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<p>Uh, no, that’s not the question. The question isn’t why should you, because I never said you should. Obviously those who can make high incomes doing what they like should do exactly that. </p>
<p>The question is indeed, why can’t you? It’s not that bad to live the life of an average American. Billions of poor people around the world would like to enjoy that kind of lifestyle. Put another way, HLS and YLS provide students with a quite livable escape hatch: if they can’t find a high-paying corporate law job - or even if they can, but find that lifestyle unbearable - they can revert to living the life of an average American without having to pay a dime of law school debt. Sure, that’s not the best lifestyle in the world, but it’s not bad either. </p>
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<p>No, you’ll be living far better than that. Like I said, the average American has to bust his rear end to make $40k a year, yet a HLS or YLS grad can surely find a highly laid-back law position that will pay them them that salary, where you may not even really have to put in 40 hours of work a week. As I explained, there are probably some law firms who would pay $40k a year just to be able to say that they have a HLS/YLS graduate on staff, and any work you actually complete is a bonus. </p>
<p>And besides, it is precisely that sort of mentality that only reinforces the materialistic stereotypes of modern-day law students. Why does a law career have to be solely about making money and living large? Aren’t there supposed to be plenty of people pursuing attending law school - even HLS/YLS - to fight for goals that have nothing to do with money? Assistant District Attorneys in Boston, which surely some HLS grads aspire to become, were paid a starting salary of only $35k in 2006. Most nonprofits pay conspicuously low starting salaries to newly hired lawyers. They seem to be content living the life lifestyle - at least financially - of, as you put it, a “junior college dropout”. </p>
<p>The starting salary for assistant district attorneys is $35,000</p>
<p>[Prosecutors</a> moonlight to make ends meet - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/22/prosecutors_moonlight_to_make_ends_meet/]Prosecutors”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/22/prosecutors_moonlight_to_make_ends_meet/)</p>
<p>Perhaps you would like to tell them that they should not be content with their small paychecks, and all of them should quit to work for BIGLAW?</p>