Law school sounds alot like flight training...

[alpha1]

A few quotes from an interview with a 28 year-old lawyer who seriously regrets his decision to go to law school...it sounds very familiar...

"Law schools will lie to you. Do not believe a word that comes from law schools, law deans, or law professors. They are salesmen and they want you to hand them $200,000 in non-dischargeable law school loans. That's all they are interested in. They will tell you about a glorious career that awaits you."

"I consider law school a waste of my life and an extraordinary waste of money. I feel like I was duped and tricked. At the end of the day, it's my own fault for being a sucker and I learned an extremely hard lesson. Because I went to law school, I don't see myself having a family, earning a comfortable wage, or having an enjoyable lifestyle. I wouldn't wish my law school experience on my enemy."

The interview is below.....

http://www.businessinsider.com/is-law-s ... ey-2013-12

[Shiny Side Up]

I think it can be said for any education these days. Education is big business. Its unfortunate that the people with the least life experience, and the greatest pressure to get some are the ones shopping for it. You got to do your research and shop wisely.

[burninggoats]

Sounds like (similar to aviation) someone who is bitter because they didn't get exactly what they wanted, which was a cushy high paying job right out of school.

In aviation, in law, and in every industry weather you need an education for it or not, you will always get from it what you put in, and you will have to start at the bottom 99.9% of the time. news flash, not all engineers make $80,000 plus stock options and benefits and 4 weeks vacation right out of school either.

[jpilot77]

Petroleum engineers make a bucket load of money right out of school.

[Colonel Sanders]

Yeah, no kidding. As of last count, there are about 60
offshore oil drilling rigs running my control software.

Very good money indeed. In retrospect, I didn't charge
enough

PS Macondo wasn't one of mine!

[LousyFisherman]

Petroleum engineers make a bucket load of money right out of school.

Maybe because in 1986 they didn't!

1 year out of university I made 6 figures as a geologist, one year later I made under 10k. It took me 15 years to make over six figures again, not as a geologist, as a "Computer Systems Analyst" (from my TN visa). It then took less than 2 years to return below 10K.

YMMV obviously, but anyone who chooses a career or profession based on the compensation is a fool. Which is why government is the best place for those people.

LF

[Beefitarian]

What's a Tennessee visa?

[DanWEC]

There are guys like this in every line of work. They're generally whiny and entitled. They are bitter because the competition for positions is showing that they're not up to snuff compared to their colleagues who are getting the jobs.
I have 4 or 5 friends who are lawyers. My age, early thirties. None make over 150k and live the fantasy life, and none make less than about 60k. A few have been out of work for a few months here and there. But they all work every day and do well. I know of lawyers that don't believe they have to work and should be handed a pay cheque upon graduation. They weren't. The high end law schools try to weed out these people during admissions, the low end schools- not so much.

Finding a job in law is nowhere near as difficult and demoralizing as in aviation, (Hats off to all pilots here who have made it past their first jobs!!) but perseverance is important anywhere.
I know plenty of plumber and electricians. Same deal- most of them had to go out and proactively find work like everyone with a brain knows they must do. A small handful constantly complain that they can't find work, because they are flat out morons and nobody wants to hire them.

I graduated with a BSc and went through medical admissions. Tough go in Canada, didn't make the cut anywhere except overseas and couldn't afford it. I could still get a job in a lab right now, on the extreme low end of the pay scale, and I'm in no way deluded to think I should just be handed a high end genetics job just by graduating.

Anyone here read Two Years a Before The Mast? That was a fantastic expose on the shipping/fishing industry in the mid 1800's which led to sweeping changes and put a spotlight on classism and the hierarchy of work at sea.
I definately believe in being proactive, fighting for what's right, and to induce change where it's necessary (as in aviation) to move the industry forward, but I have no patience for whiners. Is this guy an activist or a whiner? I don't know- I don't know him and won't judge, but I could make a guess.

Edit- after reading the interview again, when asked about career dreams and goals, he only talks about what he expected in terms of salary and class. No mention of specialization, goals for helping people or creating policy. This is the WRONG kind of person that should really be a lawyer (all those arguments aside). You tell a medical admissions committee about money and lifestyle they will laugh you out the door. Your career and what you want to do with it should be your goal. The money will come after if you earn it.

[iflyforpie]

The large number of unpaid interns with one or more degrees in many professional fields leads me to believe that aviation isn't all bad.

[PositiveRate27]

The large number of unpaid interns with one or more degrees in many professional fields leads me to believe that aviation isn't all bad.

But if that is the case, what would we have to spend hours on end feeling sorry for ourselves over?

[JBI]

Having gone through both flight training (college program) and law school, a few thoughts:

1- This article details the experience in the US, where the legal market and law school system is very different than in Canada. Law schools in the US are plentiful and there is a significant range of acceptance criteria. There are only a limited number of law schools in Canada and all of them offer a relatively consistent educational experience and it is harder to get a job in the US. However, unlike in Canada, once you've graduated law school, you can be called to the bar and start practicing law.

The other difference is that in Canada, lawyers are required to article (apprentice) for a year before they can be called to the bar. This process is somewhat regulated by the provincial law societies. The vast majority of these positions are paid, but require a significant amount of work. I would say that pretty much all my law school classmates were able to obtain an articling position within a year after law school, though some were in locations that were not their first choice. While there are challenges with the articling system, I've always thought that the aviation industry should have some sort of paid apprenticeship program for pilots. How to administer it would be the challenge.

2- For any profession / career, it's important to do extensive research on the type of jobs that are available and what those jobs entail. Just as a I constantly tell people not to become a pilot for the money/glamour and flight attendants, one should become a lawyer because of perceived prestige and pay. The good lawyers, who are in it to be strong advocates for their clients, can do well financially - this is the result, not the goal. There's a significant problem with a perspective student (in aviation or law) if they haven't done any research on the industry outside of what a school tells them.

3- Finally, every career is what you make of it. Both aviation training and a law degree open lots of doors, though they may not be the ones you expect. My career has progressed very differently than I expected when I started at day one of flight training - but I've tried to make the best of it. While there's a benefit to trying to warn others of mistakes you've made, there comes a point where you have to move forward making the best of what you've got.

[LousyFisherman]

What's a Tennessee visa?

TN Visa is the work visa one receives under NAFTA. You need a university degree and a job offer in one of the listed professions.

HTH
LF

[Beefitarian]

Ah. Guess I'll google it.