is being a lawyer losing its appeal compared to tech or finance for high achieving students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every high-achieving student is going into tech, finance, or consulting.

Back in the 1990's most of the smart kids aspired to Big Law.

NO not in the later 90s the smartest were premed and engineers. so many premed friends were weeded out and switched to prelaw. Sure some of the lawyers were quite smart but overall the stem kids were a notch above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There have always been smart people who gravitated to tech or finance or consulting or law or medicine or something else, just like today.

It was not true before, nor is it now, that "most of the smart kids" all chose the same career path.

While true, some paths have lost their shine, e.g. medical school especially.

med school had a 35% overall acceptance rate to US MD programs(the only programs worth doing) when I applied later 90s. Now it is 37-38%. in between those years it was temporarily 45%. There is no truth to med school as a desired career losing its shine.

[Anonymous]

Lawyers are notoriously miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No….those aren’t the same students like…at all.

You think physics PhDs are losing out to construction workers?

But on a more serious note, law school admissions are more competitive than ever, and it’s even getting to the point where things that used to easily signal Yale/Harvard Law (Rhodes/Marshall scholar) are no longer the 100% guaranteed ticket.

The physics PhDs are certainly earning less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh. Law school. For those who don’t know what they want to do

Says the lawyer sitting in her firm's law library.

[Anonymous]

I don’t ever recall a time when BigLaw was some highly sought career.

I would say at least 50% of law school kids went because they had zero clue as to a career after undergrad and as a result had lousy career prospects at that time because they hadn’t made an effort for a job.

[Anonymous]

Lawyers have a high suicide rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There have always been smart people who gravitated to tech or finance or consulting or law or medicine or something else, just like today.

It was not true before, nor is it now, that "most of the smart kids" all chose the same career path.

While true, some paths have lost their shine, e.g. medical school especially.

med school had a 35% overall acceptance rate to US MD programs(the only programs worth doing) when I applied later 90s. Now it is 37-38%. in between those years it was temporarily 45%. There is no truth to med school as a desired career losing its shine.

I mean among UMC kids. Of course the med schools can fill their classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh. Law school. For those who don’t know what they want to do

Says the lawyer sitting in her firm's law library.

Lol they don’t have those anymore. But yes, I’m a lawyer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lawyers have a high suicide rate.

So do dentists and veterinarians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Their all being thretened by AI.

not true at all, AI can't practice law

No, but it can greatly reduce the number of associates needed. I’m a lawyer and use AI every day. It’s amazing how helpful it is.

My IP lawyer DH has been checking out specialized AI tools available for patent prosecution and he is flabbergasted by how good they are. Definitely game changing. Who needs an associate to draft a response when AI can do it for you in no time?

[Anonymous]

Big law lawyer here of 10+ years. I would never recommend this path to my children. Choose finance or medicine or tech over law every single time and it’s not a close call. Far fewer doctors bankers and product managers say all their sacrifices weren’t worth it. Fewer divorces and alcoholics too.

[Anonymous]

In the DMV bubble I know, many of my friends are lawyers who hate being lawyers so they don't steer their kids into it. They went into it because that's what high achieving kids did back then, and/or it pleased their parents and/or it seemed lucrative/interesting.

I tell my kids that people who became lawyers in the 90s didn't know what else to do and were like, I’m a good writer and I like to argue, why not? But then you start practicing and figure out most of it is dry and meaningless, and that many of your colleague and opposing counsel are sociopaths who got into law because they enjoy manipulating people, and it just sucks. I managed to find a little niche that has been interesting and mostly meaningful, but I am not sure I would make the same choices in today’s environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the DMV bubble I know, many of my friends are lawyers who hate being lawyers so they don't steer their kids into it. They went into it because that's what high achieving kids did back then, and/or it pleased their parents and/or it seemed lucrative/interesting.

This is exactly how I feel. DH and I are lawyers - I strongly discourage my kids from law school. Of the tons of lawyers we know, most are unhappy, most worked and are still working long hours to the detriment of personal life, and many have boring AF jobs. Why would I want my kids to have careers like this.

Echoing this. Of the lawyers I know, most are bored and don't love their jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Their all being thretened by AI.

not true at all, AI can't practice law

No, but it can greatly reduce the number of associates needed. I’m a lawyer and use AI every day. It’s amazing how helpful it is.

My IP lawyer DH has been checking out specialized AI tools available for patent prosecution and he is flabbergasted by how good they are. Definitely game changing. Who needs an associate to draft a response when AI can do it for you in no time?

NP. Maybe, but associates still need to be trained.