Filler in the form of advice

I haven't posted in a while; finals are SUCH fun. But I had the fortune to talk to an intern with the Washington Center program, and while he gave me advice I was able to return the favor. Since I haven't posted here forever--and I bothered to give some thought to the subject--I am going to share with you what I told him.

His first question was whether it was a good idea to go full speed ahead to law school to find out if you'll like it, or soul search first and then enroll. And below is my answer.

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I think it is MUCH better to take time off and determine whether you want to be a lawyer before enrolling in a law school. The life is not for everyone. I hear so many of my classmates say they wish they could return their degree and get their money and time back. I personally love it, and think it is a great career field for me. So it is a GREAT plan to soul search first--get a job in a field you are interested in, try it out. Join the peace corps and read a legal blog or four. Believe it or not, the delay will make you a much more competitive law student. Admissions offices look for students with life experience as well as good grades and scores. That job may just set you apart from the pack.

HOWEVER, if you've enrolled with or without that step, and after a semester you realize that this is not the stuff for you, GET OUT. Sure, it's a slight waste of money, but it is better than the waste of your life (not to mention the five other semesters worth of tuition and living expenses) in a career you hate and may eventually abandon. If your parents will front all of your tuition, or you have a full scholarship, you can recalculate--a law degree is useful in many ways that aren't readily apparent. You can be an Economic Development director, work in academia, do corporate compliance or managerial work, etc--so you really have to do that calculus yourself. But it is a grueling, rigorous experience, and without a level of certitude it can be a bit unbearable. Better to save those years of your life. Don't "throw good money after bad" than to go to law school if you don't really want that JD at the end.