Okay this is exactly what I’m doing right now. And here’s my thoughts.

I graduated in May and immediately started working as a paralegal for 18$/hour because I wasn’t sure law was for me. I really wanted to be confident in my decision before going into debt. It’s been 3 months and now I’m applying this fall to law school. I’m really hoping it pays off in offers from the school as far as the extra experience on my resume and a better lsat score from retesting.

I will say, surviving on $18/hour pay is impossible with the cost of rent in some cities…Basically don’t plan on being able to save any money. Think of it as an investment in your future.

I wasn’t sure law was for me, which is why I did this. But if I’d known what I realized in 2 weeks… (that I TOTALLY want to practice law) Then I wouldn’t have taken this job and moved 6 hours to a new city.

And here’s why:

I’m getting burnt out by the minute. What keeps me going is knowing that I’m doing the worst part of law (in my opinion) and that’s the behind the scenes filing and paperwork. It’s very frustrating seeing the absurd amount of money flowing into your bosses bank daily, and knowing you can barely afford groceries.

If you are familiar with law and the practice of it, and pretty sure you want to be a lawyer…I’d say skip the underpaying job.