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Old 03-23-2009, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Outer Space
1,524 posts, read 3,888,716 times
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You could consider going to community college for a career in the medical field or electronics. If you want to do anything though, you are going to have to do something about math. I hated math too. I spent so much time in the math assistance center, it was really pathetic, but I did what I had to do to pass.

I am a bit surprised about the lack of math requirements in your LA program. I at least had to take a course in logic and finite mathematics/calculus before they would give me my BA in German.

At anyrate, don't quit now. Do something. Your life will get progressively more complicated as you get older and it will get harder and harder to go back.

Quote:
It will be VERY hard to find employment with a major like liberal arts.
That's not been my experience. You can get a job, sure, just won't ever pay a whole lot compared to some other majors. If money is really important to you, wouldn't have majored in LA in the first place though.
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Old 03-23-2009, 01:28 PM
 
30 posts, read 107,694 times
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Default thanks so much for the thoughtful replies...

To clarify, my major is literally "liberal arts." As to the campus counselors, they essentially say, to non business/comp psy/engineer majors, "attend the career fairs and cross your fingers!" There just isn't anything on the horizon for me.

The reason I chose a liberal arts major was because it would have taken me literally nine years to do a degree like computer science. Keep in mind that my algebra is at a 9th grade level; just to take 101 classes would take 4 years to get the prereq's done. So it was my only reasonable option.
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Old 03-23-2009, 03:08 PM
 
9,855 posts, read 15,155,539 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andrew2341 View Post
To clarify, my major is literally "liberal arts." As to the campus counselors, they essentially say, to non business/comp psy/engineer majors, "attend the career fairs and cross your fingers!" There just isn't anything on the horizon for me.

The reason I chose a liberal arts major was because it would have taken me literally nine years to do a degree like computer science. Keep in mind that my algebra is at a 9th grade level; just to take 101 classes would take 4 years to get the prereq's done. So it was my only reasonable option.
What do you want to do? Pick the career first then get help putting a plan together to achieve it.

If money for education wasn't an object, what would your top three ideal jobs be?
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Old 03-23-2009, 07:04 PM
 
Location: bay area
242 posts, read 786,250 times
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I also suggest your local community college and you can even acquire math skills. Start at the bottom and work your way up. When I first went to community college 12 yrs after graduating highschool. My math was horrible because I never used it. However when I went to cc I started with a low math course and every semester I took the next class up. Now a few semesters later, I have taken all the alegebra's, statistics and calculus and have gotten an A or B in the class. Plus community college is much cheaper. What ever choice you make do not give up or drop out because your education is going to be very beneficial when we do come out of this recession.
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Old 03-23-2009, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Maryland's 6th District.
8,358 posts, read 25,151,111 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonnenwende View Post
You could consider going to community college for a career in the medical field or electronics.
Electronics will require more math, same with a medical field.

Andrew; You are close enough, you might as well finish your B.A. It's hard for a lot of people to get jobs in their chosen major while they are still in school and those employers that participate in college job fairs are there looking for specific students who are in a specific major who are looking for a specific field of employment. Liberal arts majors do not fit anything specific. But I wouldn't let that get you down because once you graduate you will have your degree. When you do get a job after college, chances are that it is going to be something a little bit more substantial than you would land if you dropped out.

The thing is that you already have the debt. If you quit school you will still have that debt and good luck paying it off with minimum wage. You might as well tack on a little bit more and take your chances with what happens after graduation. In reality, it is your best option.

Community college or a technical/vocational school is not a good idea for you right now. If you drop out of your program to enroll in a two-year program you will be taking a step backwards. That may not be a concern, or big deal, if you do not plan on anymore college after this, but if you do you will be at a disadvantage; you may have to take up to two more years of undergrad to get your B.A., and of course, if you ever decide to go to grad school you will have to finish your undergrad first.

Getting your B.A. first, and then going to a CC or tech school would be the better option.
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Old 03-24-2009, 06:09 AM
 
Location: Outer Space
1,524 posts, read 3,888,716 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Luv View Post
The thing is that you already have the debt. If you quit school you will still have that debt and good luck paying it off with minimum wage. You might as well tack on a little bit more and take your chances with what happens after graduation. In reality, it is your best option.

Community college or a technical/vocational school is not a good idea for you right now. If you drop out of your program to enroll in a two-year program you will be taking a step backwards. That may not be a concern, or big deal, if you do not plan on anymore college after this, but if you do you will be at a disadvantage; you may have to take up to two more years of undergrad to get your B.A., and of course, if you ever decide to go to grad school you will have to finish your undergrad first.

Getting your B.A. first, and then going to a CC or tech school would be the better option.
I only disagree because if he needs FASFA in the future, if he has a BA, he is completely out of luck. The only thing he can get is loans, which are about as useful as a 600 lb weight around your neck while swimming. I'd sooner get the job skill now, pay off the debts, and finish the BA later.
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Old 03-24-2009, 11:51 AM
 
Location: Oregon
1,179 posts, read 3,794,310 times
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Can you do some of your math at a CC? I'm confused as to why it would take so long for the math though. I started CC last fall with no algebra background either, and have taken 2 classes now so this summer I'll be in college algebra and pre-calculus, and starting calculus in the fall. It was only 1 year to go from no background to calculus. Why so long at your college?
Have you looked in Geography/GIS, or any other fields that maybe don't require quite so much high end math if that's not your thing?
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Old 03-24-2009, 11:14 PM
 
18 posts, read 29,956 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomstudent View Post

[...]

Additionally I would not write off law schools right away if that is indeed what you want to do. I do not know what your GPA is, but if it is anywhere near a 3.25 (you don't need a 4.0 for law school) contingent on your LSAT score you could probably get into a law school, perhaps not a top law school, but a legitimate accredited one. Now that would potentially mean more debt, and a lot more work, and I have heard rumors that attorneys in some areas may be hitting a rough patch, but in all honesty my belief is that is a temporary thing after all how many attorneys have you heard of that are unemployable.

However, law school is a lot of work and you should probably be committed to doing that if you attempt it, but seeing as how you mentioned it as potentially an avenue I figured I would touch upon it as I honestly do not have a clue as to how trade schools work and somebody else will have to lay out the potential pluses and minuses of that particular option.

[...]
I totally disagree with this. The idea that law school is a surefire road to wealth is a myth.

Even during the boom years (2004-2007), you had to go to a top school (T14) to have a good chance at a good job; if you were at a lower-ranked school (even within the top 25), you'd have to be in the top third or quarter to get a good job. Outside the top 50 law schools, you're looking at top 10% or even higher to ensure a good job.

In this economy, it's even worse. Some firms have started rescinding 3L job offers, leaving them stranded (few firms are hiring 3L's right now); other firms (including a firm that is considered a top10 firm in the US) are laying off first-years with six-figure debt and no experience.

Of course, by the time the OP graduates I would hope that the economy will have improved. However, much of the corporate law boom was based on the real estate bubble, so law firms won't grow back to what they once were.

If you were passionate about the law and you were willing to sacrifice to pay down the debt that goes with it OR if you had great grades and a fantastic LSAT and received a significant chunk of money from one of the elite six law schools (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, NYU), sure, law school is probably not a bad idea.

However, going to law school because of a lack of other options and because you expect to strike it rich is a BAD idea.

Yes, you'll probably find some work. But being saddled with six-figure debt and working a $30K a year job with no benefits on slip'n'fall cases isn't all that much fun for most people. And loan repayment on that salary is quite painful. Remember, you can't default on student loans.
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Old 03-24-2009, 11:33 PM
 
Location: Colorado Plateau
1,201 posts, read 4,032,469 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KarlaT2 View Post
Can you do some of your math at a CC? I'm confused as to why it would take so long for the math though. I started CC last fall with no algebra background either, and have taken 2 classes now so this summer I'll be in college algebra and pre-calculus, and starting calculus in the fall. It was only 1 year to go from no background to calculus. Why so long at your college?
Have you looked in Geography/GIS, or any other fields that maybe don't require quite so much high end math if that's not your thing?
I started college at age 33 and I knew I wanted a science degree, I also knew that my math skills were non-existant. I started in pre-algebra and worked my way up, through 10 math classes, to calculus II. I got mostly As, a couple of Bs.

I'll graduate in May with a BS in geology and a minor in GIS. The GIS program at my college isn't very good, but I have been working as a GIS intern at the BLM and learned a lot on the job. It's a good job skill.

I'm going to a small state college. It may not be as prestegious as a uni, but tuition is cheap.
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Old 03-25-2009, 12:01 AM
 
Location: NC
9,984 posts, read 10,350,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anewperson View Post
I totally disagree with this. The idea that law school is a surefire road to wealth is a myth.

Even during the boom years (2004-2007), you had to go to a top school (T14) to have a good chance at a good job; if you were at a lower-ranked school (even within the top 25), you'd have to be in the top third or quarter to get a good job. Outside the top 50 law schools, you're looking at top 10% or even higher to ensure a good job.

In this economy, it's even worse. Some firms have started rescinding 3L job offers, leaving them stranded (few firms are hiring 3L's right now); other firms (including a firm that is considered a top10 firm in the US) are laying off first-years with six-figure debt and no experience.

Of course, by the time the OP graduates I would hope that the economy will have improved. However, much of the corporate law boom was based on the real estate bubble, so law firms won't grow back to what they once were.

If you were passionate about the law and you were willing to sacrifice to pay down the debt that goes with it OR if you had great grades and a fantastic LSAT and received a significant chunk of money from one of the elite six law schools (Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, NYU), sure, law school is probably not a bad idea.

However, going to law school because of a lack of other options and because you expect to strike it rich is a BAD idea.

Yes, you'll probably find some work. But being saddled with six-figure debt and working a $30K a year job with no benefits on slip'n'fall cases isn't all that much fun for most people. And loan repayment on that salary is quite painful. Remember, you can't default on student loans.
First I have to disagree. I never said you would get rich from law school or that it would be a road to weath, that is a strawman you created in your post, I only said you will be able to have a career or be otherwise employed. I also recall saying its not for everyone and that one should not go to law school without being seriously committed to it. With that said I would like to address a few things you stated. Six figure debt, from law schools is rare and unlikely especially if one attends a public law school though even including private schools most schools range in the 20-80 range and aid is avalible. Secondly I know a lot of lawyers some when to famous law schools others when to not so famous law schools and guess what they are all employed and working jobs they like for a lot more than $30K some may have started there, but there is such a thing as moving up the ladder.

Third you do not have to work in a big law firm or be an ambulence chaser to be a lawyer. Many do freelance, binding arbitration, small specalized practices or other various things being a lawyer allows them to do. If you check out law school records they all have 90%+, or close to it, employment of graduates 6 months to a year after graduation in various legal fields. It is extremely rare for lawyers working a dead end job with no benefits. Also as to the very top 10% they will often become professors or go for clerkships as such often it is middle of the road graduates that go into the private sector.

As to law schools quite frankly you do not have to go to a top one especially if you plan to live or work in the area where your law school is located. Often local business and firms will know the school and hire you because they have relations with the school and know the quality of its students.

Finally I have know a great deal of lawyers and not a single one has regretted getting a law degree. I will agree it is not a magical path to riches for everyone, but it does far more often then not help one get good career doing something they enjoy whether it be related to law or not.

Last edited by Randomstudent; 03-25-2009 at 12:22 AM..
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