For a long time, I rejected the idea of becoming a lawyer. My dad is a lawyer, and really wants all of his children to be lawyers, too. So at some point in high school, I became dead-set against it.
Flash forward to the middle of my college career. I’m starting to think about what I could do with my life, and I realize something. First of all, what my dad does (small business contracts) is really interesting. Second, lawyers can become so specialized that there’s a plethora of different work environments a lawyer could have. Third, I kind of like law. It’s interesting and could be a good career choice for me. So I signed up for and took the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test).
As I approached the LSAT, I became more and more nervous. Not about the test, but about making this decision. The one thing that I’ve heard is true for all lawyers is that they work very hard, and you have to love it. The hours are killer, even after the first few years, but it does provide a constant set of new challenges. I don’t know if I love it. I don’t really know enough about the field of law, about practicing, to know how I feel about it.
I also realized that I didn’t want to go to law school as a default option. It’s a big investment in terms of time and money, and not one I’m ready to make without more information.
So now, I’m on the job search. Trying to find something that will occupy me for at least a year. Something in a law firm, or a law-related field, would be good. But there are challenges to this plan.
First, common wisdom dictates that it is very hard to go back to school once you’re out. Going from having income and free time to having neither is not a particularly attractive option for many people, and it’s hard to get back into studying. Although I’m a little worried about this, I think I will be okay. If I go back to school, I plan to do so pretty quickly. As long as I keep going back to school in sight, and treat it as a definite (rather than just an option), I think I’ll be able to keep my momentum going.
Second, I don’t like feeling as though I’m putting my future career on hold. Rationally, I know that I’m not. I’m exploring the world a bit, and figuring out where I’d like to fit into it. Emotionally, it feels like I’m not chasing things enough, like I’m just procrastinating. It’s hard to get rid of that feeling.
I believe I’m making the right choice. It’s just that closing doors, even in the short-term, terrifies me. But I know that it’s necessary; otherwise I’ll never get anywhere.
Trust me, the emphasis on getting all your schooling done at once is extremely overrated. So long as you go back within five years or so, it’ll be just fine. And the extra time and real world experiences are so useful for figuring out what you really want to do. I thought I was going to law school last year, and even had partial scholarship offers at places like UChicago and Duke, but eventually decided it wasn’t worth the risk that I wouldn’t find legal work I enjoyed that would also pay the hefty student loan bills. Now I’m headed for Berkeley’s master’s program in information systems and management in the fall, a field I hadn’t even heard of when I was in college but am in love with now. If I hadn’t taken two years off, and worked in freelance web design and for two different tech startups during that time, I wouldn’t be so certain that this was what I wanted to do for my career.
Regina, I think the idea of taking time off to explore is a great one. I am a 2002 Scripps grad and have been practicing law since 2005. I went straight through from college to law school. I really enjoy my career, but I do sometimes wonder “what if” … what would have happened if I’d had that year of exploration?
Also, I know many people who took one, five, or ten years off before going back to law school or some other kind of grad school. If anything I think those individuals can be even more focused because they have taken the time and know this is exactly what they want to be doing.
Good luck and I would be happy to lend advice on law school if you ever need it!