6 ms·

Being a plumber, for example, is far more lucrative for most people. Military, police, then lawyer route is also very lucrative.

by lvl102 4y ago

hotpotamus 4y ago
One of those is not like the other in that it requires extensive college. It also happens to be the one that pays more than the others.
- pclmulqdq 4y ago
  Being a high-end plumber doesn't take much college. I joke, but most lawyers actually don't make a ton of money. Like programming, the profession is very bimodal. By the time you get out of law school, unless that law school is a big name like Harvard or you get a good clerkship or associate job, you will be heading for a career that tops out at $200k/year if you don't burn out in the mean time. Plumbing, electrical work, and other trade work is weirdly lucrative and doesn't come with nearly as much "ladder climbing" as a legal career. Also, a mid-career trade worker can specialize (taking only very lucrative and weird jobs) or start to manage other tradespeople. Plumbing and the other trades are a lot like software engineering in that sense, and the reward for being the plumber who knows how to deal with water pumps in high-rises is similar to the reward for being the software engineer who can program GPUs (or some other niche skill). For example, I happen to have met one of the people who does the HVAC in Google NYC, and he makes the same amount as a senior SWE at Google.
  - Kon-Peki 4y ago
    The trades can be excellent careers, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to pretend that they’re an ideal path for most people. You’ll be constantly working with people making poor life decisions that look like a lot of fun, and being encouraged to join in. People with self-control issues or trouble resisting peer pressure are going to have a lot of trouble succeeding. They’ll have very little help.
    - pclmulqdq 4y ago
      In college, you will also be constantly surrounded by people making poor life decisions that look fun and being encouraged to join in. That also happens at most law firms, on Wall Street, and at many startups.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - lvl102 4y ago
    NYC commercial plumbers make a lot of money and it is also one of the hardest jobs (apprenticeship) to get in the world.
  - john1633 4y ago
    Weirdly lucrative? Not weird at all. These professions are the backbone of society.
- blockwriter 4y ago
  I think he means enlisting in the military or a police force, accruing that job experience, rather than getting an undergrad degree, and then going straight to law school.
- loeg 4y ago
  Entry level police jobs pay better than a lot of lawyer jobs, with a lot less debt.
- lvl102 4y ago
  If you start out early enough, you can be retired from law enforcement with pension earlier than you think (typically 20 years) which is actually a perfect time for you to go get a law degree.
  - peanuty1 4y ago
    Why is the age of 41 (assuming you became a police officer after college) a good time to get a law degree?
71a54xd 4y ago
If the software eng market gets really really bad I might just become a licensed electrician and manage 4-5 electricians. I could remember enough of the 40% of an EE degree I finished before pivotting to CS. Another option is getting some BS real estate certs and building some kind of middle-man operation where I facilitate / officiate sales of high end homes to rich people who can't view something before they buy (more common than you'd think).
- toomuchtodo 4y ago
  > I might just become a licensed electrician Depending on state, it can take several years to become licensed. I recommend starting sooner vs later, even if only part time.
  - Chris2048 4y ago
    I looked into this myself (not in US) - all paths seemed to require full time apprenticeship..

Being a plumber, for example, is far more lucrative for most people. Military, police, then lawyer route is also very lucrative.

by lvl102 4y ago

Being a plumber, for example, is far more lucrative for most people. Military, police, then lawyer route is also very lucrative.

hotpotamus 4y ago

One of those is not like the other in that it requires extensive college. It also happens to be the one that pays more than the others.

pclmulqdq 4y ago
Being a high-end plumber doesn't take much college. I joke, but most lawyers actually don't make a ton of money. Like programming, the profession is very bimodal. By the time you get out of law school, unless that law school is a big name like Harvard or you get a good clerkship or associate job, you will be heading for a career that tops out at $200k/year if you don't burn out in the mean time. Plumbing, electrical work, and other trade work is weirdly lucrative and doesn't come with nearly as much "ladder climbing" as a legal career. Also, a mid-career trade worker can specialize (taking only very lucrative and weird jobs) or start to manage other tradespeople. Plumbing and the other trades are a lot like software engineering in that sense, and the reward for being the plumber who knows how to deal with water pumps in high-rises is similar to the reward for being the software engineer who can program GPUs (or some other niche skill). For example, I happen to have met one of the people who does the HVAC in Google NYC, and he makes the same amount as a senior SWE at Google.
- Kon-Peki 4y ago
  The trades can be excellent careers, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to pretend that they’re an ideal path for most people. You’ll be constantly working with people making poor life decisions that look like a lot of fun, and being encouraged to join in. People with self-control issues or trouble resisting peer pressure are going to have a lot of trouble succeeding. They’ll have very little help.
  - pclmulqdq 4y ago
    In college, you will also be constantly surrounded by people making poor life decisions that look fun and being encouraged to join in. That also happens at most law firms, on Wall Street, and at many startups.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- lvl102 4y ago
  NYC commercial plumbers make a lot of money and it is also one of the hardest jobs (apprenticeship) to get in the world.
- john1633 4y ago
  Weirdly lucrative? Not weird at all. These professions are the backbone of society.
blockwriter 4y ago
I think he means enlisting in the military or a police force, accruing that job experience, rather than getting an undergrad degree, and then going straight to law school.
loeg 4y ago
Entry level police jobs pay better than a lot of lawyer jobs, with a lot less debt.
lvl102 4y ago
If you start out early enough, you can be retired from law enforcement with pension earlier than you think (typically 20 years) which is actually a perfect time for you to go get a law degree.
- peanuty1 4y ago
  Why is the age of 41 (assuming you became a police officer after college) a good time to get a law degree?

71a54xd 4y ago

If the software eng market gets really really bad I might just become a licensed electrician and manage 4-5 electricians. I could remember enough of the 40% of an EE degree I finished before pivotting to CS. Another option is getting some BS real estate certs and building some kind of middle-man operation where I facilitate / officiate sales of high end homes to rich people who can't view something before they buy (more common than you'd think).

toomuchtodo 4y ago
> I might just become a licensed electrician Depending on state, it can take several years to become licensed. I recommend starting sooner vs later, even if only part time.
- Chris2048 4y ago
  I looked into this myself (not in US) - all paths seemed to require full time apprenticeship..