Should I attend law school?

NYULawyer
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Life in indeed all about tradeoffs: and I would argue that those people who don’t actually enjoy engineering/CS should probably not choose to major in those subjects, despite its higher pay. We’re not just talking about enduring the crucible of the college engineering experience for which numerous engineers I know still harbor painful memories. We’re also talking about working as an engineer for the rest of your life…or at least until you switch careers out of frustration, as many former engineers do. Engineering is not like a career in consulting or Ibanking which most people undergo for only a few years before switching to a high position of a different industry. Other than management, engineering experience doesn’t provide you with the mobility to easily switch to a high position of another career, and so any profession that you do switch to will likely entail that you start at the bottom.

If you don’t actually enjoy engineering, then you likely won’t even obtain an engineering job at all - as not only will your grades likely be poor, even if they’re strong, engineering employers can nevertheless can often times detect if an applicant isn’t particularly enthusiastic about the position anyway. And even if you are able to obtain the engineering job, you likely won’t be able to keep it for long anyway due to your lack of interest in the job, and will likely look to switch careers. The investment in pain and sacrifice you made in obtaining the engineering degree will be wasted as you pursue a non-engineering career, as I’ve seen many former engineering students do. Heck, I know one former engineer who became a nightclub DJ, his rationale being that at least now he’s doing something that he actually enjoys.

On the other hand, obtaining a degree in poli-sci is relatively easy, allowing you to actually enjoy the college experience. Furthermore, even if you dislike the subject, you likely won’t pursue the poli-sci major as a career anyway.



I wil tell you what - most people don’t exactly love their jobs.

Case in point, there are 17 million college grads who work in retail jobs. Do you think these people work their jobs because they enjoy it? I don’t think so. It’s called “having a roof over your head”.

Sure, some may not enjoy engineering career, but so what? At least you are on a career track that has decent upside, one that can actually use your education.

Talk to some of the working professionals in different industries. Some of the I-bankers, consultants, accountants, corporate lawyers, and even doctors that I’ve talked to absolutely despise their jobs. The truth of matter is, every job has its downside.

In this challenging economic times, no one in right mind would go about employers and demand that he’d only work for a,b,c level of salary, doing x,y,z type of role/job, when there are thousands of other equally qualified candidates lined up for the same job.