you'll probably spend about $1,000/month in rent. It's difficult to find a place with parking for your car (depending on where you live); as always, if you live away from where you are teaching, you'll spend a lot of money and time on a commute. You won't be able to save enough to put yourself through law school, but you might be able to save enough so you can only take out federal loans or loans for tuition only.</p>
<p>Here are my circumstances:</p>
<p>I will graduate college at late 19.</p>
<p>My parents have a house in SD and I plan to live there, lol. Until I go to LS.</p>
<p>The starting salary for a teacher in SD is about 42-50K. </p>
<p>What predicaments am I in?</p>
<p>Um, a pretty good one. ;)</p>
<p>Teach because you want to; stop teaching because you want to do something else. If you graduate at age 19, well, teaching might be odd (you'll barely be older than your students). Otherwise, it will be a great way to get older (not saying that you aren't mature) before law school. I know some people who started law school at age 20... the 1L year was pretty tough socially because a LOT of socializing goes on in bars or with alcohol. Also, your peers will be a lot older than you - it's not a maturity thing so much as a "been around the block" thing. A lot of students at my law school are married and have kids. Work until you feel ready to move on; until you've saved up some money; and when you know that you'll be socially compatible with people who are 30. </p>
<p>Sadly, a lot of socializing in law school and networking outside of it involves alcohol. Some symposia card at the door; sometimes, you head out to bars with professors or judges or lawyers, and it's nice to be able to go (even if you're having Sprite) and not be stopped at the door. I remember sneaking a friend into a bar during 1L year because he was 2 months from being 20... we were out of state and really happy he could join us for our post-panel discussion fun. </p>
<p>You'll be taxed on about 1/3 of that salary. If you can manage to work during the summer, earning some extra cash (tutoring or teaching the SAT can be a great gig), that'll help as well. I don't think you'll be able to save up the $200,000 that law school will cost, but you could, over four years, reasonably save $50,000 or so, which will do a tremendous amount to defray law school costs.</p>
<p>Thank you very much Ariesthana! What did you do?</p>
<p>What is your undergraduate insitution nglez09?</p>
<p>Taking the CHSPE and then transferring to CC. Getting the necessary classes to transfer to state and then LS.</p>
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Taking the CHSPE and then transferring to CC. Getting the necessary classes to transfer to state and then LS.
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<p>aries? I think a talk might be in order?</p>