Posted on 05/26/2008 11:26:28 AM PDT by carton253
LOL!
a glimps of the job market http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=paralegal&l=
After a career in the construction trades one of my friends became a paralegal. He parleyed his construction experience into a job at one of the areas premier law firms dealing in construction defect litigation.
He was brilliant at what he did - setting the foundation for the attorney’s victory in court. But he quickly burned out. He didn’t have to fetch coffee, but he resented the attorneys taking credit for his work. He also despised the fact that he was better versed at both the law and the industry than his employers but would still get lectured like a layman.
He finally gave up and went back to the trades. I guess you have to have the proper temperament for it.
I’m not in the legal area but I do some career advising. One concern is that, given your level of education, you may be bored in this type of job. However, some here indicate that the responsibilities/activities can vary. I’ve found that job shadowing can be very helpful. This isn’t the same as an internship or practicum, rather it simply involves watching someone who does the job of interest. Most of the time you can find employers who will do this. Of course, confidentiality issues can limit it somewhat. Do you have your master’s in history? Have you considered teaching at a community college or even getting a doctorate and pursuing your passion of studying the civil war?
Oops - forgot to mention that career tests that compare your characteristics with the characteristics of those who like and do well in the job of interest can be very helpful, too.
Oops - forgot to mention that career tests that compare your characteristics with the characteristics of those who like and do well in the job of interest can be very helpful, too.
Boredom is a main concern of mine. In fact, as an administrative assistant was bored to tears. I was hoping a paralegal was more than the "fetch the coffee" jobs I have had in the past.
I don't know what I want to do. That's the problem. I have a degree with no future... and my only skills are in the administrative assistant field.
Anyone who has a master’s in history has skills! You are able to do research, write, analyze, etc. These are all skills! I do fear that you might be bored in a paralegal job so you are wise to investigate it before “jumping in”. As far as pursuing history - not getting in a graduate program is pretty common. In fact, I didn’t get in the first time I applied. I ended up at another university and I think I did better than I would have at the first one. There are many reasons why someone might not get in - competition, not having professors available to help in your particular area of research, etc. You might want to see if they can tell you why you didn’t get in and what you can do to improve your chances. Also, if you can move, apply at schools outside of your state/region. If you rule this out (i.e., history) then you might want to see a career counselor and take the tests. The tests analyze both interests and abilities and match them with careers. There may be some you haven’t even considered.
I will take all that you said under advisement and see a counselor to see what careers are available to me. Thank you... and you have freepmail.
It’s very boring and repetitive, mostly reading legal documents and making casefile folders out of them. Still, it’s a job and you can work for the State and retire after a long, boring career.
No boredom when I worked many years in the legal field.
here in San Diego with the County Attys.
I worked on major homicide cases, a few were made into movies along with others on constant national TV news.
Also child abuse cases, and other major type cases.
Usually worked 9 hrs.+ a day and often on a weekend.
It is more than what has been stated.
Thank you - and I supported Duncan Hunter, too.
Maybe. I've seen plenty of that in big firms, but in small firms you have the chance to do more substantive work. I used to hire paralegals for big firm work, and yeah, at least for paralegal temps, there was a lot of paper pushing.
Also, law is one of those fields in which older people with real world smarts can thrive. No reason not to go to law school just because you're older. Just don't incur a lot of debt to do so.
radiohead, lapsed lawyer
The field of law is quite stressful, depending upon who you’re working for and if they’re the type to leave everything to the last minute.
It can’t hurt to take the paralegal course, you don’t have to do it forever, if at all. But I second the freepers who say to go to law school if you can swing it. A paralegal often is used by the law firm as an unlicensed attorney. So why not skip the grunt work and make the big bucks?
As far as the interest factor of the job, it all depends on the firm and what kind of law they practice. You’ll have to move around until you find something you like.
A paralegal is a step below a good legal secretary and they make less than a legal secretary.
If you’re a people person it’s probably not the job for you. Paralegals spend a lot of time doing research slumped over the computer, dictating pleadings. The ones I’ve been around always seemed depressed.
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