they work in biglaw. They are ivy-league-educated over-achievers who are in multiple-6-figures of student loan debt. They already beat the odds to even get the

they work in biglaw. They are ivy-league-educated over-achievers who are in multiple-6-figures of student loan debt. They already beat the odds to even get the job, then have ~5 years to work as an 'associate' lawyer making roughly what an experienced software engineer makes (this is after or contingent upon passing the bar exam, and many biglaw firms are in NY or CA which have two of the top-5 most difficult bar exams to pass) before they either are promoted to partner or get fired. This is not to mention putting up with acerbic and powerful coworkers, putting in 60-80 hours/week, while always being one mistake away from being fired. I don't wish that fate on anybody. checkout abovethelaw.com or the series Suits (it's heavily fictionalized, but it gives you a good perspective) for an insider's look at that lifestyle.