The law school attraction usually starts with the kind of scene that gripped my attention at the very beginning: a very dramatic sort of courtroom confrontation, a brilliant legal mind countering an opponent, or the promise of a very powerful career working on the world. For me, the law journey began the same way. As a teenager, I envisioned myself getting into those political debates that get so thrillingly heated, racing through my ability of quick thinking, writing, and public speaking with ease. Whereas I would never jump, untethered, from a plane or go dangling on a chairlift among the clouds, I would confidently have spoken before 2,000 people with nary a moment’s hesitation.

Interestingly enough, the cinematic scenes, exemplified by Cruise’s “I want the truth!” and Nicholson’s “You can’t handle the truth!”, really did spark my interest. I’d say to my friends in college, “I want to do what they do on TV,” but there’s that side of me who also coveted good pay. After watching my schoolteacher mother manage a month-to-month life, endless coupon cutting, and even bargain bin clothing, I figured a legal career could open up a road for world impact that was not blocked by financial hassle.

Purpose Versus Profession: An Important Distinction

Many people believe that their vocation must fully align with their life purpose, passion, or spiritual calling. While deep enjoyment of what you do is really the basis for personal well-being-and the prevention of your own unhappiness, even depression-it does not necessarily have to be your sole reason for being. You can really enjoy managing a restaurant without that being your life’s true passion. You might be keen at IT or cybersecurity, while deep inside your heart is fluttering with the pleasure of painting or playing the guitar.

It is absolutely fine to earn a living in one field and follow through on any of those other pursuits that truly feed your soul. Naturally, if you can earn your livelihood in that way which truly feeds your core purpose, all the better. Certainly, I am not saying that a sculptor should not attempt to make art work his or her whole life, or that anyone really passionate about social justice should not go to work for an organization engaged in that struggle-I know plenty who do, and I salute them. But understand that your work does not have to be your calling.

Since my teens, I’ve been passionate about contributing to a racially fair and just society. That conviction had taken root at the moment I first met Black kids in 6th grade. I realized pretty quickly that I could pursue this purpose through gaining some level of influence within society and then jump on my voice and position to do the right thing. I didn’t want my professional career to be about racial justice. That didn’t mean I would stop fighting for it.

Disenchanting the Legal Path: Beyond the Money

Younger generations of lawyers-to-be from high school-know that, more than anything, the securing of a law degree is a darn good get-rich-quick scheme. If you are inhaling such a disguise of sophistry, then perhaps you should lie to yourself and dig a little deeper.

Ask yourself this: Are you a strong writer? Are you capable of sound critical thinking? Can you really weigh different sides of a question-even if you don’t personally agree with them?

It’s an oft-heard notion-there all lawyers are rich. But this is not true: not all law school graduates succeed in finding really high-paying jobs at big-national law firms, and certainly, not others shall see their names on buses and billboards. If you are really thinking lining up with the legal field, then you are to seriously ask yourself: would you really enjoy doing this even if it did not give you the huge amount of wealth it promises?

Now, yes, about in most cases about financial reward is involved. But if high salary is your main consideration, then know that in reality, only perhaps about the top 10% of law school graduates tend to land the highly-paid positions that really matter-the highest pay that many if not all will be looking for (I mean $175,000 or more for a newly minted graduate) in the biggest “Am Law 200” firms.

But the legal world is indeed a wide world. Beyond working in attorneys’ offices and law firms, there are plenty of opportunities in federal, state, and local government agencies, corporate legal departments, and the courts. You can also go out and start your own firm and start learning the entrepreneur ropes right away. Salaries really vary a lot based on the nature and relevance of these positions, with ranges from somewhere near your teachers’ pay scale to very well off. More often than not, it is the accumulation of good years of experience that earns one a better living, so a great virtue for any budding legal career is patience.

A World of Law: Where Does Your Interest Lie?
When you tell people you want to be a lawyer, what goes on in their mind? Maybe it is:

• Personal Injury: Car accident litigation as well as suing doctors for malpractice
• Criminal Law: Defending or prosecuting people who stand accused of crimes?
• Family Law: Messy divorces and custody battles?
• Transactional Law: Drafting contracts for businesses, or assisting with wills and end-of-life planning?
• Specialized Areas: Sports or entertainment law?
• Commercial Litigation: Litigation between competing companies?

The list is incredibly long for different types of law practice. You don’t have to be exactly sure of your niche going into law school; in fact, most probably won’t still be in their first choice once they graduate. But certainly, it helps to have some general ideas about what areas interest you.

Law school is a significant investment of your time, your intellectual energy will be tested to its limit, and a good deal of your financial resources. Have some idea to give you direction along the path.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to become a trial lawyer, one who put on trials and went to court. I did not know what trademarks, patents, and copyrights were at 20 years old in 1989-terms that would later come to define what I specialized in when it came to business disputes. Smartphones and the internet were still many years from common public use!

Being Prepared for Law School

At the very least, recognize and acknowledge that law school is tough for most. It’s a completely different academic beast from undergraduate schooling. The sheer amount of reading, the draining, demanding 3-to-4-hour essay exams, extensive brief writing, research, and a basically new way of thinking about everything-in short-it’s hard.

There should never be something that keeps you from going for it, simply because it is hard. But if you are bent on going to law school, then you should seriously prepare yourself a great deal and dedicate yourself fully to the work it entails.

For me, the reward of being a lawyer has always outweighed my feelings of boredom: It’s intellectually engaging, offers endless new things to learn, and rarely do I have a day without yet another new challenge.

Good luck to you on whatever venture you decide to go for.