Why do most people advise against becoming a lawyer or going to law school?
I’m a high school senior who is preparing to major in finance and political science who wants to become a lawyer. However, most people besides the lawyers I personally know advise against it. Why do so many people advise against going into law and becoming a lawyer?
Jobadvisor
It’s a classic trope: the lawyer who tells everyone, "Don't do what I did." It’s a bit ironic to hear this while you're standing at the starting line, but there are some very grounded reasons why people—especially those outside the legal bubble—give this advice.
The legal profession often suffers from a gap between the public perception (dramatic courtroom speeches, high-stakes glamour) and the daily reality (endless document review and billing increments).
Here is a breakdown of why people are waving the "caution" flag:
1. The "Golden Handcuffs" & Debt
Law school is notoriously expensive.
The Bimodal Salary Distribution: Unlike other fields, law salaries tend to cluster at two extremes.
You either make $200k+ at a massive firm (with 80-hour weeks) or $50k–$70k in public interest or small firms. There isn't much of a "middle class" for starting lawyers.
2. The Billable Hour
In many firms, your value isn't based on how good your work is, but on how many 6-minute increments you can charge to a client.
To hit a target of 2,000 billable hours a year, you often have to actually "work" 2,500+ hours.
This turns every moment of your life—lunch, gym, family time—into "lost revenue," which can be a recipe for burnout.
3. Adversarial Nature
Most jobs involve collaboration toward a common goal. Law is often the opposite. Your job is frequently to fight someone else. * Even in "happy" law (like real estate or contracts), you are constantly looking for what could go wrong or how the other side might screw you over. Over time, this "professional pessimism" can bleed into your personal life.
4. The "Prestige Trap"
Many people go to law school because they are smart, good at arguing, and don't know what else to do with a Liberal Arts degree.
Advised peers often worry you’re chasing a title rather than the actual task.
Since you're majoring in Finance, you already have a high-earning fallback. Critics might feel you’re trading a lucrative, math-based career for a more volatile, stress-heavy legal one.
A Reality Check for Your Path
Since you are looking at a Finance and PolySci double major, you are actually in a great position. You aren't just a "poet" going to law school because you're afraid of spreadsheets. You have a quantitative background that makes you a prime candidate for Corporate Law, M&A, or Tax Law.
Note: The lawyers you know personally likely enjoy the intellectual challenge or the influence they wield, which is why they encourage you. The "naysayers" are usually reacting to the high rates of depression and substance abuse that statistically plague the profession.
Comparison: Finance vs. Law
| Feature | Finance Career | Legal Career |
| Entry Barrier | Bachelor's Degree | 3 Years of Law School + Bar Exam |
| Primary Task | Building/Analyzing | Protecting/Defending |
| Work Culture | Results-oriented | Process & Precedent-oriented |
| Risk | Market fluctuations | High burnout & high debt |
I accidentally got a master degree that turns out to be an unethical pyramid scheme, is there any career path I can pivot to?
I am currently working as a BCBA (behavior analyst), which involves making programs and interventions to support kids on the autism spectrum.
Though it sounds nice on the surface it’s a really predatory model.
The pyramid scheme is essentially that business owners and supervisors are getting paid all this money from insurance companies. Profiting off these special needs kids, billing more hours than necessary. To not even deliver good quality services, but instead delegate the service to a BT (behavior therapist) with no experience and pay them less than minimum wage. This does not happen with OT or SLP, two highly regarded fields, so why is it acceptable in ABA. Would you send your kid to a school where the teacher with the teaching license doesn’t teach?
In tandem with that ABA is very rigid, as there’s only set things insurance companies allow you to work on. For example a parent will ask me to incorporate writing skills for their kids programs. As using a pencil is difficult, and they need the extra support. Same thing with reading. Even though I think it could be a fun thing to work on, technically I’m not allowed to because it’s “too academic” and will get flagged by insurance.
Because of this stupidity, it results in kids sitting at a table all day doing DDT. Which is essentially telling a kid to point at “X” picture or “Y” picture over and over again, in the same rigid and repetitive way. It becomes unproductive after a point and leaves burnout to all parties involved.
In school they teach you that ABA is suppose to be socially significant and unique to the individual. But it in practice it’s quite actually the opposite. There’s a reason why a large part of the autism community is traumatized by the field, and I believe this is the reason why.
All that to say, I want out as I can’t enable an ineffective system that profits off of low income workers and special needs kids any longer.
Unfortunately my degree is very niche, and I have no room to pivot without possibly getting an additional degree. I’m just so lost as to what I can even do anymore.
Jobadvisor
I hear the frustration and, frankly, the moral exhaustion in your message. It takes a lot of integrity to look at a field you’ve invested years into—especially at the Master's level—and admit that the "emperor has no clothes."
The "ABA-to-Burnout" pipeline is a very real phenomenon. You’re describing a systemic issue where the clinical integrity is being suffocated by private equity and insurance billing codes. But here is the good news: You are not as trapped as you feel.
While your degree (likely in Applied Behavior Analysis or Special Ed) feels niche, your skill set is actually highly transferable. You have high-level experience in data analysis, crisis management, staff supervision, and individualised program design.
Here are a few career pivots that value your BCBA background without the "pyramid scheme" ethics.
1. Neurodiversity-Affirming Advocacy & Consulting
There is a massive movement of "Reform ABA" or entirely neuro-affirming practitioners. Instead of working for a big clinic, you can pivot to:
IEP Advocate: Help parents navigate school systems to ensure their kids get actual academic and sensory support (like the writing/reading skills you mentioned) that insurance refuses to cover.
Accessibility Consulting: Companies are desperate for people who understand how to make workplaces and public spaces neuro-inclusive.
2. Learning & Development (Corporate Training)
You’ve spent your career analyzing why humans do what they do and how to teach new skills. This is the definition of Instructional Design or L&D.
The Pivot: Instead of teaching a child to point at a picture, you are designing training modules for employees at a tech company.
Why it works: You already know how to take a complex task, break it down (task analysis), and measure the success of the training.
3. User Experience (UX) Research
UX Research is about observing human behavior to improve products.
The Connection: BCBAs are trained to be objective observers of behavior and environment.
You understand reinforcement schedules and user frustration. The Payoff: It’s a corporate role that pays well and doesn’t involve billing insurance.
4. Case Management or Program Coordination
Look into non-profits or government agencies (like the Department of Developmental Services) that focus on Quality Assurance.
The Role: You would be the one auditing those predatory clinics to ensure they are actually meeting standards, or helping families coordinate care between OTs, SLPs, and schools.
Comparison of Potential Paths
| Career Path | Primary Skill Used | Why it's "Cleaner" |
| Instructional Design | Task Analysis | Focuses on adult education, not insurance billing. |
| UX Research | Behavioral Observation | Data-driven, corporate, high autonomy. |
| IEP Advocate | Special Ed Law/Needs | You work directly for the family's best interest. |
| Project Management | Team Supervision | Managing "BTs" is just people management in disguise. |
A Note on the "Additional Degree" Fear
You likely don't need a whole new Master's. Often, a Graduate Certificate (4–6 classes) or a professional certification (like a PMP for Project Management) is enough to bridge the gap because you already have the "Master's" box checked on HR forms.
Pro Tip: When updating your resume, stop using ABA jargon. Don't say "Discrete Trial Training." Say "Implemented standardized data-collection protocols and oversaw 1:1 training delivery."
Annual salary negotiation?
I just got out of a meeting with my boss, and I didn't realize the meeting was for my company's annual performance review (thought it was just our normal standup and the performance review was next week, but it got pushed up a week). I've been with the company for 7 months, and my boss said normally they don't do this for anyone who's been working less than a year, but he wanted to give me a 10% raise. I was hired at the lower end salary wise, but my company is also really small. The issue is that I was kind of blindsided by this and wasn't sure if I was supposed to negotiate my raise or not (this is my first job), so I just said thank you and accepted it. He said multiple times during the meeting, if there's anything the company can do for you to make you more successful just let us know, so I'm not sure if he was trying to hint for me to negotiate 😠Is there anything I can do now that the meeting is over? Should I try and talk things over with him again?
For more context on my situation, this is a small startup company and my boss is the owner of the company. I answer directly to him and there are no managers. I handle projects with one of the company's biggest clients and have a very good relationship with the client; my boss has mentioned in the past that he's had a number of employees who have had issues with that client, but the client seems to love me. He even mentioned that my client's feedback of me was a large reason why he was giving me the raise. I don't have very much experience or other offers though in terms of leverage, this is my first job out of college. I like my boss and the company a lot and am very grateful to him, but I do want more money since I'd like to be at least around the average range for my salary.
Can anyone give me their thoughts on what I should have done or what I should do in the future?
For reference, I was making 70k in an entry level engineering position and will be making 77k with the raise
Jobadvisor
First of all, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself. Getting a 10% raise after only 7 months—especially when the "rule" is usually a year—is a massive win. It’s a loud, clear signal that you are high-value. Most people in their first job get a 3% "cost of living" adjustment and have to fight for it.
You didn't "fail" the meeting. You accepted a generous, unsolicited offer with grace. However, since you feel there was money left on the table (and your boss kept opening the door), here is how to handle the "aftermath" and prep for the future.
Should you go back and ask for more right now?
In this specific case: Probably not. Since this is a small startup and you already said "thank you and I accept," circling back 24 hours later to ask for more money can sometimes come across as unorganized or ungrateful in a small-team setting.
However, you can "accept" the money while "re-opening" the conversation for the near future.
The "Bridge" Strategy
Instead of asking for an extra 5% today, send a follow-up email to "solidify" the review. This keeps the door open without looking like you're backtracking.
"Hi [Boss], thanks again for the talk today. I’m really excited about the 10% increase and the positive feedback from [Client Name]. Since we’re ahead of schedule on my 1-year mark, I’d love to set a quick 15-minute sync for 5 months from now (my actual 1-year anniversary) to discuss a path toward [Target Salary, e.g., $85k] based on the continued success of the [Client] project. Does that work for you?"
Why your boss kept saying "Is there anything else?"
He likely wasn't just hinting at money. In a small startup, "success" tools are often better leverage than raw salary. If you don't want to push for more cash today, ask for non-monetary compensation that increases your future market value:
Professional Development: Ask the company to pay for a specific engineering certification or a conference.
Title Change: If you are performing above "Entry Level," ask if you can move to "Level II" or "Associate" at the 12-month mark.
Equity/Options: Since it’s a startup, you can ask about a grant of shares.
Home Office Stipend: If you work from home, ask for a one-time $1k budget to upgrade your gear.
How to handle the "Next Time" (Your 1-Year Mark)
Since you’ll be a veteran by then, here is your playbook for the future:
1. Build a "Brag Sheet"
Starting today, keep a document of every time that difficult client says "Great job." Note every deadline you hit early. When you have data, you don't have to "negotiate"—you just present the evidence.
2. Know the "Market Rate" vs. "Startup Rate"
You mentioned wanting to be at the "average range."
Market Rate: What a huge firm pays ($85k-$95k).
Startup Rate: Often lower ($70k-$80k) but with more responsibility and faster growth.
Your Leverage: You are the person the "difficult client" likes. If you leave, that client might leave. That is worth more than $7k to your boss.
3. The "Blindsided" Defense
If a boss ever surprises you with a performance review again, it is perfectly okay to say:
"I really appreciate this feedback! I want to give this the focus it deserves—can we break for 20 minutes so I can grab my notes, or can we reconvene this afternoon so I can be fully prepared to discuss my goals for the next year?"
Summary of your "Win"
Previous: $70,000
Current: $77,000 (10% increase)
Status: You are ahead of the curve. You have 5 months until your "actual" anniversary to prove you are worth $85k+.