I’m sure by now you’ve heard the news that Law is the new Arts. As Law students we are all doomed to walk the Earth aimlessly with our useless degrees. Surely we didn’t really think we were going to be lawyers, right? At this point it seems best not to leave the house, unless you want to be subjected to some sort of public humiliation.
What’s worse about this whole situation is that we are actually helping those pesky Arts students; “thank goodness they’ve drawn attention away from my degree,” they’re saying.
The increasing amount of students choosing to study law and enter the legal field is creating an oversupply of graduates. This is where the negativity surrounding a degree in law is stemming, however, what if by some crazy chance it was not the end of the world to be a law student?
So what! Too frequently is it pointed out that many law students have accepted that they will not work in the legal field when this was their very intention once embarking upon their degree. In recent years it has been suggested that 70% of graduates work in the legal field upon graduation. Fewer graduates are gaining legal positions, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be in the majority that still do.
In reality, the odds may be stacked against you, but rather than tell yourself that you're not going to join the legal profession, ask yourself "Why can't it be me?"
Forget the condescending tone of all the thinkpieces suggesting law is the new ‘generalist degree’. A degree in law provides skills for fields other than law, and for those that change their mind or don’t want to practice, there are other options. Regardless, law degrees shouldn't be seen as devalued for their ‘generalist’ application. No matter how you slice it, a law degree is a law degree.
Above all it is important to be proud of your achievements at present and for what you hope to achieve in future. If you let the unnecessary negativity surrounding law cloud your judgment then your future success will only be stolen by someone else. At the risk of sounding like your mother, don’t compare yourself to others, because as Taytay says, ‘haters gonna hate’. Merely seek to go about your degree how you want, enjoy it, learn from it, have fun and you’ll get to where you need to go.
If you do find yourself letting the negativity surrounding studying law get to you, just remember that in the end there will always being students succeeding, so why can’t it be you? Interested in wellbeing for law students? Register your attendance now for the 2016 National Wellness for Law Forum! Registration is free and you can attend by clicking here.
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