Legally Blonde or Legally Conned?

When you are faced with the decision of becoming the next Elle Woods or becoming a person that will regret three years of your life, it might be wise to do a lot of research and soul searching. While many law students fully intend to become lawyers and end up loving the choice they made to enter law school, many come out wishing they did not waste so much time and money on something they weren't even sure they wanted to do.

 It is very important to research the areas of law you might be interested in and decide if you actually want to become a lawyer, don't decide to go to law school because it seems like a J.D. will lead to a variety of job opportunities. When I decided to go to law school I didn't fully consider the hefty amounts of student loans I would incur, or the fact that I would have to take a really hard test called the Bar exam to get a permanent job as an attorney. Research what type of law you might be interested in and what type of employment rates that area currently has. Look into what state you might be interested in practicing in. Some states don't require passage of the Bar exam if you go to law school in that state or might have lower Bar score requirements than others. 

Not only is it important to research and find out everything you can about law school and what happens after law school, but you really need to decide if becoming a lawyer is what you really want. I am certain that going to law school was the right choice for me, but I know it would be the wrong choice if I didn't want to practice as an attorney. There are job opportunities for law school graduates outside of being an attorney, but what is the point of spending so much money and going through law school torture in order to get a job that doesn't pertain to law? Think about whether you want to work for a private firm or a governmental agency and decide if it's possible to pay off any student loans with the type of work you plan to do. The government has implemented a policy in which it will pay off student loans if you work in public service for ten years, so this might be something to consider.

A few questions to ask yourself before deciding on law school: Why do I want to go to law school? Is law school right for me given the career path I want? Am I only considering law school because I'm not sure what I really want to do? 

If you aren't totally sold on law school and whether or not you would be happy in a legal career, consider something else because law school is a serious decision and it can be very rewarding if it's really right for you.