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Do you hate studying law?


Cartoon book being thrown at man

I realise that hate is a strong word, but this may be a question that you need take a moment to ask yourself.

Life is incredibly short, so if you are doing something for the wrong reason (and you know deep down if you are) you need to make that change for your own happiness and sanity.

I realised just over half way through my first degree that it was not what I wanted to be doing. Most of my family is in the medical field so for me it was a no brainer decision to study a Bachelor of Science to become a registered nurse. Medical stuff was what we talked about at the dinner table, and was the industry I had my first part time job in, so it was a natural progression.

But, the further I got into the course, the more it began to dawn on me that I truly hated it. It was nothing about the actual profession or the university I was studying at, rather it was that I was unhappy with the career path I was on. How did I know this? Here are a few signs that started to flag it with me:

  1. I was throwing textbooks and getting upset.

  2. I didn’t want to go to uni, go to class, and definitely not go on prac, despite having a great group of friends and being good at nursing.

  3. I wanted to be doing anything other than studying nursing. I contemplated becoming a train driver, doing a personal training course, starting a café…I spent a lot of time looking into changing courses (the uni handbook became my best friend).

The realisation that nursing wasn’t for me ultimately led to my study of law – and I love it! I look forward to uni, I can’t wait to start working and I love the thought that law is my life career.

So if you feel like you have no motivation to study, or like you’re starting to hate what you are doing, take some time out to think. Have a chat to a parent, sibling, or friend who you know will give you solid advice. Personally, I was so far through my science degree that it would have been stupid of me to change with 2 semesters left, after 5 semesters of hard work. However, that’s not to say that for some people, stopping at that point may be the best decision they ever made, it comes down to what is right for you.

Think about whether it’s just the intensity of the time of semester or some deeper reason why you currently hate studying law. I have times when I feel like I am getting nowhere at law school, but ultimately I know it is what I want to be doing and I am happy doing it. Sometimes a few changes to your weekly routine is all it takes to help you to reclaim your law school mojo.

You may find you don’t actually need or want to quit studying law, but you just need to take some time off. That’s okay. I know plenty of people who have deferred part way through study to go travelling, work in bars, or do any random thing that you can think of. If that’s what you want – do it!

If you really truly are throwing every law textbook you pick up across the room, then maybe, like me, you need to think about making a change.

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