[Op-Ed Tuesday] Grad School Musings

I have numerous reasons for attending law school. And one of those reasons, although it fluctuates in importance, is the dismal state of the job market and my lack of applicable skills to compete in said market. Hiding out in law school, as well as my master's program, and incurring a pathetically astronomical amount of debt is a great plan. I live off high interest loans, kill myself with work, and still have enough energy to enjoy happy hours with my now-employed friends. “Employed” happens to be a flexible term. This term does not have to indicate full-time salaried work with benefits. It can hourly. It can be part-time. Hell, it can be anything that gives you some sum of money for a couple hours a week of labor that utilizes nothing you learned in college. But what sets me apart from these friends, is that they have an income. They are also honing skills that will help them in the future. I, on the other hand, am embarking on another three years of learning theory, argument strategies, and a new way to write, that may or may not have a job remotely relating to the J.D. I hope to one day earn. My future scares me. As does my loan amount. But not nearly as much as the prospect of searching for a job, paying bills with the meager salary I will inevitably earn, figuring out what health insurance to purchase, learning how to save money, and essentially, becoming a real, functioning person.

These reasons lent themselves to my shock this morning when I read on the WSJ, that MBA admissions was down 10 percent this year. The article discussed how generally, in weak economics, grad admissions across the board, and especially MBA programs, see an increase in applications. And yet this time is different. This could because of decreasing opportunities for graduate school funding, the limiting and ending of subsidized loans, increasing loan interest rates, and the fact that even if you manage to get through those hurdles, having an advanced degree may not mean anything when you're applying for a job, fresh-faced with no “real-life” experience.

So I'm stuck. I'm really stuck with law school. At least I can bask in the gloriousness of over-caffeination and constant intellectual stimulation for three years and sigh at my imminent demise post-graduation. And then I'll be stuck with the real world and all it's demands. Either way, this isn't looking good to me, so I think I'll drink some over-priced almond milk and take a nap.