Second Thoughts.

[Thelidkid]

Just some advice from a guy who was you a year ago.  I was in a similar situation last year around this time; I was in at a decent law school (no money though) and all of the sudden I just started having second thoughts about the time commitment and cost/benefit ratio.  So I went the same path you did, started studying for the GMAT and GRE.  I got in with money at a top 25 business school (which was wayyyy easier) and finally was comfortable with the cost/benefit (way higher starting salary to loan ratio than law school, not to mention the extra year).  I accepted the B-school offer and sacrificed my seat deposit at the law school. 

Classes began and I began to realize that I forgot one important thing.. learning business (especially in a t25 environment) was literally torture.  I eventually withdrew as I could not stand to go to my classes anymore and I refused to spend the rest of my life doing something that I could not tolerate.  I emailed the good old law school and explained my situation and they let me back in for this fall (this time with money!).

The moral of the story is that we all have opportunities and quantitatively law school is not always your best bet (rarely it is).  However this isn't about cost/benefit, this is about the next 30 years of your professional life.  Get out there and borrow a few first year textbooks for law, mba, psychology, whatever you may be interested in and really read them.  This will give you a great idea of what is in store for you in the fall and you may realize law is completely boring and foreign (like business was for me) or you may (like myself) finally see what you WANT to do.  This path, the one you want and are stimulated by, will be the one that is a success for you.

[Arseficken]

You should probably all read this article if you're on the fence.

Seriously, if you can think of anything else you might want to do, you should go for it instead. Don't worry about the money and time you've put into preparation, because it's less than you'll spend on the schooling itself. Going with it despite having doubts is a slippery slope, since people will go since they've put so much money into prep, then stick with it once they start school and hate it because they've already shelled for a semester/year's tuition, then get a job they hate that works them like a dog and doesn't pay anything near what they hoped for when they started and stick with it because it'd be a shame to pay that much for school and not break even before changing careers, and then piss away their entire lives with a career they despise because while they've broken even they're too set in the grueling lifestyle, are too old to begin a new career, have no lives outside work anymore anyway, etc.

[allaboutlydia]

You should probably all read this article if you're on the fence.

Seriously, if you can think of anything else you might want to do, you should go for it instead. Don't worry about the money and time you've put into preparation, because it's less than you'll spend on the schooling itself. Going with it despite having doubts is a slippery slope, since people will go since they've put so much money into prep, then stick with it once they start school and hate it because they've already shelled for a semester/year's tuition, then get a job they hate that works them like a dog and doesn't pay anything near what they hoped for when they started and stick with it because it'd be a shame to pay that much for school and not break even before changing careers, and then piss away their entire lives with a career they despise because while they've broken even they're too set in the grueling lifestyle, are too old to begin a new career, have no lives outside work anymore anyway, etc.

The link you provided does not work.

[Pardon Johnny Cash.]

However, as I consider all of the implications of actually leaving my current job, I find myself increasingly uneasy and I am reconsidering this entire ordeal. While my tuition would be virtually free, there is the matter of losing income for 3 years and having to take out student loans to cover living expenses for my family while I attend school.

Not to mention, the economy is horrible right now and there are no guarantees that the legal market will be booming in 3 years. I am considering continuing in my current job and getting my Masters Degree (which I could do via distance learning.)

What are the consequences of withdrawing after one has gone this far? Would this scratch me in the future at this particular school if I decide to reapply? Has anyone else had second thoughts after going this far into the process? If so, how did you ultimately make your final decision?

Some consideration:

- You have a family and this won't be changing.  You'll have the same concerns next year and the year afterwards.

- You'll be taking a financial hit in future years by giving up income.  This won't change. 

- Thus, don't look at this as putting law school off for a year or two.  It's more about whether to go or not. 

- The main question is whether you want to be a lawyer.  How much does this mean to you?  You'll be earning again in three years.  There are no guarantees that the job market will be stellar.  In fact, don't think about doing this for the money.  Would you rather be a lawyer or not?

- Your tuition is free so you won't be amassing debt.  I doubt a masters will help you much in professional aspirations.  They rarely ever do.  Continue at your current job or become a lawyer.  That's the question.

[allaboutlydia]

Your response is on point!

[Ninja1]

Essential Reading

I endorse this.

[Gary Stiltner]

A quick (an admittedly cursory) search of career builder generates over 3700 jobs for attorneys. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. My situation is similar to that of the OP: I was working full-time and I have a family to support. I worked for a Fortune 500 and couldn't stand my job. My degree in Finance did not open many doors for me within the company. The final kicker was discovering that, by the company's own estimate, I was being paid $5000 less than the average salary for my job. Despite having exemplary performance reviews for my entire tenure and an HR policy that stated employee salaries were evaluated each year for such discrepancies, the company refused to adjust my salary.

Law School had been an idea for a while and that pretty much sealed it for me. I was able to negotiate the correction in my pay by making a lateral move into a plant purchasing role. This was a nightmare position but I planned on toughing it out for a year before school. Long story short, the economy nosedived and the plant was closed.

I guess the point of the story is, with or without law school, opportunities in this economy are few and far between. Unless you're making great money, enjoy going to work everyday and have ample opportunity for advancement, further training is great. I would be wary of the MBA degree; from what I've seen, the MBA is the "General Studies" of Graduate degrees.

[Ninja1]

A quick (an admittedly cursory) search of career builder generates over 3700 jobs for attorneys. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. My situation is similar to that of the OP: I was working full-time and I have a family to support. I worked for a Fortune 500 and couldn't stand my job. My degree in Finance did not open many doors for me within the company. The final kicker was discovering that, by the company's own estimate, I was being paid $5000 less than the average salary for my job. Despite having exemplary performance reviews for my entire tenure and an HR policy that stated employee salaries were evaluated each year for such discrepancies, the company refused to adjust my salary.

Law School had been an idea for a while and that pretty much sealed it for me. I was able to negotiate the correction in my pay by making a lateral move into a plant purchasing role. This was a nightmare position but I planned on toughing it out for a year before school. Long story short, the economy nosedived and the plant was closed.

I guess the point of the story is, with or without law school, opportunities in this economy are few and far between. Unless you're making great money, enjoy going to work everyday and have ample opportunity for advancement, further training is great. I would be wary of the MBA degree; from what I've seen, the MBA is the "General Studies" of Graduate degrees.

Good post, and the bolded is dead on.

[Gary Stiltner]

Good post, and the bolded is dead on.

Thanks...I've met quite a few who, as they say, couldn't pull a greasy string out of a cat's ass. The idea that because one has an MBA, he can run any type of business from day one is absolutely ridiculous.

[Pardon Johnny Cash.]

Good post, and the bolded is dead on.

Thanks...I've met quite a few who, as they say, couldn't pull a greasy string out of a cat's ass. The idea that because one has an MBA, he can run any type of business from day one is absolutely ridiculous.

It's much more important to go to a top business school than a top law school.  A law degree is a gate keeping degree in the sense that you need the degree to practice.  An MBA may make you a bit more marketable, but by no means do you need one for anything.  Considering how many of them are produced in a year, mid-level MBA grads are just not very marketable.