El Karacho1647545492 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Some of you may know, I'm currently in car sales. I don't see myself doing this for a long term career, I've been at it for 5 years and while the daily challenge is invigorating and exciting, there is IMO no long-term challenge on the horizon and that bores me. I've always had a penchant for debate, in the last 5 years I've honed my negotiation skills, and as a car salesman I'm clearly ok working in a field that people consider subhuman, like lawyers and politicians. To that end, I'm 28 years old now and if I'm going to make a drastic decision like pursuing a law degree, I feel as though I cannot wait to make that decision. My undergrad degree is in International Relations with a focus on foreign policy & security studies. I slacked off big time in college and my GPA suffered into the mid 2.XX range. Obviously I'd have to start studying immediately for the LSAT, and I don't want to take on a ridiculous amount of debt so I'd be looking at Moritz @ OSU. Is there anyone on the board who has experience, or who could point me to someone that could shed light on if this is a real possibility for me? I'm not afraid of hard work, and I thrive on overwhelming challenges. I'm just curious if anyone knows someone who decided to pursue a similar path at a similar time in their life. TL;DR am I crazy for considering studying/taking the LSAT and going back to school to get a law degree at the age of 28? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsm_sleeper Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Plenty of people change careers a lot later in life. 28 is early so if that what you want to do, go for it. Better question: Do you want to spend the next 37 or so years doing what you are doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Do you want to spend the next 37 or so years doing what you are doing? Yes and no. I could stay in the car industry but I'd have to find my way to the corporate level, or I'd have to own my own dealership. Even still, it's ultimately a retail environment and I don't know if I want to work in a retail sales world for the next 40 years. Obviously there are a billion ways to practice law, but my academic background would certainly steer me towards international and political law. I'm fine with that. I'm interested in that. I didn't hate school, I just didn't care about what I was doing so I didn't apply myself to it. EDIT: and to apply that question to a career in law...yeah, anyone who knows me would say I would be happy spending the next 40 years arguing and negotiating as a lawyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Some of you may know, I'm currently in car sales. I don't see myself doing this for a long term career, I've been at it for 5 years and while the daily challenge is invigorating and exciting, there is IMO no long-term challenge on the horizon and that bores me. I've always had a penchant for debate, in the last 5 years I've honed my negotiation skills, and as a car salesman I'm clearly ok working in a field that people consider subhuman, like lawyers and politicians. To that end, I'm 28 years old now and if I'm going to make a drastic decision like pursuing a law degree, I feel as though I cannot wait to make that decision. My undergrad degree is in International Relations with a focus on foreign policy & security studies. I slacked off big time in college and my GPA suffered into the mid 2.XX range. Obviously I'd have to start studying immediately for the LSAT, and I don't want to take on a ridiculous amount of debt so I'd be looking at Moritz @ OSU. Is there anyone on the board who has experience, or who could point me to someone that could shed light on if this is a real possibility for me? I'm not afraid of hard work, and I thrive on overwhelming challenges. I'm just curious if anyone knows someone who decided to pursue a similar path at a similar time in their life. TL;DR am I crazy for considering studying/taking the LSAT and going back to school to get a law degree at the age of 28? I'll shoot you a PM with my insight in this field, I've been in the legal services industry for 10 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Wifey was pre-med in college when we met...did a 180* after graduation and took the LSAT, scored really well. Went to Capital Law full-time on a partial scholarship. I would look at taking the LSAT first, and what's involved to prepare: that's going to be 90% of your indication not necessarily as to whether you'd be a good lawyer, but how interested law schools would be in you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 I'll shoot you a PM with my insight in this field, I've been in the legal services industry for 10 years Very much appreciated Wifey was pre-med in college when we met...did a 180* after graduation and took the LSAT, scored really well. Went to Capital Law full-time on a partial scholarship. I would look at taking the LSAT first, and what's involved to prepare: that's going to be 90% of your indication not necessarily as to whether you'd be a good lawyer, but how interested law schools would be in you. Clay as always your insight proves invaluable. Will start looking more into that than local law schools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS69 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 I would look at taking the LSAT first, and what's involved to prepare: that's going to be 90% of your indication not necessarily as to whether you'd be a good lawyer, but how interested law schools would be in you. I agree with Clay's statement above^. My wife is an attorney and she was a Political science and English double major at OSU and went straight to the OSU college of law after she graduated. She was an honor student in her undergrad and that was 100% paid for from scholarships. Law school was a different story, she worked hard and did have some debt when she was done. Overall, it was a good decision and she enjoys what she has been doing over the past 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmrmnhrm Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Why not look into joining the State Department? Sure, your undergrad GPA might have been low, but you got the degree, and now 5+ years of experience negotiating deals. Were they multi-party nuclear disarmament deals? No, but nobody does one of those their first day on the job anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miller Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Alex, you're a smart guy. Don't wait a day longer to make things happen. Take the first steps and get it rolling. Talk to admissions and fill out FAFSA too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 I would look at taking the LSAT first, and what's involved to prepare: that's going to be 90% of your indication not necessarily as to whether you'd be a good lawyer, but how interested law schools would be in you. I agree with Clay's statement above^. My wife is an attorney and she was a Political science and English double major at OSU and went straight to the OSU college of law after she graduated. She was an honor student in her undergrad and that was 100% paid for from scholarships. Law school was a different story, she worked hard and did have some debt when she was done. Overall, it was a good decision and she enjoys what she has been doing over the past 20 years. Awesome, thanks much for the input Why not look into joining the State Department? Sure, your undergrad GPA might have been low, but you got the degree, and now 5+ years of experience negotiating deals. Were they multi-party nuclear disarmament deals? No, but nobody does one of those their first day on the job anyway. When I was in college I was directly headed for a career in the CIA or the State Dept. I was placed with an academic advisor who was a CIA recruiter due to my interest and HS academics, but I decided early on that CIA was not for me, I would have had to drop everything to intensely study Arabic or Russian and frankly, I probably didn't have the follow-through at the time to make it through their recruiting process. Obviously 10 years later I'm a bit more mature and have a much stronger work ethic. As for the State Dept, a lot of my peers went on to careers in the State Dept and they were all people I genuinely have no desire to work for or with ever. Then again, things change and maybe that wouldn't be the craziest idea now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Alex, you're a smart guy. Don't wait a day longer to make things happen. Take the first steps and get it rolling. Talk to admissions and fill out FAFSA too. :masturboy: oh you thanks for the sentiment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zx2guy19 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Start in HR. Trust me. PM me if you want to elaborate as I'm busy now but can provide more insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson1647545504 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 . TL;DR am I crazy for considering studying/taking the LSAT and going back to school to get a law degree at the age of 28? Not crazy ... but most lawyers I know end up become full time poker players ... gl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Shoot me a PM and we can talk in real life. I have been a practicing attorney for almost 15 years now and I can give you some advice. I can tell you the legal industry is pretty fucked right now. That doesn't mean there aren't opportunities but know that the competition is very high in the middle of the field. There are some markets that are less affected than others but we can talk about that. A lot of people think that all lawyers do is debate and negotiate but honestly in most fields that only a small portion of the work. Most of it is research and client relations. Also having a law degree is not a gaurantee that you will make money, most entry level positions in government don't clear $40k to start and even in the private sector $50k is sometimes the ceiling for first years out in practice. A lot depends on where you end up in your law school class and whether you made law review or not. I have had friends that have gone back to law school at as late in life as 32 so 28 isn't a deal breaker but advanced age dies mean some of the more choice opportunities are off the table (i.e. First year associates at white shoe firms - they are looking for 25 year olds they can work into the ground not necessarily 30 year olds). So much of the industry depends on networking too. it isn't anything like college, it's a lot of hard work and it isn't vocational training - that happens OTJ - it's three years of just getting you to think like a lawyer. Anyway, pm me and we will meet up and talk it through. A lot depends on your lsat scores so clay is right, get a good course (I recommend Kaplan) and study. When I got in a 160 was a decent score to get you into a tier 1 school (maybe not top ten but at least Ohio state, Fordham, or Tulane), now I don't know if that alone will get you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Wifey was pre-med in college when we met...did a 180* after graduation and took the LSAT, scored really well. Went to Capital Law full-time on a partial scholarship. I would look at taking the LSAT first, and what's involved to prepare: that's going to be 90% of your indication not necessarily as to whether you'd be a good lawyer, but how interested law schools would be in you. My wife went to Capital Law as well. Start with the prep course for the LSAT and as Clay notes, it will test your initial resolve and interest. She practiced privately and did well and enjoyed it. She may go back once the kids are a little older but likely will go into teaching at either OSU or Capital as she has connections both places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirks5oh Posted January 2, 2016 Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 Just what this world needs Another lawyer. My ex brother in law is a lawyer. He's also a caddy. Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted January 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 Just what this world needs Another lawyer. My ex brother in law is a lawyer. He's also a caddy. Haha Take away one car salesman, add one lawyer, I call it a wash :gabe: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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