I’ve always loved film and want to work in the industry, but making it big is a very long shot. So I plan on double majoring in something else, I like social studies and English a lot. I’ve been thinking about law school and it seems like something I would really do. What are a few majors usually really good for law school entrance and also very good for the job market?
Also, I would plan on getting a job dealing with film and working on it independently, aside from a more stable, high paying job.
So first I’d like to encourage you to read some of the very copious sum of information out there suggesting that law school is not a good idea for most people anymore. Quite frankly, a JD does not provide the kind of remuneration that it did before the financial collapse in 2008. Apparently, currently the [median income of all lawyers is just $62,000](Go to law school. Rack up debt. Make $62,000), and even at the biggest law firms with the plum positions, starting salaries are around $95,000. That’s not enough to repay the massive amount of debt that most law students have to take on to pay for law school. [url=http://www.businessinsider.com/samuel-browning-and-michael-leichter-flow-chart-2013-10]Here’s[/url] an interesting flowchart one person put together about good and bad reasons to go to law school. You might also want to peruse AboveTheLaw.com and [url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/05/you_can_do_anything_with_a_law_degree_no_no_you_cannot.html]this[/url] Slate article.
Okay, with that said - you can major in anything to go to law school. Majors that encourage a lot of reading, writing, critical thinking and analytical skills are best because that’s what you’ll use in law school and a law career - so majors like philosophy, political science, English, history, sociology, and anthropology are good. Majors like math, physics, computer science, and chemistry could also be good because of the analytical and logical thinking required, although you need to be sure to take classes that also foster your writing and reading skills. So…basically most liberal arts & sciences majors are good for law school.
I’m no sure what you mean by that, but it sounds like you mean that you’d plan on getting a full-time, high-income job to pay the bills (like being a lawyer) and then work part-time on the side or independently on film. That’s probably not a good plan. High-paying careers pay so much in part because they require a lot of hours - new lawyers who are fortunate enough to get prestigious, high-paying jobs frequently work 10-12 hour days to make that salary. You won’t have enough time to seriously work on a film career on the side. If you wanted to do something to support an independent film career, you should probably pursue a field that will allow you to work more regular and/or flexible hours that gives you time to pursue film.
Math and economics are two of the more reliable majors if you’re looking for solid LSAT/law school preparation and employability. But if you don’t have a high to middling aptitude for math, your GPA can get depressed, harming your law school options. Also, as @juillet mentioned, if you need to take on large debt for law school, many people claim that the payoff won’t be there unless you can get into a top law school. If that’s true, and I assume it is, then getting into that top 20 school is imperative, so you’ll need a fairly high GPA. Bear that in mind when choosing a major (i.e. GPA tends to follow happiness).
Economics is a social science, so maybe it would appeal to you more, but again, it can be quite abstract and has quantitative elements, along with obvious connections to business, so if that vibe doesn’t interest you, you probably won’t fetch a high enough GPA for a top law school. But give it a try if you like.
If you really enjoy English and social studies, I suggest majoring in English or history or international studies. Then throw in a more quantitative minor like math/applied math/stats or computer science to ramp up your employability. Compsci would probably prove useful to you with your love of film, as you need to be comfortable with “tech”. But again, you need some aptitude and interest in it. You don’t absolutely require a film major to get into the film industry. Connections matter a lot. Some folks think, well, what better way to forge connections than to study film and be “around” it. It doesn’t usually work that way, though. It takes passion and ambition and talent to make those connections, first and foremost, not a certain major from a certain school.
Honestly, there are no particular majors to study for for the vast majority of jobs in the arts, and I think majoring in film would be a waste of your time. Join the film/theatre related extracurriculars in your college instead.
Two requirements for law school admission–great GPA and high LSAT. Doesn’t matter what you major in to get there. You need to go to a well regarded law school. And do well. You need to be near the top of the law school class. Many grads don’t have jobs because the schools they attend don’t have the credentials or they didn’t make the grades. Our state has a good number of law schools but only 3 or 4 from which firms hire. Do your research. Don’t attend a second-rate law school and accumulate debt.
Pick a major you would want to have a career in case you DON"T go to law school. And keep your grades up. Law requires analysis and writing ability both.
As for doing film on the side as a career after law school–I don’t see it happening except strictly as a hobby It’s too time-consuming. But hobbies are great (and soul satisfying) and I turned photography into a small business at one point. Just part time but it still took study and contacts. My goal at the time was make enough money to cover my hobby expenses!
I hear it’s possible to get positions in film without schooling (although I don’t know anybody personally who has done that) but so much of the field is contact dependent and I’m not sure where you could get experience/training and develop contacts while working in any other field . There is a definite time crunch.
When my D first started talking about computer animation, graphic novels, creative writing etc. in HS, I tried to steer her towards more traditional paths but after some research into the field I realized how much further ahead she would be career-wise by going to a specialized school. That doesn’t work for everybody obviously
.People talk about needing “passion” for the arts which evokes different images. I’d say “singularity of purpose” might be a better phrase. You have wide-ranging interests so keep exploring your career options.
Maybe you could strive to eventually be an attorney in entertainment law.
Alternately, you could work as an attorney and write a script
In the evenings and weekends.
Besides those 2 things, I can’t see how you could “combine both.”
I did meet a guy who was an attorney and then eventually quit to write scripts and get into the entertainment industry. His (approx 4th?) script hit pay dirt and he directed the film as well. Was called “the blind side” and was nominated for an academy award.
But had to walk away from a salary as an attorney and jump off a cliff of financial safety.
And good majors for law school would be English, philosophy, political sci, history. Maybe you could do film studies as a major which has a lot more writing and analysis than film production