Studying for the BAR, huge DEBT, no JOB, WHAT DO DO?

[LSDSL]

I'm in a real jam here and hoping someone out there has some advice for me. 

Here's my situation:  I just graduated from a west coast regional school ranked in the 60's on USNWR, I've got a 3.0, and wrote onto law review.  I had legal jobs both law school summers but nothing to exciting.  Now, I'm studying for the bar exam in IL (which is where im from and where I want to practice) but have no job and no prospects.  I want to work in Chicago but I have no network or leads and to make matters worse, I'm in debt in excess of 150K.  I'm going crazy.  What do I do?  Will things turn out well for me??? Any advice would be appreciated.  I'm just looking for some guidance.

[new2law]

Best of luck man. I am just on the start of my legal training, so I cant tell you what its like once you've passed the bar, but you may want to consider private practice. Also, I can give you some experience. Join the National Guard or Reserve they will pay off a lot of your college debt if you enlist into a JAG unit as an officer. They will pay off even more if you sign up as an E-4 Specialist too. It would look good on a resume and remove a lot of that debt and help to defer the rest of it while in service. They may have changed the rules for new recruits in the last few years a bit but I am a military NCO so I tend to think that way. Its an idea to consider.

[Ninja1]

Not sure if either of these will work, but the first two things that come to mind that don't require you to join the military are:

Get some random job at a local school district and get on the new fed loan repayment plan.

OR

Enroll in classes at wherever at least half time.

[Ninja1]

Best of luck man. I am just on the start of my legal training, so I cant tell you what its like once you've passed the bar, but you may want to consider private practice. Also, I can give you some experience. Join the National Guard or Reserve they will pay off a lot of your college debt if you enlist into a JAG unit as an officer. They will pay off even more if you sign up as an E-4 Specialist too. It would look good on a resume and remove a lot of that debt and help to defer the rest of it while in service. They may have changed the rules for new recruits in the last few years a bit but I am a military NCO so I tend to think that way. Its an idea to consider.

You would have to be beyond retarded to go into the military as an E-4 with the level of education a law school grad has.

[new2law]

You'd think so but a lot of people do it. It pays off more student loans. It depends on if you're in it to payoff the loans or to get an ego stroke when you look in the mirror. I knew a lot of E-4 with MBA or above. Its crazy but true. Its not for everyone though.

Best of luck man. I am just on the start of my legal training, so I cant tell you what its like once you've passed the bar, but you may want to consider private practice. Also, I can give you some experience. Join the National Guard or Reserve they will pay off a lot of your college debt if you enlist into a JAG unit as an officer. They will pay off even more if you sign up as an E-4 Specialist too. It would look good on a resume and remove a lot of that debt and help to defer the rest of it while in service. They may have changed the rules for new recruits in the last few years a bit but I am a military NCO so I tend to think that way. Its an idea to consider.

You would have to be beyond retarded to go into the military as an E-4 with the level of education a law school grad has.

[Bob Loblaw Esq.]

Best of luck man. I am just on the start of my legal training, so I cant tell you what its like once you've passed the bar, but you may want to consider private practice. Also, I can give you some experience. Join the National Guard or Reserve they will pay off a lot of your college debt if you enlist into a JAG unit as an officer. They will pay off even more if you sign up as an E-4 Specialist too. It would look good on a resume and remove a lot of that debt and help to defer the rest of it while in service. They may have changed the rules for new recruits in the last few years a bit but I am a military NCO so I tend to think that way. Its an idea to consider.

lol

problem: OP has a great deal of debt with no job
 
solution: join private or public sector

problem solved.

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

Get a job.  What do you expect people to tell you?  Searching for a job sucks and it will probably be hard, but you do all the things you need to do to get a job - send out resumes, look for jobs, and NETWORK.  If you're from the area, you should know some lawyers.  Everyone knows lawyers or, at the very least, knows people who know lawyers.  Talk to these lawyers.  Ask them if they know of anyone who's hiring.  Ask them if they have any bright ideas about how you can get a job.  Go to where lawyers hang out (for example, bar association events) and talk to lawyers there.  It's really not rocket science, it just sucks.  You might not end up with the job you want either, but you'll end up with a job and that's a start.     

[LSDSL]

Get a job.  What do you expect people to tell you?  Searching for a job sucks and it will probably be hard, but you do all the things you need to do to get a job - send out resumes, look for jobs, and NETWORK.  If you're from the area, you should know some lawyers.  Everyone knows lawyers or, at the very least, knows people who know lawyers.  Talk to these lawyers.  Ask them if they know of anyone who's hiring.  Ask them if they have any bright ideas about how you can get a job.  Go to where lawyers hang out (for example, bar association events) and talk to lawyers there.  It's really not rocket science, it just sucks.  You might not end up with the job you want either, but you'll end up with a job and that's a start.     

I know I know I know.  It's just that I'm so disheartened and fed up with the whole process, though I do like your idea a whole lot better than joining the military!  I wish I just had some statistics to let me know that I'm not alone.  Especially w/ this economy, there must be a huge number of law grads w/o jobs.  I wish I knew what percentage of law students take the bar exam w/o knowing where/if they'll be working.

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

You should be disheartened.  It's a miserable process because it seems so hopeless at times.  There's really nothing wrong with being miserable in and of itself.  It's a perfectly normal reaction to your situation.  Just don't let your miserableness turn into a depression that keeps you from doing what you need to do.  Study for the bar, take the bar exam, and then start looking for a job. 

As far as getting a job without knowing whether you passed the bar exam first, if an employer doesn't want to talk to you until after you pass the bar, then that's fine, just keep a running list of these employers.  If an employer doesn't even respond to you, keep a running list of these employers as well so you can try to contact them again after you pass the bar.     

[LSDSL]

You should be disheartened.  It's a miserable process because it seems so hopeless at times.  There's really nothing wrong with being miserable in and of itself.  It's a perfectly normal reaction to your situation.  Just don't let your miserableness turn into a depression that keeps you from doing what you need to do.  Study for the bar, take the bar exam, and then start looking for a job. 

As far as getting a job without knowing whether you passed the bar exam first, if an employer doesn't want to talk to you until after you pass the bar, then that's fine, just keep a running list of these employers.  If an employer doesn't even respond to you, keep a running list of these employers as well so you can try to contact them again after you pass the bar.     

Is there anyone else out there in my situation?  How unusual is it to be studying for the bar as a recent graduate and not already have a job?