Law or Medicine

[nwhilk]

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I had a question, please. I noticed a few people here switched careers from law to medicine and was jsut curious why, if they don't mind sharing? I always respected both professions, but obviously the medical field would better fit me personally. (I'm not very confrontational at all. But if I were I might seriously consider law.) But I just wonder why they would invest so much time in both? Just curious. But if they'd rather not say publicly, I do apologize for my nosy-ness.

 

[Law2Doc]

I had a question, please. I noticed a few people here switched careers from law to medicine and was jsut curious why, if they don't mind sharing? I always respected both professions, but obviously medicine would better fit me personally. (I'm not very confrontational at all.) But I just wonder why they would invest so much time in both? Just curious. But if they'd rather not say publicly, I do apologize for my nosy-ness.

Some of us had prior successful and even sometimes enjoyable careers and didn't decide that medicine was a better fit until late in the game, and even then over a period of years. Not everyone is blessed with perfect clarity as to their dream career during college, and even some of those who think they know aren't always even correct. At some point even you may decide that what you are doing is not what you want to do for the rest of your life. And if you are smart, determined and have a high aptitude for a multitude of things, you will always have options, you needn't feel "stuck". You only go around once, so you may as well find something you really enjoy or are interested in to spend the bulk of your waking hours.

(And FYI, you don't have to be confrontational to be in law -- there are lots of positions for mediator (peace-maker) types.🙂 )

 

[nwhilk]

Thanks Law2Doc, that is a great point, people change their minds a lot, and it's hard to figure out what you want outta life when your young vs. when you are more aware of the world and life and everything. Makes me think too, that's also true, which I think is at least partially why I wanted to ask the question. Hmmm.

Personally as much as I want to enter the medical field, pharmacy or maybe even medicine, for so many reasons, sometimes it gets depressing because I feel like I have such a long way to go since I didn't fulfill my premed requirements. And law seems like a good profession too, but able to be done in a shorter time. So I do think about it from time to time. But I don't think I would be as interested in the law, since I want to help people more "tangibly," and again, I think I would not deal well with confrontation.

However, you said not every part of the law is that way... could I please ask, so what are these "non-confrontational" law positions you speak of out of curiosity? 🙂

 

[phospho]

Thanks Law2Doc, that is a great point, people change their minds a lot, and it's hard to figure out what you want outta life when your young vs. when you are more aware of the world and life and everything. Makes me think too, that's also true, which I think is at least partially why I wanted to ask the question. Hmmm.

Personally as much as I want to enter the medical field, pharmacy or maybe even medicine, for so many reasons, sometimes it gets depressing because I feel like I have such a long way to go since I didn't fulfill my premed requirements. And law seems like a good profession too, but able to be done in a shorter time. So I do think about it from time to time. But I don't think I would be as interested in the law, since I want to help people more "tangibly," and again, I think I would not deal well with confrontation.

However, you said not every part of the law is that way... could I please ask, so what are these "non-confrontational" law positions you speak of out of curiosity? 🙂

hmm, i know the majority of the lawyers I know keep telling me that law is absolutely nothing like T.V., and that it's all just boring paper work, research, and lots of writing. I also know that a lot of them never even step foot in a court, etc...

But of course, I personally have no idea, as I have no experience in the field...

I do totally know what you mean though - I've spent too many nights thinking to myself whether I want to do this or not. It just seems such a long way, but I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end.


Best of luck🙂

 

[Moki]

In my experience, most of law is not confrontational in practice. One of the wonderful things about the field of law is that it spans every aspect of life. If people are doing something, more than likely the law impacts it and attorneys will be involved. People gravitate to certain areas of the law based on their interests and experiences coming into law school and/or based on their personality. If you do not like confrontation, then you will stay away from those areas automatically - i.e. litigation.

Generally, most students do not come into law school knowing which area they will end up practicing in. Even when they think they know, it often changes while they are in law school or within the span of their career. For example, I thought I was going to do Admiralty Law (deals with ships) and I ended up in the securities industry and then tax law. I never would have dreamed the outcome. Most of these decisions come as you get a better sense of who you are and how your mind functions and also the opportunities that present themselves.

If you find yourself drawn to medicine, then explore that route through volunteer work and through informational interviews with doctors. Do the same with law. Go to your local bar association (either in person or via their website) and take a look at the different sections. This will give you an idea of how many areas of the law are available. The bar association will also be able to help you get in contact with local attorneys who would be willing to talk with you. Speaking with a number of doctors and attorneys will give you a better sense of the day-to-day experience of each profession.

There are also some people who have both degrees. The vast majority of these individuals attend medical school and then law school. Perhaps you can locate some people in your area who have both and ask them about their experience.

Ultimately, there is no way to know for sure without actually doing it. The most important thing is to gather as much information you can and then trust yourself. Try to remember that nothing is permanent, unless you decide it is.

Feel free to PM me, if I can be of further assistance.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

hmm, i know the majority of the lawyers I know keep telling me that law is absolutely nothing like T.V., and that it's all just boring paper work, research, and lots of writing. I also know that a lot of them never even step foot in a court, etc...

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Not all lawyers are even litigators, so they don't even go to court rarely. Law is very analytical, research and writing intensive. If you have trouble with focus or need frequent human interaction in your work, you might not like being a lawyer. I never practiced but found most law school and my legal experience in law school to be exruciately boring. It was just a really poor personality fit for me.

If you're questioning medicine versus law, please don't do either yet. Law's not like some default option that everybody should do if their number one choice doesn't pan out. However, lots of the miserable lawyers out there are people who entered the field for that reason. Don't go to law school becaues it doesn't have prereqs, don't go just because you got admitted (everybody can be admitted to some law school somewhere), and don't go based on claims that you get from law schools that you can do anything with a law degree. Only go if you *gasp* actually want to practice law.

I'm sure I sound irritated, but I just hate seeing these law vs. whatever posts. Law and medicine are so vastly different that if you're questioning one versus the other, then you should be at the very, very beginning of your quest.

 

[runner_gal]

I've had trouble with this decision as well. I have all the premed requirements, have taken the MCATS, and am applying to med school right now. It's been two years since I graduated from college. My senior year of college, I applied to and was accepted to the top three law schools. I had no real direction and applied to law school because I took the LSAT one saturday and scored really well. I just couldn't shake the feeling that law wasn't what I wanted, that I was just going into it for the money, so I turned down my acceptances. I've taken the two years since to get to know my interests better, I've worked in both a law firm and a hospital full time. I now know that medicine is a better fit for me. I can't imagine doing any thing else. So, I say take some time and think it through. Like someone else said above, if you are debating between the two, you are probably not ready for either.

 

[Lawguy]

Personally as much as I want to enter the medical field, pharmacy or maybe even medicine, for so many reasons, sometimes it gets depressing because I feel like I have such a long way to go since I didn't fulfill my premed requirements. And law seems like a good profession too, but able to be done in a shorter time. So I do think about it from time to time. But I don't think I would be as interested in the law, since I want to help people more "tangibly," and again, I think I would not deal well with confrontation.

I am going to make a slightly different point from the question you asked, but this is a piece of advice that I really wish someone would've given me when I was making this decision (not that I would've necessarily listened 🙂 ):

Whatever you do, do not let the fact that medicine is a longer, more difficult road be the deciding factor for you. When I was a sophomore in college, I was struggling with this same decision. I had gotten good grades across the board as a freshman, law and medicine were the two paths I was considering, and I felt like I had the ability to succeed at either. I chose law, and honestly, the deciding factor was that, at age 20, the difference between being finished with law school at 25 vs. being finished with residency/fellowship in (probably) my early 30s seemed like it would make a huge difference in my life.

Fast forward ten years: I'm 30 now, and I've been practicing (tax law) at a large law firm for five years. To say that I "hate" it would be an exaggeration; I don't, but I do find myself wondering whether I made the right choice (hence, my occasional visits to this board). I don't know what I am going to do; I may be applying to post-bacc programs in a year or two, I may keep practicing law, or I may do something different entirely (I won't commit to the post-bacc route until I know, for sure, that medicine is what I want...if I knew that for sure, I'd be applying right now).

The bottom line advice is this: if medicine is what you really want, then law will probably not make you happy. Making silly money when you're 26 is fun, but only for a while; it only remains fun if you also love the work.