Considering the Switch to Law? Know These Points First
Changing your mind about what you’re studying is perfectly normal, and every year hundreds of students will decide that actually, they’d like to pursue a different topic of study. One of the most popular things to read at university is of course law, with the promise of excellent pay and high standing. However, it’s not an easy route, it’s not for everyone, and it might not be exactly what you expect. We’re not here to dissuade you, but bear these points in mind before you make the switch.
The Market is Tough
Just having a law degree is not going to land you a fantastically well-paid legal job. You need to work very hard to get the top grades in order to stand out and be recognised by a good firm. If you don’t put the work in, your first few jobs might be very little more than admin roles within a law firm, which doesn’t necessarily use your skills or pay well. Of course, it’s always good to make connections too – this and a little bit of luck will always help you get where you want to be.
Get Used to Competition
We’ve already mentioned the stiff competition you’ll face when it comes to getting a job, but this starts out as soon as you begin study. Many courses are marked on a bell curve, which means that how well you do will be compared with how well everyone else does. If everyone else is doing well, studying hard and getting results, then you need to recognise your competitive side and do the same.
Books are Expensive
Yes, this one needs a whole point on its own. You’ll need to do a very large amount of reading when you study, which means having a lot of books, and you’re very unlikely to be able to simply loan them all out from the university library, because everyone else will be attempting to do the same. Because of the amount of work you’ll be doing, you’re unlikely to be able to do a lot of part-time work to earn money, so expect some of that student loan to be eaten up on reading material.
The take-away from this then, is that if you want to work for a law firm like Carrs Solicitors, then you need to be absolutely sure that you’re ready for the challenge of study. You’ll be sacrificing money and a lot of free time, but if you do work hard, then there are few other career paths as financially rewarding.
Category: College and Careers