The Shark: law school rules, working drools.

[abony holmes]

Since I’ve just returned from a relaxing fall break, I’m refreshed and rejuvenated enough to be back to my old “law school is great” self. And I’m not alone.

Since this blogger has outlined the top five reasons to attend law school rather than a social sciences graduate school program (my favorite, number five, lambastes my least favorite classroom activity: reading syllabi), I’m going to outline the top five reasons to attend law school rather than work.

5. Annoying boss or co-worker? If you have a typical office job, you just have to deal with it until you or they find another job. But if you are among the 100% of law students who have come across an annoying classmate or professor, you only have to deal with it for a semester, and then you can artfully avoid those individuals for the rest of your law school career.

4. With most jobs, things get busy at various times throughout the year. It’s completely beyond your control, and if you plan a vacation right before the company merger, or the big account is due to close, you have no choice but to cancel it and pray your next vacation doesn’t fall during a busy time. In law school, you can count on 2-3 weeks of hell (final exams) twice a year. The rest of the time is relatively smooth sailing if you are laid back enough to not let the Socratic method turn you into a stress case. You also get syllabi upfront, which means you can plan long weekends at the beach months in advance with no fear of last minute fires needing to be put out.

3. Not a morning person? Do you party every Thursday and then loathe waking up Friday? Too bad, if you are a daily grind-er. While working from home and flexible schedules are becoming more popular, most people work M-F, 9-5 (and most lawyers a lot more than that). Law students, on the other hand, have a lot more flexibility with their schedules. For example: this semester I decided to have Mondays off instead of Fridays because I thought it would make me more productive.

2. We all know which of these sounds better at a party:

“I’m your typical office drone, working my way to middle management and losing a small part of my soul each day along the way.”

“I’m a law student, which means I’m likely to make a lot of money and have a lot of power in 3 years. Also, don’t fuck with me because I will sue your ass.”

1. Afraid of the real world? Can’t seem to find a job? Though I don’t recommend it, it seems that the number one reason people choose law school over work is to delay the inevitable. It’s an expensive delay tactic, but if you can do it for free (or on mommy and daddy’s dime), it’s a relatively pleasant way to spend 3 years. More pleasant than working, anyway.