Don't borrow money for school...it can hurt you and those close to you...

[cookderosa]

CA has strange bar requirements (in comparison to the rest of the US). My general take on it is, it's easier to sit for the bar there, but much harder to pass. Most say the CA bar is the hardest to pass. I like this approach, especially for professions that serve others. I want my lawyer to be competent, i don't care much about which school he attended, but I DO care that he knows the law.

The bigger problem I see here, is the assumption that education is a guarantee of a job. I see it time and time again, and have even been guilty of it myself. The fact of the matter is, it's just not true. There seems to be a certain amount of entitlement that some students have after they obtain their degree that will likely lead to serious disappointment. There are many other factors that are required to get a job.

Some may call me insensitive, but I believe it's important to decide if you really want to be a lawyer before you rack up 170k in debt. If you do decide that is the path you want, I think it's critical to study for and pass the bar. No matter how many attempts it takes. It is not uncommon to fail the bar twice or even more times. Determination is required here. The CA bar is hard, you're not a dummy if you fail twice. Giving up on the goal just short of attainment after racking up 170k in debt on the other hand....

You're right. And frankly, I've been following edu trends for a little while now, maybe about 10 years, and for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS the topic has been beaten to death that law school grads (who passed their bar) can't find work and are working as paralegals. In fact, my poor memory recalls one of our members here who a paralegal (is that right? who remembers her?) and her office had lawyers working in the office for pennies just to get a job. This isn't new- I mean it's been on the radar at least as long as before this kid started law school. So really, if anyone does "research" they would know this, but I think it's more a case of people don't believe it. The college propaganda is so exceptionally strong, and it's a pretty consistent song, that it is nearly impossible to dissuade people from doing it anyway.