Plan B - Just in case

Masterson

Hello everyone,

this is my first post, so go easy on me.

I am assuming that everyone here wants to become an attorney, so I just wanted to pose a question, which has been on my mind for the last couple of days.

Question: If you were to not make it as an attorney, for whatever reason (e.g difficulty in job placement), what would your back up "dream career" be?

I will go first, personally I have two dream careers tied for first place, which are 1) Cyber Crime Detective 2) Becoming an entrepreneur in a tech related field (Sort of like J.Y)

@ J.Y Don't worry I don't plan on making a site for the lsat.

LSATisland

I'll go easy on you.

Welcome to this community! Good luck in whatever path you take.

Jaguar007

My other dream job is to be a clinical psychologist and therapist, so now I do something in those lines as volunteer work. just because I won't make it my career path doesn't mean I can't still dip into it i love talking to people and listening to their problems and helping them deal with it and motivating them to see the light - I want to help everyone it gives me so much pleasure to make people happy. Life is hard. thanks for posing this question.

Nathalie Nguyen

I probably should start thinking about a back up plan. I think if I didn't become an attorney, I'd probably do some consulting work for the political sector (my other passion) or maybe even fall into a non-profit. My passion and interest lies solely with the combat against human trafficking, since most of my work was assisting victims of prostitution. I think that would make my life fulfilling and happy.

xunianyi

I know someone that got JD and went to a Japanese Zen Buddhism temple for training. I adore him very much. In Beijing there is a Longquan Temple full of ex PhDs from top universities of the world, applying quantum mechanics, etc, to interpretations of Buddhism values, they do lectures around the world and probably make more money than many tenured professors.

Masterson

Thank you for the responses everyone, honestly I have been randomly coming across articles where everyone is saying that going to law school is a mistake, since the market is saturated. Granted, I always wanted to be a lawyer because I have seen things that I wanted to change. So basically I am weighing in the debt, I may get into, against the opportunities which may lie ahead.

I wonder what J.Y thinks of the economic situation of perspective attorneys.

ENTJ

It is important to think introspectively of what it means to be an attorney for you. It's such a subjective thing isn't it? For some it's about making a good salary, for others it's about their life's mission to help society, then you have those that consider it both these things. It's good to think realistically about what this field of law would entail. (You wouldn't be a good attorney if you couldn't see both sides to any argument.) The economic situation is again: subjective. Some people look at it as the glass as half full, others will look at it as the glass being half empty. These articles may have some merit, but the thing to remember is the fact that they don't bespeak directly to you and your abilities. Only you can make that judgment at the end of the day. That judgment being, "is law school worth it for me?"

NellysLSAT

I believe Law school is absolutely worth it.
For me a good school close to home at a cheaper tuition rate will be great as I want to practice in my community.
If after a few years of practicing law I feel the need for a change or if I want to focus on building my family , id go back to teaching pilates. Its another passion of mine that allows me to help people.

dustinvonhotlen-1

Don't get discouraged is the fundamental key!

Umair Mahmood

As a federal employee, you can use JD in various agencies. Top notch ideal place would be CIA, FBI, or DOS.

Masterson

@Umair, good point, but working at those agencies does not necessarily require a J.D. it mostly entails having a clean record, as well as possessing some agency specific "desired" qualities.

Hypothetically- let's say the FBI is hiring a secret agent and they have to choose between person A) who has a J.D and speaks only one language, versus person who has only has a bachelors degree but speaks 4 languages and has "Diversified Experience" (I don't know what that exactly is but I got it from their career site) ... both have clean records. I postulate that they will go for person B, because they need someone with those language skills, since it says on their site that they need an agent, which has a variety of skills that can address their "increasingly complex responsibilities."

Just my opinion on the matter.

Umair Mahmood

majority of special agents hold JD degrees.. Not saying you will scooped up by an agency easily, but having a JD will help you qualify for a higher pay grade.

Jason Camp_

What I really want to do is gain a JD then become an agent in the sports industry. I know a JD is not required however, many agents are former lawyers and I can potentially use my law degree as a back-up if my goal changes. If any of you have further info on the sports industry regarding a JD i would love to hear it!

Sully8725

I think this is a great discussion. Technically I am already doing my Plan B. I am a Registered Nurse and after 6 years of high intensity, high acuity intensive care at a level 1 trauma/transplant centre I am wanting to obtain my JD to become involved in health law.
I think sometimes having a plan B can actually enlighten you to what type of law you want to practice... As in my case, I knew I didn't want to be an RN forever but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. Now, I am very interested in Health Law and have experience in a related field.
I'm sure whatever you choose you will do well!
Cheers!