New Semester of Law School!

Well, I am already on week two of this new semester at my law school and to my surprise, I'm actually enjoying it!  I didn't think I would be after spending the summer lamenting having no employment and dreading doing poorly before.  But now I am finding myself actually getting into it all somewhat.  It's more like my first year of law school (which went really well) instead of my second year (which was really depressing).

I realized that no matter what my future will be, I can not despair or expect too much.  Why should I have expectations for the future?  I will do what I end up doing.  If I find a great job, great.  If not, I'll do something else.  I might as well enjoy this last year of law school.

Further, I realized that this was something I wanted to do for a while before getting into school.  I am thankful that I got in, even if I look back and think I should have researched more about it.  I am thankful to God for the opportunity to go to law school, as crazy as that may sound to some of my readers.  The way I see it, I would have went to graduate school for something else no matter what.  I would have taken out loans for living expenses and I would have been in deep debt no matter what. 

Right now I am motivated to do well.  That may not always be the case, but I am going to take things one day at a time and try to enjoy each moment.  There is no sense on lamenting the future when you have the present to live. 

Fleeing the United States due to Student Loan Debt

Flee The Country.  It is advice that is given out regularly to those with deep debt.  Some will take it, others will not.  It's an interesting piece of advice.  Some ask: why should I feel that I have to leave the home I was born in, the land of my fathers, and his father?  Why should I have to leave this land that I tried so hard to give back to through my education (making me a smarter and more productive member of society)?  Some state: I would rather live debt free in a place like Costa Rica or Thailand than have to work the rest of my life in the United States paying a massive chunk of my earnings, not being able to buy the kind of property that I deserve, or being able to actually earn enough to have a couple of kids and a spouse. 

Caught with his hand in the honey pot.  Sallie Mae's "honeypot" was deep, and I could not resist.

I am sure most people who have had debt that approaches or passes $150-200,000 have pondered the idea of leaving the United States.  Such debt may seem unmanageable and impossible.  How did I get this debt? one asks.  It seems that such huge debt comes out of nowhere.  And it's growing each and every day.  I could pay it off, slowly, over the next 20 years of my life, or I can run, run forrest run, and forget about it.  I could live scot-free in another country, where the cost of living is lower, where I could use my knowledge to land a good job, and where I could forget about the deep enfeebling debt of my past. 

Some consider this stealing.  They would state that the runner has took off, leaving his burden for the taxpayer to pick up.  Others will say that it denies their children and perhaps their grandchildren the chance to get college loans.  If people run, run forrest run, they say, then the gubment is gun get wise and not let my child borrow for their ed-kay-shun. 

This leaves me with an interesting predicament.  If I can not find the law job that pays enough $$$ to let me live a quasi-decent life, do I run, run, run away?  Or do I do my "duty" and stay?  After all, I signed those forms saying I would pay Sallie Mae back.  As a lawyer, I should, after all, be an upstanding citizen and pay back that which I borrowed.

Unlike some, it's not fear of the 'non-United States world', also affectionately called the 'third world' by some, that keeps me from fleeing.  It's the idea of being a thief.  A stinkin' no good thief.  I have been to some places outside of the United States that I honestly consider one day retiring in.  I would love to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, debt or no debt.  The same goes with a place like Holbox, Mexico.  That being said, what would I do there?  I would still have to make a living for myself?  Who would hire me?  Would I be employable at all? 

I may (probably will) go teach English abroad.  I would probably take advantage of IBR if I did so, as long as it still existed.  I don't know how long this IBR is going to be around, but I figure it should still be there next year. 

Some say run.  Some say stay.  I will see how well I do on graduation day.

Dead Man Walkin'

Well, to my surprise, I realized that classes begin on Monday.  I was sitting around, doing nothing, and then it hit me.  I checked the calendar, and I will be marching into my first class on Monday evening.  I have less classes this semester due to doing an internship for credit. 

I don't know what to say about it all, to be honest.  I keep thinking about the debt, and about the job prospects.  Heck, I've been reading a lot about doc review lately.  I have also been considering other options, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, United Nations, teaching English abroad, starting my own business, hanging a shingle, running, feigning insanity.  There's so much going through my mind right now.  I am set to get my loans dispersed soon.  The $$$ will sustain me for the year.  But then what?  What then?

Starbucks? 

Tullys?

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf?

Bob's Coffee Shop?

Seattle's Worst Coffee? 

Should I apply to the police?  Airport security?  Baggage check?  Should I become a big time plumber?  Should I be the next Pennywise drummer? 

I will be walking into my law building in a matter of hours now.  I hope to remember my locker combination.  Will my grades make me an abomination?

This is truly the death march.  When I walk into school I am going to be repeating in my head:

Dead man walkin'.

Dead man walkin'.


I will make the following people proud of me for being the first in the family to graduate law school:

Father
Mother
Sister 1
Sister 2
Sister 3
Brother 1
Grandmother 1
Grandmother 2
Grandfather
(Uncles/Aunts/Cousins)
Dean of Law School
Future Employer(s)
Sallie Mae

In under a year I will be sitting here, looking back on the last three years.  Only then will I know if this was a mistake or not.

Signed,

I.M. Terrified

P.S. I will try Sallie.  I will try to pay you down!

***

A poem I made, called Sallie Mae

The kids, into the garden, go to play
not realizing their souls will one day belong to
Sallie Mae

The cries of their elders gray
in torment screaming, pleading
don't sell your soul to
Sallie Mae

There will be so much for you to pay
when you enter school to learn what you owe
after you enlarge your brain on the dime of
Sallie Mae

I will end my life before I let my life end.
I will end my life before I let my life end.

Sallie Mae!  Sallie Mae! 

Best Undergraduate Programs! Did you choose right?

Warning: this post may make you very, very angry.

I guess I chose the wrong major, because these are the five best majors right now for jobs according to Yahoo News, which ran this "story" here:  The Best of the Best: Undergrad Degrees.

BEST UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES 2012

Hot Pick #1: Bachelor's in Business Administration
Hot Pick #2: Bachelor's in Health Care Administration
Hot Pick #3: Bachelor's in Accounting
Hot Pick #4: Bachelor's in Communications
Hot Pick #5: Bachelor's in Computer Science





When I was an undergrad, there were few of these lists, so I really didn't know what to pick and choose from.  I guess it's good that kids today have something to guide them.  For that I am glad.



I wonder what the best graduate programs are...

***

And wait, there's more!

Hot Career #2: Paralegal!  (Hot Careers that are Hiring Now!!!!!!! )


Don't want to go through law school but still fascinated by the legal system? Good news, you don't have to spend the time and money on law school to get into the legal field.
Paralegals lawyers prepare for hearings, trials, and corporate meetings, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. They might even get to research case law and write legal documents and arguments.

Hot Factors: The paralegal field could see its employment grow by 18 percent from 2010 to 2020, says the Department of Labor. Following cutbacks during the recent recession, some law firms are rebuilding their support staff by hiring paralegals, adds the Department. (THIS INFORMATION WAS NEVER SHARED ON PERRY MASON!!!!!!!)

"Paralegals can do things a lawyer can do for a lower cost, so it's necessary to have them readily available," says Crawford.  (yes, it is necessary to have 'em nearby at all times!)

Education Options: An associate's degree in paralegal studies is one common route to preparing for a paralegal career, according to the Department. If you already have a bachelor's degree, look into earning a certificate in paralegal studies.

Thoughts on my education

Sometimes I find myself feeling good about my life and my future.  You know, like feeling that even though I am in law school I don't need to practice law to be happy, or that even though I expected a certain type of life afterwards, I don't need that.  When I wrote my last post about being an oil(wo)man, it was somewhat hard for me to type out that first paragraph.  You know, the one about living in a nice apartment, being greeted by a door man, and feeling like I worked towards a life that, honestly, doesn't really exist.  I used to watch movies where people in New York live these large lives and I thought "being a lawyer could get me that life."  But, I realized that was all a pipe dream, and yes, the schools too try to make you think that kind of life is attainable for anyone who walks through the doors, sits there for three years, and passes the bar.  Sometimes, even I feel that such a life is unattainable.  Maybe it's just fear.  Everyone feels this way during their last year...right?

Update: I realized that what I was feel was indeed fear.  Reading negative sources will do that to you.

I try to remain a pretty positive person when it comes to law school.  Sometimes I try to joke on this blog and make it seem that everything is alright (kind of like Lieutenant Paris on Star Trek: Voyager).  I try to lighten up the load that we law students and law graduates face.  It's a stressful time for us.  It's a stressful time for the profession.  Many law graduates are having a horrendous time finding jobs, and we end up blaming ourselves for it.  Some of us break too easily and no longer try.  Others keep trying, and don't really know how to go about finding a job.  We are taught many different things in college, but in the end, many of us (myself included) learn so little about how to actually find a job.  We figure it must be easy, or they would tell us how to do it.  We are lead to believe that a job will just 'fall into our lap', but the reality is that it won't.  The truth is, you have to learn how to work for it.  And you have to stopping thinking negative about the idea if you are to take control of your own life.

In just a couple of weeks I will be starting up my 3L year.  I have already bought my first book on half.com in an attempt to save some money.  The book is about accounting as a lawyer.  I figure that I should take courses that may translate into other jobs.  I have no accounting skills, and I hope that this class gives me some.  I feel that such a strategy may pay off.  I have learned that it is often best to diversify if you are to succeed.  Few people do well by putting all their eggs in one basket. 

Part of me is excited to be a 3L because I will be almost done with law school.  I am scared to find a job, and I am scared of getting ready for the bar (who isn't?).  I am pretty sure I can pass it, but I still worry about finding a way to study for it and having income to pay my rent.  I will be moving into a cheaper place this year as well in the hopes of bringing my cost of living down.  I am considering a move to Harlem, as I know there are cheap rents there to be had, and that most people are more willing to let a student rent in that area (I had a horrendous time finding a place last year with no references or co-signers).  Further, I know that whatever place I will end up in will not be very 'prestigious', but I have to slowly learn to give up on that idea.  Prestige is not the end-all of life, just as money is not.

This is also the year I am going to need to sit down and really look for a job.  I need to really step it up this time around.  I need to focus on not just finding a legal job, but finding anything.  The longer I wait, the worse off I will be.  I need to involve myself in some outside activities and get my name known out there amongst the legal community.  I need to do something I am scared to death of doing, and that's "networking".  I honestly have no idea how to go up to people and talk to them.  I am not the kind of person who likes to ask people for something.  I don't like feeling needy.  I don't like having to brown nose my way into something.  It's not who I am.  I have generally been a pretty shy and quiet person my whole life.  In fact, I was attracted to law as most of what I read portrayed law as a pretty reserved profession full of people who liked to read and study and who were not as loud and boisterous as other professions.  I am now seeing that I was wrong about that.  In fact, I kind of learned that in 1L.

Sometimes I relapse.  I think that I want the prestige that I felt would come with the law.  I think that I need it, as if it is a drug.  I mean, I felt as a kid that my parents did not expect much from me.  I always wanted to go further than everyone else.  Most of my friends never finished college, nor did many start.  I didn't do very well in high school and, honestly, I thought that I was somewhat of an idiot back then.  I wanted to change my image though as the years progressed.  I became obsessed with learning and with exploring new ways of thinking.  I think college did help me think far more critically about the world, as well as made me thirst for knowledge.  And I hoped at the end all of that studying would be further rewarded with me having a high place in society.  Alas, I now realize that there is much more to it than that.  It is depressing sometimes to think that all the beliefs I had about my future would be wrong.  Yet, I try to remind myself how much further I came intellectually.  Yet, I realize I could have done a lot of it on my own, for far cheaper, instead of spending thousands of dollars on my education.  After all, does one need a degree (a piece of paper) to be smart?  For some reason, society thinks that we do.

I once was talking to a person about classes where people study the culture or religion of a certain place.  One example was a Buddhist course I took after I came back from Thailand.  I was really interested in what I learned about Buddhism while I was in Thailand.  Well, the course cost about $3200 at my university, almost as much as my trip across South East Asia for two months.  I realized that I could have done the trip even cheaper had I focused on the cities in northern Thailand, where there are many Buddhist shrines and members.  Well, the truth was, I have since forgot much about the class I took, yet I will never forget about the trip.  I still remember going up into Wat Doi Sutthep in Chiangmai or to the Buddhist temples in Bangkok.  What I am saying is that it would make far more sense for a person to be able to get college credit for a trip like the one I took on my own instead of having to sit behind a desk and hear about Buddhism.  I could have wrote a series of papers about my trip.  Yet if I did that, the school would not get the money I paid, instead that money would go towards funding my travels.  But wouldn't it be better for the person who was learning?

In the end, I think that there could be a lot changed with education, but I think that people don't want change.  Many things are backwards now.  We are told that we need to learn in a classroom and get a degree in order to be smart.  If we go to an ivy league school, we are said to be smarter than if we went to a lower ranked school.  Yet that is all arbitrary.  I have met ivy league people who could barely order a hamburger in a restaurant without feeling confusion or anxiety.  At the same time, I have met very smart people who never set foot into a college classroom.  Yet our society tells us that we need this education.  That we need to go at all costs, even if the cost is student loans.  We need to change the way we think about education, and we need to realize that there are many other ways in which a person can become educated.

With that being said, I don't think not going to college at all is a good idea.  I think that college needs to change, though.  In today's world, it is very risky to not have some kind of higher education. 

Update:  After coming back to this entry, I have realized that my outlook on law school has changed greatly.  I feel that law school was the right choice for me.  I realize that it was stressful and this blog did help with that.  However, as with most things, in the end I realized that the real stress was caused by what exists in my mind and not exactly what exists in reality.  Negative thinking rarely gets a person ahead.  I am learning that more and more all the time. 

You shoulda been a.... North Dakota Oil (Wo)Man

You thought law school was gonna pay six figures.  You thought you would be big and bold, a figurehead in your community.  You imagined climbing out of a late model European car and walking into a fine building in a large city.  Perhaps the building was called something like The Commodore.  Or perhaps The Dakota. Perhaps a door man would hold the door open, and greet you by name.  Upon walking in, a man would hand you your mail and also greet you by name, asking you how you were.  You would take an elevator up to your apartment, which overlooked some site that you found worthy, whether that site was a seascape, a city skyline, or mountains looming in the distance.  You would look through your mail, looking for that ABA law journal article that you were mentioned in.  Laying back on that soft over-sized sofa, you would take in the view from that freshly cleaned larger-than average apartment that you called home.

This is the only Dakota you thought you'd live in before law school.

Of course, it's now time to face reality.  You are online looking through scamblogs wondering why you are not actually living that fantasy above.  Perhaps you thought your fourth tier school's degree alone would bestow you with endless riches.  Perhaps you wish you could turn back the clock on those student loans.  Maybe you have heard of a place that was once only spoken in whispers.  And you have noticed those whispers have gotten louder, because the entire country is now being made aware that North Dakota is where the modern day gold rush is taking place. 

One person on JDUnderground stated that: 

I've been reading about all these jobs in the oil industry in North Dakota. I'm so desperate for a job that I'd gladly move to North Dakota. I obviously have no experience in this line of work and wouldn't know what it even involves. Has anyone looked into this at all?

There has been somewhat of a flood of news about the oil industry in North Dakota, in fact, some of it is almost crazy sounding.  In fact, The New York Times ran a story on the North Dakota Oil Boom and the camps that have emerged around them.

They are called man camps — temporary housing compounds supporting the overwhelmingly male work force flooding the region in search of refuge from a stormy economy...

In fact, there is somewhat of a shortage of housing in North Dakota.  The article also states:

That concern, that people are still arriving despite the housing shortage, is shared by some local leaders, including law enforcement officials who warn that people could die if they try to live in vehicles or other makeshift facilities through the North Dakota winter. But the large paychecks, often totaling more than $100,000 a year, mean that some undoubtedly will take the risk. (source:  New York Times - Camps of Men in ND)

If you look like this, you may not fit in with the oilmen of ND.

While the pay for such a job seems good, you may be thinking it's not as clean as sitting in a big office with a sultry looking secretary.  In fact, you may think that the only women who would work on an oil rig are manly looking ladies with warts that have hair.  And you may wonder how you fit in with a bunch of oil covered men grunting over issues of playboy between shifts.  After all, you went to law school, and you think yourself more civilized than these blue collar brutes.

If you look like the "man" to the left, you may want to visit that salon you frequent and ask them to make you look "oil-ready".  And by that I don't mean they slick down your hair.  And while North Dakota gets pretty cold in the winter, you might want to lose that scarf. I don't think there's a Starbucks down there either.

CNN recently ran a story about the oil rigs and the companies in North Dakota.  Believe it or not, a place exists where companies are hiring like crazy, and you can make $15 an hour serving tacos, $25 an hour waiting tables and $80,000 a year driving trucks. (CNN Money - North Dakota Jobs) If you can get a law degree, you can learn to drive a truck.  Of course, magazines and media outlets like CNN money tend to exaggerate the truth (many still claim lawyers make over six figures on average).  However, it is something to think about. 

If you are heading to North Dakota, you may want to hit up City-Data forums and see the best route to take.  As a law grad you should know how to read a map, but in case you don't, and if you're coming from Tennessee, this might help you out some:

I imagine your long out from your visit in TN by now, Should be all smooth sailing for you,mostly all flat land once your a little farther north, Were getting a lot of rain up here in MN but shouldnt affect U. word of caution watch your speed thru Iowa. there Anal. Theres a great short cut coming out of the south you may already be taking but once your around St Louis youll be taking 27 /218/380/218/18: to 35w going north then your about 20 miles from the MN border in IA. You kind of have to watch close for the changes of 218/ to 380/ then back to 218 or you will be taking a little unnessary Detour. Ive done it more than once. for a good place to rest theres a good rest area 5 miles before the mn border on 35w in IA. might be exit 5. But you can crash out there as long as you would need. right in the same lot there is a gas station with food a huge hotel and a big Casino with great Buffet. Called Diamond Jo's Casino. From there your only about 8 to 9 hrs from Bismarck,ND 2hrs north on 35 pickup 94 in Minneapolis down the street from where i live and its a straight shot to Bismarck. (http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-dakota/)

Maybe you are one of those environmental law kids and think oil is just plain dumb.  Of course, you would never involve yourself with nasty ol' black oil.  Instead you want to rid the world of it.  Did it occur to you that your shoes are made out of oil?  And what about that law book you cling onto so tight on the subway?  Did you know oil helped deliver it.  If you think that a job out in the oil fields isn't going to help anyone, you sir are dead wrong.  In fact, oil men keep the country moving forward.  If you think the only way to help someone is to practice family law than you are living a bigger fantasy than the one posted in the first paragraph.

***

McMullen now works as a nanny in exchange for housing. Her husband, who worked on behavior management programs for a school system in North Carolina where he took home about $1,600 a month, found a job working in the oilfields where he makes that same amount of money in one week -- adding up to an annual salary of about $77,000.

"We want to be debt-free, so we came here to play catch-up," said McMullen. "But when I came here, I thought I was on Mars. It's just so crazy that the rest of the country has no jobs, and here's this one place that doesn't have enough people to fill all the jobs." (http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/28/pf/north_dakota_jobs/index.htm)

If you think you'll be the only lawyer out there, you might be surprised.  However, many are saying leave that shiny JD off your resume and try to fit in.  The last thing these oil men want to hear is that you think you're smarter than them.  In fact, if you keep your head down and use that same noggin' that you've been using to land that Law Review position, you should do fine out there. 

If you're single with no family and a lot of debt, it may be worth making your way over to North Dakota right now.  If you are working a dead end job and are unhappy with your life and want to mix things up, you could do a lot worse than the oil fields and towns of North Dakota. 

A gorgeous North Dakota winter.

I, myself, have traveled through North Dakota (on the Greyhound Bus on my way to moving to the city where I would attend law school), and while I never thought it was the prettiest state, there was a nice bowling alley/diner in Dickenson, ND and I must say they had some goooooooood tastin' french fries with buttermilk ranch.  When you're living on a small income you kind of learn to appreciate things like that. 

Oh, and one other thing.  Just as there is "BigLaw", there is "BigOil" so to speak.

"Talking to people who were already working, making $80,0000 to $100,000 a year, it was common to hear them taper off the description of their job, and their rate of pay with, "But what I'd really like to get into is wireline."

It's understandable.
Wireline operators in the Williston, North Dakota area start at about $120,000 a year and can reasonably expect to make $200,000 annually. I heard one guy say he expected to make $300,000, but $120,000 is the norm." (It's Yahoo news. I know, almost 0 credibility..)

Put that gun away, you still got a chance... 
 

Pros to working in the ND oilfields	Cons of working in the ND oil fields
Better money than most law positions	Middle of “nowhere”
A chance to try something new. An adventure if you will.	Some people may not be as intellectual as you are used to.
Non-permanent work that can help you pay down your loans.	Friends and relatives may wonder why you went to law school.
A chance to learn new skills.	For men: lack of females could present a problem for those who need their presence.
You would be employed and possibly out of your parent's basement	Housing is expensive, small, and you would be forced to drive everywhere.
A chance to get in shape and make huge lifestyle changes.	Long hours of work, little 'playtime'
If it doesn't work out, you will probably still come out ahead.	You may find returning to law later on very challenging.

Why did you choose to go to law school?

I want you to think back to when you were getting that undergraduate degree.  What made you think that law school was something you were interested in.  Was it the money, the prestige, the ability to make on average, $70,000 a year?  Did you have aspirations of becoming the next Judge Judy or Judge Joe Brown?  Was someone in your family a lawyer?  Did you see lawyers who seemed to live large lives?  Did you believe that law would make your degree more valuable or more versatile? 

Source: http://www.bestdegreeprograms.org

Why I went to law school

First, I thought it would make my undergraduate degree (BA) more marketable.  I thought coupled with a law degree that I would 'go places'.  Further, I was scared to enter the working world and look for a job.  I had very little confidence in myself to work in anything higher than a few dollars over minimum wage.  I saw that the best and brightest in my school were struggling to find work and my grades were not nearly that high.  I also was proud of being the first in my family to go to college, so I chose to double that pride and go to graduate school.  I thought about business school and law school, and I figured that there was enough people going into business school and not enough people going into law school.  Further, I thought law school was more intellectual than business school and liked the idea of having "legal smarts". Oh, and top that off with the fear that my student loans from undergrad would soon be in repayment. 

***

Why did you choose law school? (or why are you thinking about law school?)
What was your undergraduate major?
Did you read any scamblogs before law school?
(If no, if you had, would have reading them made an impact on your decision to go?)
Do you regret going to law school?