Syrine Ben Mrad: What job opportunities does a history major offer? Is it possible to practice law?
I was wondering what a history major has to offer in terms of job opportunities? Is it possible to become an attorney, would a law school be impressed by a history major? What major should i pursue if i want to be a lawyer?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Prorkycake
Law schools accept any major, therefore you should get your undergraduate in whatever area you love and hope to work in. No “majors” will impress law schools. They primarily look at your GPA and your LSAT score. Some will do interviews to ensure you are high caliber enough for their school. You shouldn’t get your undergraduate degree to be a lawyer. There is no such thing. A law degree is something you tack onto that undergraduate degree. If you want to practice family law someday, you might want to consider majoring in social work, or psychology or sociology. If you want to practice patent/trademark/intellectual property law, you might want to consider hard sciences like biology/chemistry or physics. Political science or pre-law degrees are archaic and schools should really stop convincing high school students that is what is needed to get into law school. Get your undergraduate degree in something you love and are willing to do the rest of your life.
I’ll give you credit for researching this vocation BEFORE you get brainwashed and sign on the dotted line for some expensive law school.
It is a very good idea to get something for your undergraduate that will help you later, like a degree in Business or Accounting – become a CPA. Have a “back up”. I have lost count at how many of my fellow attorneys just could not make in the vocation of Law because they simply had no idea how to run a business. Law school gives you these grand, lofty daydreams, but then after you graduate and meet reality headon, then you realize those daydreams don’t come anywhere near reality.
In the USA, to become a Lawyer, IF you go to school full-time:
1) Bachelor’s degree – four years from a traditional college/university.
2) Study for LSAT. Take LSAT.
3) Law school – three MORE years.
4) Study for Bar Exam. Take Bar Exam in the state where you want to practice.
5) Pass the Character and Fitness Evaluation. Then you can practice Law.
BUT……..
6) You still have to take additional classes/seminars/legal training etc. each year to obtain CEUs to keep your license to practice Law. (You aren’t done with school!!)
7) In many states there are even laws requiring a certain percentage of your legal work to be “pro bono” (free of charge) for some charitable purpose.
Choosing a career is one of life’s most important and difficult decisions.
There are more attorneys than there are legal employment positions. We simply already have way too many Legal Professionals. And, every year, more and more people graduate from law school, but there are fewer and fewer jobs. Even the largest and most reputable law firms are experiencing unprecedented cutbacks. I don’t expect the situation to improve in the coming years…..We are STILL in a World-wide Recession. Obviously, economic conditions affect the number of jobs available. Consider career paths that have available JOBS.<< Even in a Recovery, there are some jobs that just won't return – the field of Law won't make a comeback. Too many things have changed in this vocational field. Unless you live in the State of Texas (which is the ONLY state in the USA that isn't going through a severe recession, because of OIL), you are going to be fighting the effects of a Recession.
The field of Law has a mystique that actually exceeds reality. The field of Law is a vastly overrated career – especially by television.<< It is not like what you see on TV.
Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $ 150,000+. Be prepared to take on a LOT of debt, if becoming an attorney is your "true", ultimate goal!!!<<>>Now… the law schools know all of this, but they won’t tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just SATURATED with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will just LIE to you. (I am now the employee of a law school, so I know.) The root of the problem is we already have too many law schools. We are STILL in a Recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival – they will tell students anything to get to the students’ money. (Which is why they won’t tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates…………. Remember>>> law schools are BUSINESSES – their TOP concern is making money for themselves.
>>>>>THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT THING (and I can’t stress this enough>>>): You ESPECIALLY have to beware of the BOGUS, INFLATED law school salary/job stats given out by >law schools< (AND by the U.S. Bureau of Labor)!!***<<<<<
If you don't believe me, then:
**Check out these websites:
https://informeddecisionmaking.blogspot.com
https://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/
(A link to a website does not constitute endorsement.)
**do a SEARCH here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law.
**Talk to recent law graduates. Ask them what success they are having finding employment opportunities.<<<<<<<<<<<>>Healthcare<<<, Information Technology, Law ENFORCEMENT, environmentalism, emergency planning, accounting, education, entertainment, utilities, home-car-commercial-industrial repairs, vice industries, clergy, and/or debt collection. I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job opportunities/availability….and scholarships.
Good luck.
(This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.<<< You DID ask the question here on Y/A. I am just trying to help you.)
Answer by Stephenmailaccountant,
I’ve seen your answers over law questions and they seem to have one thing in common: you berating and demeaning the practice and study of law. While I agree with some of your points, I certainly don’t think that law has such a grim prospect as you make it out to be. (Also, if you have 12 years experience as a lawyer, why did you recently just post a question regarding intellectual property rights on Y!A? If you were an established lawyer with law school training, you would have the tools to know the answer yourself.
All in all, yes, you can go to law school with any major. your LSAT and GPA are the two most important factors when applying to law school.
Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to find a job as a lawyer, but as long as you adhere to the following steps, you should be okay:
Enter the profession of law because you are interested in the study of law. Realize that it may take some time and hard work before you are earning a six figure salary.
Realize that law can be tedious and involves a lot of reading and research.
Realize that as long as you can be in the top half of your class at a reputable school, your employment prospects within 9 months are quite high. Many of the people who complain about the difficulty of the job search are the law students with a sense of entitlement who have graduated from a second or third tier school at the bottom of their classes, who did not bother to do any extra curriculars in law school, such as bar review, moot court competitons, etc.
Yes, law is expensive, but not as expensive as some make it out to be. I currently attend UGA law which is ranked 28th in the country. My tuition per year is 30,000, so about 90,000 dollars in total. However, most law schools give at least some amount of funding, and mine is 15k per year as long as I stay in the top 40%, which cuts my total in half.
If you decide to take a job in the public sector on completion of law school, many schools have loan repayment assistance for you, with debt being forgiven in ten years should you not be able to pay.
Law is a great field, but don’t go in with unrealistic expectations and expect to be the next supreme court justice in a few years time. As long as you work hard, get into a top 50 school, get in some extra curriculars during law school, and graduate in the top half of your class, you’ll be well set up to find a good job, usually within 9 months of graduation. The situation’ll be even better by the time you graduate.
If law is what you want to do, don’t let the naysayers and people whose senses of entitlement were crushed because they regret their decision force you out of it. You get out of law school what you put into it and hard work reaps high reward.
Good luck
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