So, its come to my attention that my graduation from the University of Waterloo is actually coming much sooner than I thought it would. I was initially doing a double major and a minor, which, due to my previous co-op obligations, would end up taking me until at least Fall 2012 to finish. That meant that as someone who started my undergrad in Sept. of 2007, I'd end up finishing my degree 5 years and 4 months after that date, which was a bit too much for me. So, I found a way to shorten my undergrad career by doing two minors and a major instead, which satisfies all my interests and still looks good enough to market in "the real world".
I've been doing a lot of research on post-grad job opportunities because I hate getting into situations without having a complete and comprehensive understanding of it, whether its starting a workout program or purchasing a book. I feel like the best way to learn about jobs and post-Grad experiences are not from cushy University brochures, nor from career counselors. Sure, they give you a vague picture, but you have to remember that the any form of higher education is a business in the end. They need students to stay and provide continuous tuition, and they need to market themselves to a new set of Frosh on a yearly basis. Most of all, they have to make it seem like the degrees they dole out land jobs at a sufficient rate. I know a lot of degrees are what you make of them (as I said in one of my other posts) but its also important for students to understand the "business" aspect of a University education - and I don't mean the Econ courses we take.
Its funny how much perception and reality differ in the case of post-Grad jobs. If you're graduating from anything related to the Arts, I've found from my research that the path to getting a job related to what you want to work on is a lot harder than if I had been equipped with studies in say, mechanical engineering. A lot of times, it seems that lateral movement, suffering, and skill upgrades are absolutely necessary to get anywhere with that Philosophy or Sociology degree. Of course, no one tells an undergrad that. We spend Frosh year drunk and clubbing, second year drunk and going to the gym, third year studying, and 4th year realizing that 3 years have passed by and now its time to buckle down.
The point of this post was about my experience in researching Law School. My initial goal coming into my undergrad career was to absolutely get into Law school (silly, I know). I originally wanted to major in Poli Sc because I thought it would somehow help me get into law, because I had read somewhere that Poli Sci and Philosophy really help you when you write the LSAT exam.
[Sidenote: This is just my singular opinion, but Philosophy doesn't do shit. I've taken Phil courses. They are mind numbingly boring, and you basically are at the mercy of your Professor, much more so than in other analysis-based courses. You do learn critical analysis and research skills, yes, but you can get those in OTHER degrees offered by the University, many of which, when presented on their own will not result you having to live in a cardboard box as a home.]
So, with my poorly researched conclusion of taking Phil and Poli Sci courses, I decided that I was going down a great path.
Only, I wasn't.
I'm a big believer in practical education, and neither of these types of courses were really applicable to anything other than if you had an interest in Socrates or John Stuart Mills. After doing about 2 courses in the field I decided that it just wasn't for me (not to mention that it doesn't get you very far as a solo degree, something I learned based on research again). Nevertheless, with minimal research, I still declared in first year that I wanted to get into law school - that would be the goal. Never mind the fact that my head was into everything BUT school during my first two years - I thought just saying it to myself was enough.
The funny thing is, the older I got, the more I researched about fields of employment that I was interested in, and the more co-ops I did, the more I found that law school is not the greatest idea for someone finishing an Arts degree with a $10 000 student debt already in tact. I haven't researched Law schools in Canada and the UK specifically, but to anybody who reads this thinking that Law school is the ticket to a great life in the US, its simply doesn't seem to be true. I used to feel the same way until I was washed with the economic reality of law school and its post-graduation job rates. Sites like Meta Filter are great to check out if you want to read REAL experiences from REAL students who have faced the post-Grad realities that University and colleges don't prepare their students for.
Of course I will still be doing my LSAT, but I've found from reading countless personal experience stories, numerous Law school blogs, and even law school books that going to Law school is not something you just decide on without taking the risks associated with it into very careful consideration. I know that sounds stupidly simple, but I know a lot of people who think law school is the end-all, be-all, or worse yet, a great backup. And yes, I fell into this category till about last year when I actually started reading up on this magic institution I thought was my ticket to a career in something I love to learn about.
Reading this post on Metafilter and following every word that recent law school graduates and even litigators wrote, its crazy to think that many people think this is the one way ticket to success in the USA, when in reality, in this economy, at this time, its more of a way to cripple yourself with the burden of excessive student loans for a LONG time.
Obviously there are people who are able to make it as lawyers, and do what they want to do while being great at it, but the profession of Law is not as glamorous as it seems on TV, nor is it a guaranteed method for income. In fact, it is stated that "graduates of the 2008-2011 if not 2012 classes face drastically worse employment prospects than their predecessors" (Link). I'm only speaking for myself when I say that that alone is discouragement enough. You can call me as a pessimist, but this wouldn't be a $5000 dollar investment that you could easily get back....if you're in the States, degrees don't really matter unless you're in the Top 15-30 of schools (as a rule of thumb), and for those schools the year costs are astronomical, and rising every year. The amount of jobless graduates are pretty high, and you can read more about reasons to look more carefully into it here. BTW, if you're annoyed that I'm using only real-life experiences based on sites that don't seem "certified", read this, a professor's interpretation of the numerous holes within these institutions.
This is not to say that I won't apply to law school in Canada when I'm done a thorough assessment of my financial situation and whether or not it is actually right for me. The reason I'm doing this post is to illustrate that the fairly tale world of university and the cold hard realities of life are completely different when looked into in greater detail. This post on Reddit further illustrates my point. I think today's world is all about adapting and adjusting to the requirements to a "real world" setting that is COMPLETELY different than that of the 80's and even 90's, and most of the people who make it sound like post-Grad is an easy endeavour are clearly fabricating or basing it on prior decades were securing jobs were much easier. Personally, I know a couple of people myself who recently graduated in secure programs (i.e - one of the more fixed programs like Science) but had trouble obtaining a job for a number of months after graduation and had to make ends meet in one way or another.
While I like the challenge of it, it is also the first taste of reality (likely a slap) that I, and many others, will face. Its something I won't really able to explain until I go through it myself. I think the post-grad phase is when you have to show the most grit and determination. I probably won't be saying that when I'm in that awkward post-Grad, pre-Job stage that every graduate gets into where they have to awkwardly tell people that they haven't secured a job yet while engaging in small-talk, but at least by researching into it I (and hopefully you) will be better prepared for it in the coming year.
Wish me luck.
