Is a JD Just another Humanities Degree?

[Sephiroth]

I recently heard that unless you attend a top 10-15 law school, that the JD is just another humanities degree.  He said that many law grads just struggle to find any type of work if they aren't from the national schools.

This post was by someone on an education forum who had thousands of posts, so I took it he might know what he's talking about, but figured if he's calling it another humanities degree, he's improperly characterizing it.

Further, this person said that the JD is not that all marketable, unless you are a top grad from a top school.

Is this the undesirable truth when it comes to law school and job prospects and rankings?  

Thank you.

[the white rabbit]

I recently heard that unless you attend a top 10-15 law school, that the JD is just another humanities degree.  He said that many law grads just struggle to find any type of work if they aren't from the national schools.

This post was by someone on an education forum who had thousands of posts, so I took it he might know what he's talking about, but figured if he's calling it another humanities degree, he's improperly characterizing it.

Further, this person said that the JD is not that all marketable, unless you are a top grad from a top school.

Is this the undesirable truth when it comes to law school and job prospects and rankings?  

Thank you.

That depends on what you mean by "that all marketable."

But JD's are certainly less the path to financial success than is commonly believed.

[Sephiroth]

What is, then?  Relatively speaking, what field/degree helps give you that prospect?

[StonewallJacksonFan]

PhD in Accounting.  As soon as you graduate (from ANY school) you will be looking at about 10 offers, 135K average.  Accounting professors do whatever the hell they want, with their 20 hour workweek.  Or, if you are not averse to being at work from 9 to 5 Mon-Fri you can get a job in the industry for 250K.  I am going to get a JD from top 30 but then at some point I might get PhD in Accounting.  It is 100 times harder to be admitted than say Cornell Law but it is full ride for all plus stipend.

[TheCause]

What is, then?  Relatively speaking, what field/degree helps give you that prospect?

A PharmD will all but guarantee you a 100k+ job when you graduate.  And you can work almost anywhere.


Also, a J.D. is pretty marketable in many cases, even if you went to a school outside of the top 14.
If you're in the top 20% of your class at Texas, Iowa, Kansas, or BYU  (Or another good school that stands atop a geographical area) then you're likely to get a decent job.

[Sephiroth]

I thought MBA from a top school will land you great IB job, or the like.  Phd in accounting....eh.  

But a top law school degree is still going to do a lot, too.

But is it "just another humanities degree"?   

[StonewallJacksonFan]

There is a lot of people with top 10 MBA degrees right now out of a job.  Noone with PhD in Accounting is out of a job, and average annual salary is near 180K. If you do get a top IB job, you will be working 90 hours a week for 150K, while a smart person who went for PhD in Accounting will be chilling on his boat doing nothing, enjoying the stupidity of a majority of people and laughing at you. At my college accounting professors were second highest paid employees after the college president and they barely did anything.  If you would rather run with all the lemmings from the side of a cliff because thats what everyone is doing - go for it...But the chances are you will not get into PhD in Accounting program anyway, so...

[Sephiroth]

So do all associates at Goldman Sachs pull 90hrs a week?  I know MBA gets you in to IB, PE, and the hours are typically that long and strenuous, but don't Goldman Associates make more than 180k yearly?

Any other field worth mentioning here I'd appreciate it.

It's not that I won't get into accounting, it's that I don't like the field that much, its just numbers, and I find it quite boring.

[StonewallJacksonFan]

I am not a troll from PhD in Accounting Department, but it is not just numbers, it is about economics concepts and ways to trasmit economic events into meaningful financial statements.  One big part of accounting research is business valuation and my accounting professors had a business on the side from which they pulled 100K a year xtra to their college salary. 

And top MBA does not necessarily lead you into Goldman Sachs.  They have 50 top MBAs competing for each position. IB is dead and will be dead for 5-10 more years.  If you are luckyyou will get a consulting job for 110-120K straight out of grad school.

[Mitchell]

If you think a job at 100K is financial success, you're doing it wrong.