Alternatives to law school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Medical device sales ?

This can be lucrative and has a low bar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can sort of do whatever you want with a law degree. If she wants to become a policy expert and work for the federal government, lawyers are taken a bit more seriously than non-lawyers.

Tell her to go into the federal government and get the feds to pay for her law degree. So many people do that here in DC via part-time programs at George Mason, AU, GW, etc.

If she gains some regulatory experience in the federal government, she can still end up transitioning to Big Law later in life and making really good $$$. It's just an alternative path.

I am a lawyer and not aware of any programs where the federal govt will pay tuition. That’s doesn’t seem real.

It's not real at all. Maybe, MAYBE you can get some minor student loan repayment. But the government is not paying someone to go get a JD.

+1

There are URM programs, but that is all I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about working on the Hill? That's an obvious match to a poly sci major. It's not high paying at all for the first few years, but then you can consult or move up to run your own shop or work for a company's GA team.

+1 Hill or other policy-adjacent jobs in DC - think tanks, lobbying, trade associations, consultants...

A few years will help her figure out the difference between these degrees and what you can do with them. Ex. JD, public policy degree, PhD, etc.

[Anonymous]

High salaries come with connections or doing hard things. It sounds like she isn't willing to put in the work for the latter category. She doesn't want to do STEM. She doesn't want to do the harder part of business, i.e., accounting and finance. She doesn't want to put in the hard work for law school. That leaves connections. She can go to the Hill and build a network if she likes to schmooze.

If I was advising her, I'd suggest the Hill (if she is good at networking) or being a paralegal to see if she really does dislike the law or if she's just feeling intimidated. Or I'd tell her to get over herself and do business. She'll need to put in the work on finance and accounting but that's part of the price of getting to do other interesting things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a college sophomore. Currently a poly sci major with previous intentions of going to law school after undergrad. After speaking to attorneys and learning about the rigors of law school and the pressure of having a high gpa, studying for lsat etc as well as the high costs associated with lsat prep, law school, bar exam etc she is not keen on going to law school anymore. She is a very bright, personable girl. Not stem oriented at all and not artistic. She is not interested in changing majors to business as she is not a fan of accounting, finance etc classes that are prerequisites for the major. What do you recommend for a high paying but fulfilling career that won’t saddle her up in debt or drain her well being. She loves the concept of being a lawyer like arguing, talking with people, etc but just don’t want to go through 3 years after undergrad. She goes to a college in nyc so I know internships there are plenty but is also undecided of what kind of companies to apply to intern in if she is so undecided about her future.

The worst thing she can do is be unsure and do nothing. She needs to do internship after internship until she figures out what fits. Apply broadly. Try any opportunity. Be open and invested in learning and exploring career paths.

[Anonymous]

I bet she'd like development/grantwriting at a nonprofit. It can pay very well or very poorly depending on the organization. Alumni relations at a college or university is a similar kind of job.

Other ideas:
* real estate--either as an agent or working for a developer
* something related to urban planning/NEPA
* work for a sports team
* executive assistant
* healthcare administration
* office for a school district (or another state/local/federal government agency)

Some of these jobs will pay better than others at first and some have more promotion potential. But if she wants a job where the only qualifications are a BA and some people skills, these might be options.

[Anonymous]

Paralegal.

She can work on the Hill or for a State legislature or in the home office of a state or US congressperson.

Look at the foreign service.

Look at analyst jobs.

[Anonymous]

What does she like about political science that has induced her to choose it as a major? That might suggest some of the paths she can take. I was a political science major who ultimately went to graduate school in public policy because I loved understanding issues/developing solutions and strategies to solve them. I have worked in agencies, on the Hill, in advocacy organizations and in philanthropy. I had plenty of peers in political science who went to law school, but others ended up running for office, creating NGOs, working for campaigns, joining communications firms .....

[Anonymous]

I’d look into roles in compliance (this is legal adjacent and you don’t need a law degree) and/or consulting. I’m in healthcare compliance and have a law degree, but many of my peers do not.

[Anonymous]

One can go to law school and not go to a firm, but rather a non-profit, a company, and advocacy group, Capitol Hill or state government - lots of options. Going to a firm is not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

My niece graduated with an English undergraduate degree from NYU.

She did a lot of internships while she was in NYC.

She makes a really good living and has been steadily employed by tech (STEM) companies.

[Anonymous]

Real Estate

I was a shocked when my friend who works in residential real estate said his net worth was $4 million dollars. I would not call him a go getter either.

[Anonymous]

High salaries: pharmaceutical sales followed by medical device sales

The really big money is in medical device sales.

It is hard to break into this industry with only a 4 year degree. Those with some type of medical background are preferred.

[Anonymous]

She should not over fixate on what type of company for internships. Try for a lot of different internships so by the time she graduates she has worked/interned at a number of different places.

She is in NYC. Harvest the opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a college sophomore. Currently a poly sci major with previous intentions of going to law school after undergrad. After speaking to attorneys and learning about the rigors of law school and the pressure of having a high gpa, studying for lsat etc as well as the high costs associated with lsat prep, law school, bar exam etc she is not keen on going to law school anymore. She is a very bright, personable girl. Not stem oriented at all and not artistic. She is not interested in changing majors to business as she is not a fan of accounting, finance etc classes that are prerequisites for the major. What do you recommend for a high paying but fulfilling career that won’t saddle her up in debt or drain her well being. She loves the concept of being a lawyer like arguing, talking with people, etc but just don’t want to go through 3 years after undergrad. She goes to a college in nyc so I know internships there are plenty but is also undecided of what kind of companies to apply to intern in if she is so undecided about her future.

Association management or financial services sales.