what kind of job can I get?

[jlb3]

So a little background: I go to a low T2 school in a mid-sized city. I am in the middle of my class (2.95 GPA). I am not on moot court or a journal, but am doing a joint MA in PoliSci. I spent my first summer interning with a small government agency doing ConLaw work. This year, my 2L year, I was a TA for american government. This summer I am going to be interning for a small Senate committee. I am hoping to have a part-time clerkship with a small firm here in the fall to get more experience. Also, I did two internships with members of the US House as an undergrad.

The only place I even want to look to work in is DC. I feel that with my GPA and school, I may not even get a legal job, especially since I'm not on moot court or a journal. Since I only take 9-10 law credits a semester (because of the joint degree program) it's kind of hard to significantly change my GPA at this point. My GPA by semester was 2.77, 3.00, and 3.11, so at least I have an upward trend.

Should I even be looking for legal jobs? I doubt any firm will hire me and government jobs are going to be even more competitive because of the (sort of) recession. I am getting really nervous about getting a job when I graduate and don't want to pick up my diploma or take the bar exam and still be unemployed. Thanks for any advice.

[plex]

It sounds like you really need to get out there and network. Honestly, if you had been concentrating on networking rather than an MA (in poly sci?! I guess it may be a little useful for governmental work, it honestly wouldn't even have been surprising if you had been dead-set on governmental work when you chose it, not a good degree for someone who wants lots of options though), you probably would have had a better idea of exactly what way you would be going, at least starting off. Still, it does seem like you have the drive to get work experience (don't you have a feel for whether you like government work by now?), through your governmental jobs, but you should really be focusing on talking with lawyers/governmental workers and seeing exactly what would make you stand out and what you want to do.

Go find the posts on networking.

[jacy85]

It sounds like you really need to get out there and network. Honestly, if you had been concentrating on networking rather than an MA (in poly sci?! I guess it may be a little useful for governmental work, it honestly wouldn't even have been surprising if you had been dead-set on governmental work when you chose it, not a good degree for someone who wants lots of options though), you probably would have had a better idea of exactly what way you would be going, at least starting off. Still, it does seem like you have the drive to get work experience (don't you have a feel for whether you like government work by now?), through your governmental jobs, but you should really be focusing on talking with lawyers/governmental workers and seeing exactly what would make you stand out and what you want to do.

Go find the posts on networking.

I agree.  I hate to say it, but you MA is a complete and utter waste of time re: law school and getting legal employment and probably a big waste of money (hopefully you're at least enjoying it...).

You need to start networking ASAP, seeking informational interviews, contacting alum of your school and planning a short trip to DC now and then and doing the "I'm in town for a few days and would love to meet with you for coffee and learn about your career, your firm, etc." phone calls.

As plex said, see other posts on networking.  And I recommend the Guerrilla Tactics for getting the Legal Job of your Dreams book, by Kimm Walton.

[jlb3]

Thanks for all of your responses. The reason I did the MA was because I did very poorly my first semester (2.77) and panicked and didn’t think I wanted to be a lawyer. I do kind of regret it now. The other thing is that the MA allowed me to be a TA, which paid $750 every two weeks for about four hours a week of work. If I could go back in time I would dump the MA, but it’s too late.

I do want to start out in the government, but with so many people saying they are having trouble finding jobs, both here and people I know, I am getting worried. Honestly, I think I have two pretty good internships and never really had a problem getting a summer job in DC. I also went to UG in the DC area, so I think that may help as well.

[MiamiHurricane]

Maybe consider the PMF program.  As I understand it, it places in non-legal GS-11 positions.  However, a lot of law students do it, and you may be able to market your MA. 

Also, since you are going to be in Washington for the summer, check out the Young Lawyers Division of the Federal Bar Association.  They have a summer law clerk program with lectures and site visits oriented towards finding government attorney positions.  This link doesn't provide much information, but maybe it will later in the summer. http://www.fba-yld.org/Navigation.htm