I am going back to school. I have a BS in history ( might as well stand for bullshit ) that is not going to lead me anywhere monetarily unless I go for the Phd. The money is not what matters so much to me, but rather job security. I have worked in a maximum security mental hospital now for nearly two years and find the work very interesting; thus, I am inclined to a career in psychiatric nursing. It does not hurt that this job offers ( especially with a pre-existing degree) a generous stipend program to become a registered nurse. It seems I would love the work and the advancement opportunities that come with it…however. I did very well on the LSAT and have always been interesed in law school. I have two older brothers whom are attornies that are directing me into this field and offering me a place with them when I graduate. What the hell should I do? I’m so confused. I’m only 25 and own a home, but would have to give that up to pursue law school. Whereas with my RNs license I could keep everything I have, be done in less than two years and on my way to making pretty damn good money. Any advice dopers? I could really use it from some educated/experienced people at this juncture?
BTW. No edit and I have been drinking. DO NOT JUDGE ME!!! Thanks guys.
I worked with a bunch of lawyers who once were nurses. Most of them got their law degree while working as nurses. They have gone on to other things. One of them is now general counsel for a hospital complex, one of them is a CEO for a hospital, one is a partner at a law firm who has brought in a lot of medical business. It was a lucrative career path for all of them.
The ones who got their degrees while working as nurses did the following, in the cases I know about: One worked part-time and went to law school full-time and finished law school in three years, the normal time period. One worked full-time and went to night law school, and finished law school in five years. The one who worked part-time did 12-hour weekend shifts so she could go to law school during the week. She described it as three years of no social life whatsoever, but said it was good training for working at a law firm.
Nursing is pretty much a guaranteed profession that you can take anywhere. RN plus law degree gives you lots of options, too.
I also know two lawyers who, before going to law school, got medical degrees, and one who was a lawyer first, then got the M.D. I think in these cases they just liked going to school.
The advice I’ve always heard is “don’t go to law school unless you want to be lawyer.” Do you really have a deep love of law, or is just the prestige that is drawing you? Do you really want to be a lawyer? Because it’s not just a job- you’d be buying into a whole lifestyle, and spending a lot of money on it. And frankly your post said a lot about “law school” but nothing about being a lawyer.
Personally, I think you know where your interests lie. You have a career you enjoy. People would love to be in your position. Why would you give that up?
A little bit more info might help - as said above, you really need to love the law (or at least your area of it) otherwise it’s a grind. You have two brothers who will give you walk-in jobs, that’s not bad, but do they own the practice? Is this a guaranteed position? Also do they practice in the area you are interested in?
Personally, I wouldn’t want to work with a family member, there are too many complications, but maybe that’s just my family.
You already have nursing experience, why the sudden (seemingly) desire to change profession? I always say that, provided you can afford it, everyone should study law, but it’s also true that working as a lawyer is not, and shouldn’t be, right for everyone.
First of all, stay calm.
You have two interesting career opportunities - most people don’t have any.
The best way to make decisions like this is to get information and advice:
make a list of what each job offers and what responsibilities go with it
ask your friends and family for comments
ask seasoned professionals in both fields about their experience
ask the school
When you’ve done all that, take your time and decide if each job will give you enough money to support your aspirations (necessary) and which one will fulfil you the most (i.e. what really matters).
I gave up a well-paid job in programming to go into chess teaching. :eek: I really enjoy my job and I have enough money to do what I want (eat out, foreign holidays, cleaning lady).
Good luck!
I believe a younger person would face more certain job prospects in nursing than in law. The legal field is VERY competitive and, dare-I-say, overcrowded.
Reiterating that if job security matters, go for the nursing degree. It is a grim time for lawyers and, yes, the profession is overcrowded.
You’re young–if the law school thing still appeals in a few years, you can go for it. But unless you’re really drawn to the law and want to be a lawyer for a particular reason, law school is a terrible idea–it’s tough, expensive, and can suck you into a job you hate but pays well so that you can pay off student loans.
The obvious answer to a question of a stable job is nursing. It’s not even close. However, you have family who will hire you and the jobs are SOOOOOO different its like asking if you should be a farmer or a deep sea welder.
It’s tough to break into law by yourself so you have a big edge in that respect. Nursing pretty much boils down to working with sick people in some form. You should have a nurturing streak in you to do it. Law has a broader scope of job function in that you can specialize in corporate, accounting, civil etc…
It almost sounds like you want someone to suggest nursing because you said money is not the object, you want security, and you already have family backing to become a lawyer.
I think everyone should have a basic understanding of the law and the legal process. That doesn’t usually require three years of law school.
Well, do you want to be a nurse or a lawyer?
Lawyer:
PRO
Pays more
The world always needs more lawyers
CONS
Longer hours
High douchebag factor
Nurse:
PRO
Get to help people
Healthcare is going to continue growing as the population ages
CONS
Doesn’t pay as well
Handling human blood, urine, feces and/or semen (please God, let it be urine).
FWIW, my mom spent her entire career in health care. She started as an RN, went and got a bunch of fancy degrees and doctorates and makes decent money. Not lawyer or MBA money, but pretty well. She does a lot of teaching, training and public speaking so it’s not like you are relegated to changing IV tubes for the rest of your career.
I also work with a lot of former attorney’s who went into some form of consulting because they didn’t like being a lawyer. That seems like a waste of a perfectly good degree to me which is why I think and MBA might be better if you want to do something “business-y” but not actually want to practice law.
The fact that you posted drunk makes me lean lawyer. But the fact that you don’t want people to judge you makes me lean nurse.
A lot depends on just how well you did on the LSAT and your undergrad grades. Paying full price for a mid-range law school is quite a different proposition from paying nothing at a top law school. If you’re in the latter range (say 177+ LSAT and 3.8+ GPA), then the most you have to waste is a year or so of your life if you really hate law school. At which point you can either quit or attend minimally and focus on something else.
I vote for nursing. I’m a freaking doctor and sometimes I wish I had gone into nursing instead.
A lot of people are wowed by the high salaries that some lawyers or doctors make, but they don’t stop and think about how much it costs to obtain that kind of payoff (in terms of student loans, stress/sleepless nights, years of your life invested in pursuing the career, sacrificing other parts of your life along the way, etc.).
Nursing is one of the best possible combinations out there of job security, good money, and not much of a sacrifice required to obtain the training.
I feel time-consuming, stressful career paths like being a doctor or a lawyer are great examples of the principle of “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”
I don’t know. As I said, I know a lot of out of work lawyers. I also know a lot of nurses, some who make six figures.
You can make a LOT of money at the top of the legal profession - but its like being an MBA, there is a steep curve between the top and the bottom - and the top usually takes work, luck and contacts to reach. The salaries for R.N.s are much more level - you’ll never make half a million a year as a nurse, but you can do pretty well as a CRNA or in Administration with some additional school.
Nursing has a wide range of salaries depending on your education level and specialty. I often hear people talk about nursing incomes being so low but I’ve never been dissatisfied with any offer I’ve been given.
Keep in mind that if you take the law school route you’ll come out with lots of debt and may be stuck in a career you hate. I would try working in a law firm before deciding to go to law school.
Law is a tough field, but if you can get into a top 14 you will not go paycheckless unless you actively decide to fuck up or you are really really really bad at how they test. You have an added advantage in having 2 siblings who are already in the field who could explain the ins and outs of the tests and how to do well, not to mention provide a network. Plus, there are lots of books out there that explain how to beat the system-you just have to make the effort to read them and then work hard from then on. I rarely got below a B+ and I had a couple of offers at graduation…except they were all government fellowships so maybe that says something about me. I would always get interviewed by the big firms but never could muster the correct level of enthusiasm to say “yes, I’d like to bill away the remainder of my 20s for you!”
It might be helpful to apply to both nursing and law schools while you figure out what suits you better. If your LSAT scores are high enough many schools will waive the application fee (though who knows in this post-Madoff era?).
Also, if you have a B.S. and considering a career like law, why don’t you want to consider medical school instead? My sister is a psychiatrist at Boston University and she seems very happy with it (she went to Northwestern for medical school).
It’s hard to make a comparison because they aren’t mutually exclusive. An RN only requires a 2 year associates degree, although you should get a 4 year degree if you want to later move on to graduate studies. After a few years, you might then want to go get either an MBA or a JD or some other specialzed advanced degree if you want to go into heath care related business or legal fields.
I sometimes find it helpful to put together a timeline of where I want to be in my career and how to get there.
I really enjoy my job and I have enough money to do what I want (eat out, foreign holidays, cleaning lady).