Wall Street Vs. Law School Vs. Graduate School

[dutchbrodymoss]

So. I'm about to wrap up college this summer. And I'm trying to decide on what I want to do with my life. I'm currently attending a top-ten school, and my grades put me in the top 25% of my class. However, I have no idea with what to do with my life.

I've had limited internship experience, and so far I have yet to start searching for jobs (I'm finishing school in three years).

I'm wondering, at this point in time, which career option would be best. I want to have a job where I will earn a decent amount of money, so i'll have some capital to start up a business at some point in time. So that's where the debate between law school and working on wall street comes in.

At the same time, sometimes I'm really sickened by the materialism that drives our culture. Hence graduate school, and giving something back to the world.

what do you guys think?

If i go work on wall street, i'm thinking about applying to some entry level stock broker. I might check out some finance firms, but I have no econ background. What would you guys recommened?

so yeah. basically, the question is...

law school vs some sort of job on wallstreet (and if you recommend wall street, what would you recommend vs getting away from all the nonsense and going to grad school and getting a phd of some sort.

what are your thoughts?

[HDPM]

IMO only go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. I know a lot of people disagree with this, but that is what I think. Law school IMO should be a trade school, not a particularly intellectiual venture. If you want to do something else I don't get the allure of law school. Dull, hard work at times, obnoxious people.

And get over the give back to the world thing. You will be happier. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[player24]

[ QUOTE ]
At the same time, sometimes I'm really sickened by the materialism that drives our culture. Hence graduate school, and giving something back to the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is great that you want to contribute to the common good ("giving back"), but it is not correct, in my opinion, to assume that making money in your career will somehow hinder this objective. It is much easier to be philanthropic if you have a high income.

If you want to make a hands on contribution to society, law might be the better option. For example, as an attorney, you can choose a career path which is focused on solving social issues (such as prosecuting criminals or defending the accused, depending on your point of view). On the other hand, Wall Street pays much better than law...and some of the most philanthropic people in the world work on Wall Street.

[Maulik]

here's what you NEED to do: all those jobs are going to be long arse hours and hardwork and apprenticeships for some time. Find out what you LIKE or in this case least despite and go from there. no one can tell you where to go, career oppurtunities will abound from each choice.

[eternalnewbie]

I would echo what others have said about do what you like. With that said, though, I'm a 3rd year law student at a top-10 school (which seems like what you're looking at) so maybe I can offer some perspective:

Cons - Law school is expensive. I have $120K in debt from law school and at a lot of good schools I would have a bit more. This means that by the time you graduate you would probably need to make 6 figures to live comfortably.

The work is long and hard. Whether or not it is boring or not will depend on your personality. I personally don't find it boring because I work on very complicated transactions for sophisticated clients. I'm a small town kid and I still find all of this fascinating.

Pros - The going rate for first year attorneys in big firms is $125K and that is before bonus. I'm in the top quarter of my class and didn't have too much trouble getting that (although it is harder now than it was before). This could, of course, go down, but history suggests that that is unlikely.

Upshot - If you can get into a top 10 lawschool, you will most likely make more in law than going onto Wall Street. True, you have the possibility of making more on wall street, but it is much riskier. Also, think of it this way - partners at big law firms don't make as much as MDs at an I-bank or hedge fund managers, but they do make $1m or more a year. So sure the ceiling is lower than on wall street but you can still make more than you know what to do with.

Also, I don't mean to be a snob (I have no reason to be - I was probably very lucky in getting into the school I got into), but if you get much out of the top 10 for lawschool (actually top 20 is probably fine) I think the picture is much different. You would really have to kick butt in school to get a good job and you would come out with the same debt.

One final point - Law school itself, in my experience, is pretty easy (not at all like movies or books would suggest). The curve is very tight - meaning that you can slack off a lot and still get good (enough) grades. Thus, if you want to have hobbies for the next 3 years, law school is an ok choice. If you want to have free time after that, though, law isn't a good field to be in.

Sorry for the rambly post, but I hope that helps.

[midas]

Couple of points:

Neither Wall Street or Law Street will get you the experience to start a business. You need to learn the ropes in an industry you like then take the leap.

Where are you going to school? Take some econ or business classes to get your feet wet and see if you like it. In my opinion, most people who go to law school don't realize what it takes to be a successful lawyer in the long run and that it is the same for most other business - you have to learn how to bring in business in order to succeed.

Good luck and live the good life while you can!!

[HDPM]

I essentially agree with you. However, you are somewhat different from most lawyers in that you are doing well at a top law school and have a high paying job lined up. You also like the work you do. I like the work I do for the most part and liked the stuff related to that in law school. But there was a whole lot of boring stuff in there too. I do agree that a lot of times law school isn't very hard, which makes it boring IMO. I do agree people overstate the work involved. Being a lawyer is hard though. Harder than most people think. Your debt is fine and you will get it paid back quickly enough. Where I think people make a mistake is when they go to an expensive law school that isn't a top school, particularly when they don't want to practice law. they better want to in order to pay it back, and often times they have a tough time getting a job that pays enough to cover the massive debt.

I never understood the people who went to law school for just somethng to do or because they didn't know what they wanted. I think that is a recipe for unhappiness. People end up practicing law to pay loans back and don't like it. If you don't know what you want and don't get into a toip school, I say go to a cheap school at least.

[xtravistx]

It's way too late to apply for most wall street jobs, as well as law schools or reputable grad schools. My advice would be to get some meaningful experience in the next year in one (or perhaps two) of the fields that you mentioned and see how you like the work. Then, when wall street recruiting season and law and grad school applications roll around in 6 months, you'll know what you want to do better.

Another idea is to apply to all 3 and see which positions you get/schools/programs you get into, and then decide from there.

-xtravistx

[parttimepro]

I'm getting a Ph.D. in neuroscience at a top school. Not sure if you realize this, but graduate school is basically training to become a professor. Some schools make noises about "preparing students for careers outside of academia" but this is basically an add-on. Your classes and day-to-day research are oriented almost entirely towards mastering a small segment of knowledge and adding your pebbles to the mountain of human knowledge.

Career path: If you go for academia, your life looks like this. 4-7 years of graduate school, followed by a postdoc (glorified graduate student) or two of 2-5 years. If you've done good research in a growing field, you'll get an assistant professorship, where you can work your ass off teaching and researching to get tenure in 7 years. This is for the sciences. My understanding is that for the humanities, it's more like 6-8 years grad school, then be a teaching adjunct for an indefinite period. At any point you can drop out and work for someone else in your field (if you're in science) or in the growing field of fast food service (if you're in the humanities).

Lifestyle: It varies a lot. I know some people who claim at least to work 60 hour weeks. Personally I have time to post on 2+2 at 1:50 on a Tuesday. Still, you're going to work a lot, and you need to like the process of research. If you haven't done any research as an undergrad, you may have a hard time getting accepted to grad school.
By far the best part of grad school has been meeting other people who are a lot like me. It's kind of like college, without the dumb people.

Money: You get paid to go to school. Not much, but I can live comfortably and won't graduate with debt. Postdocs make 30-45 depending on experience. Assistant profs start at 60 or so. If you're interested in business, some profs are able to start businesses based on their research, which can be quite rewarding. I believe engineering is generally the best field for this (better than basic sciences).
Alternately, a Ph.D. does prepare you for several other careers. One thing I'm considering is management consulting (a la McKinsey). Some companies just try to hire smart people, regardless of the details of their credentials.

[player24]

[ QUOTE ]
Neither Wall Street or Law Street will get you the experience to start a business.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless, of course, you want to start your own law or investment management firm.

Also, Wall Street analysts often become very knowledgeable about the companies/industries they cover. This knowledge can be useful when you start a business. Although, I agree, it is usually necessary to have hands on experience with the product or service you wish to offer in your business.

[GeorgeF]

The people who did the best over the past 20yrs were employed by the government. In particular jobs like police and fire that pay for your training and have 20 retirements did the absolute best. Teachers came close. While the salaries seem low, remember that the benefits are 'back loaded'. A pension + Health package at age 40 that is worth $55,000 is equal to a $1M lump sum. If it adjusts for inflation it is worth much more.

I suggest that you investigate government jobs. To estimate the value of pensions see: http://www.brkdirect.com/spia/EZQUOTE.ASP

If you are young and language talented learning Arabic and going for a state department job would be sweet.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm currently attending a top-ten school...However, I have no idea with what to do with my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??

[ QUOTE ]
I want to have a job where I will earn a decent amount of money...At the same time, sometimes I'm really sickened by the materialism that drives our culture.

[/ QUOTE ]

Get over it. Work as hard as you want, make as much money as said work is worth, and don't for a second feel guilty for it.

[ QUOTE ]
Hence graduate school, and giving something back to the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

The world is like a kitten. You think it's all sweet and loving, but if it could, it would eat you.

Seriously, the best thing you can do to "give back" is to get as ridiculously rich as you can and in doing so, you will be forced to provide opportunities for others to make their lives better. Bill Gates did more to make this world a better place than Mother Theresa.

[ QUOTE ]
If i go work on wall street, i'm thinking about applying to some entry level stock broker. I might check out some finance firms, but I have no econ background. What would you guys recommened?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you like Wall Street, an MBA in finance is a good option. Study econ too (it'll help you get over this anti-materialism nonsense).

[ QUOTE ]
law school vs some sort of job on wallstreet (and if you recommend wall street, what would you recommend vs getting away from all the nonsense and going to grad school and getting a phd of some sort.

[/ QUOTE ]

Richard Montauk writes that going to law school is more likely to LIMIT your job options rather than expand them. Unless you are completely in love with the idea of being a lawyer, law school is out.

Go to Wall Street if that's the kind of life you want to lead. Like I said, an MBA in finance probably wouldn't hurt.

A PhD is completely unnecessary unless you A) want to be an academic, or B) you just absolutely need a doctorate to make you feel smart.

Seriously, don't do ANY grad school until you KNOW what you want to do with your life. Get a job for a couple years. Hang out with people who have jobs you eventually want to do. Grad school will always be there. Harvard isn't gonna go out of business. Many schools actually prefer students with some real world business experience under their belt.

More than anything, do what you like. There's money in everything. If I was a multi bajillionaire and I told you that I would pay all of your bills for anything you wanted for the rest of your life, what would you do with your time?

Do the work because you love it. Take the money because it's there.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]

I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??


[/ QUOTE ]

This statement is idiotic. So if a really smart 17 yr old kid gets accepted to Harvard, he shouldn't pay to go unless he has a solid idea of what he wants to do for a living? Absurd.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??


[/ QUOTE ]

This statement is idiotic. So if a really smart 17 yr old kid gets accepted to Harvard, he shouldn't pay to go unless he has a solid idea of what he wants to do for a living? Absurd.

[/ QUOTE ]

Would you go 100K in debt for something without even knowing what you're going to do with it???????????

[edtost]

[ QUOTE ]
Would you go 100K in debt for something without even knowing what you're going to do with it???????????

[/ QUOTE ]

undergard degrees are more about learning how to do work/learn/think than about specific skills in most cases anyway. very few of my classmates came to school knowing what they wanted to do. to quote the administration, only about 30% of kids stay with the major they put down on their application.

many good schools (including my own) vehemently deny that they are training their undergraduate students for the work force. education and job training are two very different things.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??


[/ QUOTE ]

This statement is idiotic. So if a really smart 17 yr old kid gets accepted to Harvard, he shouldn't pay to go unless he has a solid idea of what he wants to do for a living? Absurd.

[/ QUOTE ]

Would you go 100K in debt for something without even knowing what you're going to do with it???????????

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. I graduated from an Ivy League school. I've already paid back close to 100k in student loans for me and my wife. I still had no idea what I was doing with my life on the day I graduated from college. I would make the same choice again.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes. I graduated from an Ivy League school. I've already paid back close to 100k in student loans for me and my wife. I still had no idea what I was doing with my life on the day I graduated from college. I would make the same choice again.

[/ QUOTE ]

What happens is that many students, after paying out almost 100k or more, realize that their life's calling has nothing to do with the education they just spent all that money purchasing. Yeah, everyone acts like you can't amount anything without higher education. Bull. Some people are better off without it and going to college litterally puts them 4 years and tens of thousands of dollars behind the game. So it worked for you. Whoopie. Not everyone is like you. Telling someone to make that large of a purchase without a plan is just bad advice.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes. I graduated from an Ivy League school. I've already paid back close to 100k in student loans for me and my wife. I still had no idea what I was doing with my life on the day I graduated from college. I would make the same choice again.

[/ QUOTE ]

What happens is that many students, after paying out almost 100k or more, realize that their life's calling has nothing to do with the education they just spent all that money purchasing. Yeah, everyone acts like you can't amount anything without higher education. Bull. Some people are better off without it and going to college litterally puts them 4 years and tens of thousands of dollars behind the game. So it worked for you. Whoopie. Not everyone is like you. Telling someone to make that large of a purchase without a plan is just bad advice.

[/ QUOTE ]

Telling an 18 year old that he should have a plan is bad advice. I also think that telling someone that they should view college as job training is bad advice.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
Telling an 18 year old that he should have a plan is bad advice.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Thinking" like this is why so many 22 year old college grads are serving me french fries. Call that Ivy League school and get your money back.

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??

[/ QUOTE ]

True. Go to NorthwestSouth State Community Technical College of Design Online and get their degree. Its identical to a Harvard degree!

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]

What happens is that many students, after paying out almost 100k or more, realize that their life's calling has nothing to do with the education they just spent all that money purchasing.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is just not true. Being able to tell people you went to Harvard will always help no matter what you studied there. Just the fact tht you will meet so many people who are so likely to be successful down the line is a huge win.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??

[/ QUOTE ]

True. Go to NorthwestSouth State Community Technical College of Design Online and get their degree. Its identical to a Harvard degree!

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all, when you have to put words in my mouth to avoid debating what I actually said, it just makes you look like a dumbass.

Second, some people are capable enough that they don't NEED a Harvard degree to be successful. Perhaps you're not.

Some people are built to do things that Harvard, in all their wonderous glory and splendor, can't help them with. Perhaps this kid should be an entertainer. Maybe he wants to be an entrepreneur. Nobody gives a rat's ass what ripoff degree you have when they're considering whether buy widgets in your store.

You don't invest in stocks and bonds without considering what you want to get in return. Why would do treat an investment in education any different?

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]



Some people are built to do things that Harvard, in all their wonderous glory and splendor, can't help them with. Perhaps this kid should be an entertainer. Maybe he wants to be an entrepreneur. Nobody gives a rat's ass what ripoff degree you have when they're considering whether buy widgets in your store.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it is a mistake to think going to Harvard won't help you be a better entrepreneur. You will most likely have good connections from people you meet at Harvard. People are more likely to trust your judgement and be willing to do business with you if you went to Harvard.


[ QUOTE ]

You don't invest in stocks and bonds without considering what you want to get in return. Why would do treat an investment in education any different?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is more to life than money. I think the experience of going to Harvard would be worth $100k to a lot of people even if they would never make that money back. You seem to think the only reason to go to college is to make more money down the line. This simply isn't true.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it is a mistake to think going to Harvard won't help you be a better entrepreneur. You will most likely have good connections from people you meet at Harvard. People are more likely to trust your judgement and be willing to do business with you if you went to Harvard.

[/ QUOTE ]

It could help. It could hurt. I know a guy who is a mechanic. Very smart, capable, educated guy. But he likes working on cars. That's his calling. As great as Harvard might be (and it better be for the $$), I don't think Harvard would be a good plan for this guy. If anything a it would be unnecessary. Just because everyone else on the planet swoons at the thought of a Harvard education, it's not for everybody. But how does one know that without an inkling of an idea about who they are and what they want out of life? If I was 18 again, I'd be more than happy to take a couple years off to try out some things, meet some people, and figure out where I want to be in 10 years. THEN I could decide if Harvard or Stanford or West Kentucky Auto-Diesel College is right for me. Harvard ain't going anywhere. Why rush?

[ QUOTE ]
There is more to life than money. I think the experience of going to Harvard would be worth $100k to a lot of people even if they would never make that money back. You seem to think the only reason to go to college is to make more money down the line. This simply isn't true.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, doing what you're called to do is what's important, not money or prestige or fancy degrees or any of that. My friend would be making a hell of a lot more money if he were still in real estate, or if he'd become a lawyer or whatever. But he wouldn't be enjoying life like he is. Money isn't the issue. Everyone thinks Harvard (or college in general) is this magical place where EVERYONE who goes will benefit. That's bunk. There are so many different types of people in this world, and many aren't made to go that route. It's foolish to go to some big expensive school and drop $100k or more without knowing if it's in line with what you want out of life.

[RunDownHouse]

Careful, your lack of education is showing. I think we can assume that this kid doesn't want to be Paula Abdul, ok? I think if he wanted to be a stand-up, or had a passion for sketching, or thought he could start up a bustling lemonade stand, or whatever, he wouldn't be here asking these questions.

The point is that those with college degrees are more valuable than those without, regardless of field. Those with "better" degrees are more valuable than those with "lesser" degrees, regardless of field. This value is greater than the amount spent on the degree, especially considering the unbelievably favorable terms student loans get. In fact, I think its likely that you have no idea of what relevance that plays in the discussion, given this (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=stocks&Number=2257382&Foru m=,All_Forums,&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Main=2 237096&Search=true&where=&Name=30638&daterange=&ne werval=&newertype=&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=# Post2257382) comment from another thread.

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
Everyone thinks Harvard (or college in general) is this magical place where EVERYONE who goes will benefit. That's bunk.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree. But the fault lies with that individual, not the education.

Listen, you're making ridiculous arguments based on thin air that, as a result, are nearly impossible to refute. Of course someone who loves fixing cars would likely the most enjoyment in that profession as opposed to, say, astrophysics. But there's also a good chance that that person would gain more enjoyment from making $150k at age 24 than being at $50k at 30. Its entirely individual, entirely specific, and no one can respond to your post about your mechanic friend with, "Clearly he was wrong!" But to advocate treating higher education as vocational training is pure folly.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
Careful, your lack of education is showing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sir, you have absolutely no clue what kind of education I have, nor where I got it. You also do not know my financial position, what I do for a living, or how successful I am at it.

Edit: I'll give you a hint. It's in finance.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
But to advocate treating higher education as vocational training is pure folly.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're right, I shouldn't be doing that. Oh wait, I didn't.

[RunDownHouse]

No. Based on your replies to this thread and others, I can conclude that you likely have little to no education on labor markets, and probably a flawed understanding of economics and the function of markets.

I could be wrong, though.

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]

This is just not true. Being able to tell people you went to Harvard will always help no matter what you studied there. Just the fact tht you will meet so many people who are so likely to be successful down the line is a huge win.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree. The networking is probably worth 5x the actual education in terms of dollar value (unless you studied something particularly lucrative.)

eastbay

[dutchbrodymoss]

what about getting a JD / MBA? are those things useful or useless?

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
what about getting a JD / MBA? are those things useful or useless?

[/ QUOTE ]

Go to amazon and buy "How to Get into the Top Law Schools" by Richard Montauk. It has a bunch of good self-assessment ideas to consider before doing any of this stuff including whether to get a joint degree.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0735203768/qid=1114722630/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-9573240-1162459?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[dutchbrodymoss]

i read that book already. montauk comes off as kind of arrogant.

he just seems a bit too arrogant to be taken seriously

his book seems to want to dissuade people., more than anything else

[eternalnewbie]

Are JD/MBAs useless?

They're certainly not useless, but they may be a bad idea.

Pros - Some employers will give a bonus to first year associates with a JD/MBA. Check out, for example, Latham and Watkins' website. I think its worth like $20K or something.

It may also help you get employed by law firms. Knowing about business transactions (and particularly finance) is a big plus in getting a job with a wall street firm.

Since I'm a law student, I couldn't tell you how it helps you with business jobs.

Cons - The obvious is the cost of the extra year of tuition, which is probably more than the first year JD/MBA bonus (which itself is the exception rather than the rule).

Also, it may hurt you with some firms. Imagine, for example that you are in your second year of law/business school. You would like a summer job with a law firm (this makes sense because you would like to make like $25K over the summer for doing nothing but eating a lot of free fancy lunches and drinking a lot of free alcohol). A lot of firms will be wary of you because you still have another summer before graduation. They don't like to invest all of that money when you are pretty likely to end up working for another firm.

Balance - I think it is a bad idea, but I may be biased by the fact that I chose not to do it.

2 final points:

1) If you are just interested in learning finance (e.g. for your personal edification) but want to be a lawyer, it is a waste of time. I have taken courses in law school on accounting and corporate finance taught by business school professors on an MBA level. I have also learned much more about economics (which is taken very seriously in law schools these days) in law school than I did in 40-some hours of undergrad classes. Conversely, if you really want to be a banker, but would also like to know something about the law, there are courses in most MBA programs that you can take to satisfy your curiosity.

2. Some people seem to suggest that you can't go into banking with a law degree - that all you can be is a lawyer. This is terrible advice. My firm works with the best I-banks in the country and colleagues have told me that it is very easy for a second-year associate to get a job working in a business capacity for one of the banks.

I'm not trying to push you to go to law school, but I did want to clear up some things.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
his book seems to want to dissuade people., more than anything else

[/ QUOTE ]

There are soooo many lawyers completely miserable in what they're doing. If someone is not going to absolutely get their jollies practicing law, it's not a bad idea for them to be dissuaded.

FWIW, I think Montauk actually has a joint JD/MBA.

[Misfire]

Oh yeah, if you do decide on law school and you want to start in fall 2006, you need to take the LSAT by December.

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif..funny thing..

he did not even consider medicine...lol..

i guess the word has gotten around...amazingly ez big bucks possible in law school and wall street; ya gotta suffer 8-10 years status post bachalaureatte to then get sued by some bozo who will make more money in one malpractice case than the poor m.d. will make in two lifetimes..

lol

who is john galt?

gl

/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
who is john galt?

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[dutchbrodymoss]

yeah, I'm looking at taking the october one because I'm not done with school until the end of August.

[HDPM]

Hey, when you see the malpractice case that pays 2 lifetimes of doctor salaries to the lawyers will you please refer it? /images/graemlins/tongue.gif


Seriously though, law may be vile, but the money isn't as easy as people think. And I think overall/generally etc... medicine is a more rewarding (both financially and otherwise) career than law. So maybe too bad the poster didn't consider it. That could change as medicine is socialized more.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
That could change as medicine is socialized more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, nothing like salary caps to keep good doctors away.

[gvibes]

[ QUOTE ]
Seriously though, law may be vile, but the money isn't as easy as people think. And I think overall/generally etc... medicine is a more rewarding (both financially and otherwise) career than law. So maybe too bad the poster didn't consider it. That could change as medicine is socialized more.

[/ QUOTE ]

As a 3rd year law student, with several med student friends, you are absolutely correct.

Another option - dental specialties. Really nice money, not as much schooling (as a medical doctor), and the hours are typically nothing.

[tiltmaster]

if you're going to do wall street use your college career services. especially if you didn't have an econ major. the difference in opportunites open to you from a top ten school from when you are in school to when you graduate is ridiculous. i went to an ivy league and getting an internship/job while i was in school wasn't cake but very doable since every firm was heavily recruiting our students. once you graduate though, your connections go down the crapper, especially when all the top firms are already filling their positions through recruiting. do a quick job search and you'll see what i mean. first year ibanking positions that are being recruited at yoru school are now requiring you to have 2-3 years prior experience.

finance definitely makes more money than law but if you go in-house or start your own practice, you can potentially work much less doing law.

imo, best way to get paid >$100/hr is to whore yourself out on craigslist.

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/laugh.gif..i gotta admit high desert;

you truly are a high class guy;

ya really know how to hurt a doc..lol..<i.e. socialized med>

lol

gl to you

and the hdpw

gl

/images/graemlins/cool.gif /images/graemlins/laugh.gif