What can I do with my JD/MSW degree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean this in the nicest possible way, but I think you need to just accept that your degree is worthless, and consider it a sunk cost, and think about what you want to be doing.
Having a JD without being a lawyer is just not worth anything. Now- if you want to sit for the bar exam (and pass it), you could always open your own practice and try to do primarily GAL work. But from your post it doesn't sound like you want to be a lawyer.

Do you want to be in social work?

Not true. OP there are tons of policy positions around here. Legislative analyst, policy analyst, etc. I have a law degree and work in this field. I am not rich, but I make figures, and have great leave to spend more time with family. And if you get in an area you enjoy, you can actually make positive change for people.

6 figures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe I'm just dumb, but I have a hard time understanding really boring, complicated material, which made up most of my legal studies.

I'm a lawyer who sort of likes things that are boring and complicated, but I don't think it is reasonable to characterize all law as consisting of such matters. There are lots of practice areas (family law etc.) that are more interesting and understandable, if less lucrative.

OP here. Thanks for your insight about this. Am I just dumb? I graduated with honors from high school and went to an Ivy League college and graduated with honors from there. But honestly I have an incredibly difficult time understanding things that are boring and complicated. What do you like about boring or complicated things? I can't concentrate and zone out when I am reading such things. For instance, health insurance. I cannot seem to understand my health insurance policy or how the benefits work, and whenever I call the health insurance company to ask a question I don't understand what they are telling me. So my husband handles this. Investments are another area that I don't understand, and I also find it boring and complicated. I'm a fully functioning person otherwise, but boring or complicated things are very hard for me to understand. Do I have some sort of learning disability?

FWIW, I took organic chemistry in college and got an A, so I am capable of understanding some boring and complicated material.

No you are not dumb. No one can understand their health insurance policies and even when you think you have figured it out, they change it. Instead of looking at your career as a failure, look at the accomplishment you have made with your child/ren by staying home and giving them a loving parent (not to say you could not have done this working but it is nice being home if you enjoy it as I do). The problem is both fields sound better than they are in reality. Very few people are actually happy working in them, which makes the work environment a very difficult place, which sets up many to fail. I was in the same situation. I am so glad I left it/no regrets. Most of real law or social work isn't the book learning at school, but the real world experience. You just need to pick something, jump into it and figure it out. (of course that is easier said than done).

[Anonymous]

But honestly I have an incredibly difficult time understanding things that are boring and complicated. What do you like about boring or complicated things? I can't concentrate and zone out when I am reading such things. For instance, health insurance. I cannot seem to understand my health insurance policy or how the benefits work, and whenever I call the health insurance company to ask a question I don't understand what they are telling me. So my husband handles this. Investments are another area that I don't understand, and I also find it boring and complicated. I'm a fully functioning person otherwise, but boring or complicated things are very hard for me to understand. Do I have some sort of learning disability?

Well, I personally don't find them boring - I like looking at a problem and trying to figure out an answer or come up with an argument, even if it is not about the most scintillating subject matter. But if something isn't interesting to you (like your example of investments), maybe you just can't focus on it. That's not abnormal at all.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for your insight about this. Am I just dumb?

No. It sounds like you are just not willing or able to pay attention to subject matter that doesn't interest you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pass the bar. Become a mediator of some sort.

This. Pass the bar. It can't hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. When I pursued the JD/MSW degree, my main interests were in social work, but I thought I'd get the JD as well to have more options. Part of the issue is that I found most legal stuff I studied/dealt with to be incredibly boring and hard to understand. Maybe I'm just dumb, but I have a hard time understanding really boring, complicated material, which made up most of my legal studies.

Social work appealed to me more, and I liked feeling like I was really making a difference in my job. I can see going back to social work, though it took me almost a year to find my social work job, so it's not an easy job market for someone without the LCSW.

I always had difficulty choosing a career. There was nothing I felt I was especially good at/leaned toward in college, and ever since graduating with my JD/MSW I have had a lot of career indecision.

Like I said in my original post, my career has been one failure after another. I am hoping to turn over a new leaf and pursue something I'm both interested in and good at.

If I was able to go back to college and start over, I would probably have chosen something in the health professions: become a physical therapist, speech pathologist, optometrist, occupational therapist or nurse. I always gravitated more toward the health professions but I was always terrible at math and science, so I discouraged myself from pursuing them, though in college I was on the pre-med track for awhile.

It's probably too late now to go back for a third degree, and I'd feel ridiculous in doing so while my first two degrees sit there gathering dust.

Have you thought about being a social worker in the public school? Your skills are needed there, and it's a very rewarding job.

[Anonymous]

Also, is it possible that you are depressed? You have put yourself down in each and every post on this thread. Maybe try to work on your self-esteem a bit so you don't pass this negative attitude on to your kids.

[Anonymous]

Wow, OP. Why so negative about yourself? You are quite accomplished. Many areas of law are boring and social work is so difficult, for many of the reasons you and PPs mentioned. I think the GAL idea presented is a good one- especially if you don't necessarily want to do something full-time. You might be suprised at how capable you are, and how much you can help kids that need not a legal genius, but a caring advocate. Good luck and don't be scared! You've got all the tools, just add a little confidence.

[Anonymous]

I'm a social worker and I completely understand your comments about stressful work environments as the field is filled with them. If I had to do it over again, I would not pick a field filled with so many women. It makes work environments very challenging.

The field is actually extremely competitive and that makes finding an interesting position that pays decently with a good schedule much harder to find than people think. Experience counts more than anything by it is very field specific.

[Anonymous]

You might look into becoming a law librarian. They sometimes don't require a library degree but do want law experience.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I guess I'm really down on myself because I've had so many career failures--my whole career is a failure. I do well in school but not very well in the work environment. I failed at my legal jobs and I failed at my social work job.

My social work job focused on geriatric case management and counseling. I loved this field and felt I was very good at it. I think it might be hard for me to find a job in geriatric case management with my limited experience though. I don't have enough experience to start my own business as a geriatric case manager but this is a goal of mine.

Any other suggestions for me? Some people suggested the policy analyst type positions but honestly this sounds very boring to me. It sounds like a lot of writing boring research reports--I dread that sort of task. I like writing but I like writing more practical things, such as assessments, progress notes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Maybe if you stopped shit-talking yourself and poo pooing the degrees you've accumulated you could see how meaningful the "boring" stuff will be once it is tied to real clients.

Reading a law = boring.
Keeping a child from pain and hardship = not boring.

Adoption work comes to mind. Unaccompanied minors. Incarcerated youth. Recently-arrived refugee families.

Contribute.

[Anonymous]

A Fed

[Anonymous]

maybe go back to school and get your Ph.D. so you won't feel your degree is wasted. You can teach, write and effect change on the larger issue than drilling down to case level stuff. Catholic and GW have great Ph.D. programs.

[Anonymous]

How about a social worker at a nursing home or hospital? Or, just enjoy staying at home.