Why I Studied Law – but Don’t Want to Be a Lawyer.

The minute you tell someone that you’re a law student – they assume one thing right off. You want to be a lawyer. You want to practice law. And this misconception has spread, tainting the view of young students who look at degrees. They assume that if they don’t want to argue in court and fight cases, then they are wasting their time.
I’m studied law. And when I wasn’t struggling through readings, or had assignments due or studying for exams – I actually loves it. But I don’t want to be a lawyer. And no – I wasn’t wasting my time.
So here are my top 5 reasons as to why a law degree is still an excellent choice – even if you don’t want to actually be a lawyer.
1. It teaches you writing and research skills – as a law student you need to be able to back up everything you say with cases, statutes and the like. Doing this teaches you to really know what you are talking about, and how to find solid things to back up what you are saying.
2. It teaches you how to be professional – When you study law, all your lecturers will be lawyers. Many of them practicing. And through them you will learn valuable skills – like professionalism. Lawyers understand better than anyone how to cover all your bases, and they will teach you this. Simple things, like making sure all agreements are in writing, keeping copies of important emails etc. will hold you in good stead in any profession
3. Your choices are wide and varied – Law is anything but a narrow field. You learn about criminal acts, business dealings, politics, how institutions work – just to name a few. This opens you up to a wide range of options when you look for a career – not limiting you to anything.
4. It demands and instant respect from the working world – With no offense to any other degree – law is after all one of the most difficult to get into and often it’s the best and the brightest who chose this. It ranks up there with medicine, architecture and finance as highly competitive degrees. As an LLB graduate you will demand a respect and have an edge that many others won’t.
5. It’s the perfect choice if you are uncertain. When someone asks me what I want to be – I don’t have a single answer. I want to work in politics and international relations. I want to write and dabble in media. I would like to explore tourism as an option. Law will back me up in any of these chosen fields without limiting me to one.
Law is a fantastic option. It’s not easy – never pick a law degree thinking that it’s easy. But it teaches you skills and toughens you up – so that the world becomes your oyster and you are its shining pearl.