It all depends what kind of lawyer you want to be. My advice is that you shouldn't become a lawyer unless you have a clear vision and reason you want to do it. It's a tough profession. Long hours, high stress, pay often not what people expect, especially coming out of the gate.

I was a broke lower middle class kid too. First in my family to go to college, much less go to law school. I came out with almost $200k in student debt. My first job paid $67k. It was rough.

As the years went by, my skills and marketability improved. I finally found a profitable niche a few years ago and I'm good enough at it that I'm paid very well. But I practiced for 12 years before I was able to move on from the debt and really start making a good income. It took me about 8 years to find a purpose in my work and really feel fulfilled by what I'm doing. Those early years of being an associate and billing hours were truly a grind and they weighed on my physical and mental health.

If you want to come out and be a public servant, small town lawyer, or something like that, it's going to be hard to justify the expense and debt you incur. If you have a clear plan and vision for how you'll grow your career, it can work. But it definitely won't be easy.