Whether to study law or not...

[Dejan]

Hey guys, as the time is coming closer to start applying for university, I have been thinking quite a lot as to whether studying law would be the best option for me. I want to become a barrister btw. Reasons as to why I believe it would be a good option..

- Ever since I did Legal Studies throughout VCE and also other subjects such as criminal law within TAFE I become so interested in learning and understanding the law in every aspect, fascinated by how cases are to decided, really enjoy engaging myself in legal discussion/arguments amongst other people about cases, I really enjoy the exercise of applying the law to a hypothetical case and the idea of advocating for other people and assisting them with their legal issues within a court setting is really appealing to me.

- I have never felt so passionate about something in the my entire life than the idea of studying law and or becoming a barrister, it is something I think about everyday whether it be positive or negative thoughts, it is constantly on my mind. I am completely aware of how competitive and how time consuming studying law and to pursue a career in law can be but I really strongly believe that I will sacrifice everything (yes even my social life) and dedicate all of my time to make this work and be a top student. I really see myself entering this field as I feel this is the ideal field for me.

Reasons as to why I don't think it is not a good option..

- The job market- I know it is not possible to predict or foresee how bad or good the job market will be but the current job market from what I have heard and read is not good at all. This makes me begin to question whether this will be worth it in the end or not as there no guarantee if graduates will get a job which is scary and daunting as I may have to pursue a different field to find a job as a result of the job market. The idea of this possible reality is quite discouraging since I believe this is quite the risk in which I don't want to get ahead with. Having said that, besides law I don't really have any other career options that I would like to pursue. Is this a risk that is worth taking considering the passion, interest I have for law?? or is it more worthwhile looking elsewhere?

- Degree cost- If the changes to university costs go through Parliament as a result law degrees can become really really expensive. I am aware of that the fact that I am able to pay off university fees after I earn an income of 50K+ but it would be take a really long time to pay it off and not to mention I also have to pay off things like mortgage and car etc. This is really discouraging to me as it would be a lot of money to invest into something which may not work considering the job market and may work if I am luckily enough for it to all work out. Should I really be discouraged by this factor or I am silly enough to believe that it is worth worrying over?       

I am feeling indecisive at the moment and that I am having a hard time deciding on myself whether I should or not and so I am in need of someone's opinion in this matter and give their opinion with honesty and that is realistically as possible. Thank you        

[ninwa]

Don't have much time to go in-depth but here are some thoughts from skimming your post

- You seem to have a genuine interest in the law borne from some level of experience as to what it actually entails. This is good and I think you will go far.

- You will sacrifice "everything" for study. This is BAD.
If you want to be a barrister, you will need to have a career as a solicitor first, in order to build up a network of contacts who can later refer clients to you. The legal industry is incredibly tough at the moment. Good grades on their own are no longer sufficient. Sacrificing "everything" for grades is not a good attitude to have. The distinction, or even high credit, student with mooting, debating, volunteering, work experience etc. on their resume is going to beat the high distinction student with nothing any day. I have heard this time and time again from recruiters and friends in the industry, and have also experienced this personally.

- You are focused on a career as a barrister and nothing else. This is bad.
You should never pigeon-hole yourself into a single career path, especially if you have not even started studying yet and especially if you are studying law, which is increasingly becoming a "generalist degree". Most people will change careers in their lives. Keep an open mind.

[zhenzhenzhen]

Why anyone would choose to study law as a generalist degree is beyond me

[ninwa]

Why anyone would choose to study law as a generalist degree is beyond me

I doubt anybody is choosing to do so, but it is apparently fast becoming the reality

[Dejan]

Don't have much time to go in-depth but here are some thoughts from skimming your post

- You will sacrifice "everything" for study. This is BAD.
If you want to be a barrister, you will need to have a career as a solicitor first, in order to build up a network of contacts who can later refer clients to you. The legal industry is incredibly tough at the moment. Good grades on their own are no longer sufficient. Sacrificing "everything" for grades is not a good attitude to have. The distinction, or even high credit, student with mooting, debating, volunteering, work experience etc. on their resume is going to beat the high distinction student with nothing any day. I have heard this time and time again from recruiters and friends in the industry, and have also experienced this personally.

- You are focused on a career as a barrister and nothing else. This is bad.
You should never pigeon-hole yourself into a single career path, especially if you have not even started studying yet and especially if you are studying law, which is increasingly becoming a "generalist degree". Most people will change careers in their lives. Keep an open mind.

That's a good point, I really didn't consider those factors but I will definitely keep it in mind. I am going to start volunteering and other curricular activities in the near future to avoid relying solely on grades. Thinking about it now, there's a couple of career paths I could possibly head into such as being a social worker, psychologist and even positions in the Department of Justice such as youth justice, mediation and maybe the courts.

[brenden]

I doubt anybody is choosing to do so, but it is apparently fast becoming the reality

I was considering keeping it as a generalist degree to inform research in Philosohy :p

[ninwa]

That's a good point, I really didn't consider those factors but I will definitely keep it in mind. I am going to start volunteering and other curricular activities in the near future to avoid relying solely on grades. Thinking about it now, there's a couple of career paths I could possibly head into such as being a social worker, psychologist and even positions in the Department of Justice such as youth justice, mediation and maybe the courts.

Don't get me wrong, you're probably the first prospective law student on these forums that actually seems to know what they're getting into, so I'm definitely not saying don't do law - I think you'd be great for it. Just keep your options open is all.

[Dejan]

Don't get me wrong, you're probably the first prospective law student on these forums that actually seems to know what they're getting into, so I'm definitely not saying don't do law - I think you'd be great for it. Just keep your options open is all.

I am really glad to hear that as I feel as though I might be doing it for the wrong reasons. Yeah that's fair point in which I agree with. Thank you Nina, legend.