3 ms·

I'll take that a step further: have a personal "business plan" for what you are going to accomplish and treat professional school like a job with that goal as y

by flkiwi 3y ago

I'll take that a step further: have a personal "business plan" for what you are going to accomplish and treat professional school like a job with that goal as your job description. I went to a non-top-tier law school, but I finished very high in my class and knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish (and was largely debt-free in doing so). I ended up where many of my Harvard Law friends did with substantially less financial stress. Another tidbit, since this will probably turn into that kind of thread: I will advise anyone who listens that getting 3-5 years of work experience will, for most people, be substantially more valuable for prospective lawyers than going directly through to law school from undergraduate. The funny thing is that I finished so high in my class in part because, after working for several years, the bad parts of law school seemed pretty trivial. Note this is a US perspective and other countries educate their professionals differently.

matwood 3y ago
> have a personal "business plan" for what you are going to accomplish and treat professional school like a job This is how people should treat any schooling. My plans weren't as thought out when I went to undergrad long ago, but even something as simple as 'pick a major that has a high likelihood of financial stability' helps. > I will advise anyone who listens that getting 3-5 years of work experience Don't many of the top b-schools also require some work experience prior to attending?
- flkiwi 3y ago
  Yes, and while I am deeply skeptical of many MBA programs' value, the work requirement is one very good thing about b-schools (note I limited my comment to prospective lawyers). I don't mind a major that, by itself, has limited financial utility. My own degree is laughably unprofitable. In my experience, you can accomplish the exercise of developing excellent research and writing habits, time management, etc. using just about any degree. In hiring, I also like to see someone who is more than their job, who has interests and motivations beyond the blinders of their profession. But, to your broader point, _thinking about what you want to accomplish_, even if it ends up changing completely, is better than just marking the box of "going to college".
leoqa 3y ago
I’ve done software for 15 years and am fortunate to soft-retire soon. I was considering my next career to be law. I’ve filed civil actions, patents and would want to do civil litigation for consumer rights. Any advice on how to go about getting a degree that is reasonably priced, getting experience? Is there industry knowledge around which (ideally online) school is the most legit?
- flkiwi 3y ago
  I have an n of 1, maybe approximating 2-4 with the anecdotes I've picked up from colleagues over the years, so I can't speak broadly to the law school market. I will say that I went to a state school of moderate rank (certainly not a glorious one) with the express goals of (1) spend as little as possible on (2) a fully reputable degree and (3) rank in the top 10 of my class. Despite the best efforts of the legislature of the state in question, I managed to get out of law school spending less on 3 years than top tier schools charge for 1 year. The only other things I would say are that the first semester is the most important in determining how you feed into the job market (assuming a traditional summer associate track) and the third year ... shouldn't exist. I would also have a concrete idea of what you want to accomplish (mine: combine the principles of software development with business experience and a risk management mindset to help companies find the best chance of success with their projects -- I have done everything from massively automating legal processes using developer tools to IP to privacy to infosec to dispute resolution .. it's been great). Just saying "I want to do transactions" or "I want to focus on international law or nonprofits" (admirable but cliche and absolutely not financially viable) is not enough. This isn't meant to criticize what you said about civil litigation at all--it's one part of a 4-line reply and not a personal statement--but what can YOU bring to the interests you want to serve? Oh, and the Bar Exam isn't as bad as everyone says it is. I wouldn't do it recreationally, but I've done project justification meetings with leadership that were more taxing.

by flkiwi 3y ago

matwood 3y ago

> have a personal "business plan" for what you are going to accomplish and treat professional school like a job This is how people should treat any schooling. My plans weren't as thought out when I went to undergrad long ago, but even something as simple as 'pick a major that has a high likelihood of financial stability' helps. > I will advise anyone who listens that getting 3-5 years of work experience Don't many of the top b-schools also require some work experience prior to attending?

flkiwi 3y ago
Yes, and while I am deeply skeptical of many MBA programs' value, the work requirement is one very good thing about b-schools (note I limited my comment to prospective lawyers). I don't mind a major that, by itself, has limited financial utility. My own degree is laughably unprofitable. In my experience, you can accomplish the exercise of developing excellent research and writing habits, time management, etc. using just about any degree. In hiring, I also like to see someone who is more than their job, who has interests and motivations beyond the blinders of their profession. But, to your broader point, _thinking about what you want to accomplish_, even if it ends up changing completely, is better than just marking the box of "going to college".

leoqa 3y ago

I’ve done software for 15 years and am fortunate to soft-retire soon. I was considering my next career to be law. I’ve filed civil actions, patents and would want to do civil litigation for consumer rights. Any advice on how to go about getting a degree that is reasonably priced, getting experience? Is there industry knowledge around which (ideally online) school is the most legit?

flkiwi 3y ago
I have an n of 1, maybe approximating 2-4 with the anecdotes I've picked up from colleagues over the years, so I can't speak broadly to the law school market. I will say that I went to a state school of moderate rank (certainly not a glorious one) with the express goals of (1) spend as little as possible on (2) a fully reputable degree and (3) rank in the top 10 of my class. Despite the best efforts of the legislature of the state in question, I managed to get out of law school spending less on 3 years than top tier schools charge for 1 year. The only other things I would say are that the first semester is the most important in determining how you feed into the job market (assuming a traditional summer associate track) and the third year ... shouldn't exist. I would also have a concrete idea of what you want to accomplish (mine: combine the principles of software development with business experience and a risk management mindset to help companies find the best chance of success with their projects -- I have done everything from massively automating legal processes using developer tools to IP to privacy to infosec to dispute resolution .. it's been great). Just saying "I want to do transactions" or "I want to focus on international law or nonprofits" (admirable but cliche and absolutely not financially viable) is not enough. This isn't meant to criticize what you said about civil litigation at all--it's one part of a 4-line reply and not a personal statement--but what can YOU bring to the interests you want to serve? Oh, and the Bar Exam isn't as bad as everyone says it is. I wouldn't do it recreationally, but I've done project justification meetings with leadership that were more taxing.