School Daze

Early B.

wingnut4772 wrote:

True. That may be too much for me when it comes down to the really guilty guys. I have an interest in protecting people against rights violations though for some reason. I guess from seeing it on the job ( not me) and harboring disdain for officers who make bad or illegal arrests. It gives the honest cops a bad rep.

Oh yeah, now we're talking!!!

Take them dirty cops down!! They're the reason many people don't trust the police.

wingnut4772

Early B. wrote:

Oh yeah, now we're talking!!!

Take them dirty cops down!! They're the reason many people don't trust the police.

Don't I know that! Hell! I don't trust them either!LOL:D

janmike

Go for it Darla. I returned to University full-time in my mid 30's and did 2 degrees back to back, still working 3 part-time jobs. I was busy and it was a struggle, but I do not regret one minute. Besides, it paid for itself in a short period of time. The end result is I now enjoy what I do and am better off financially. Good Luck!

schwarcw

Good luck Darla! I'm glad to see you go for it. Do real estate or contract law. It's a decent field and you won't have to deal with the criminal element, just the corporate sleeze.

hearingimpared

Go get 'em kid! Good luck. My wife just finished 5 years of nursing school to get her R.N and was paid to go to school by all kinds of grants and scholarships, they are out there to be had by those who seek them. . . .it seems to be the most rewarding thing she has done in her life.

I've been toying with thoughts of going back to school . . . I've been out since 1975 and even though I made lots of cabbage, I always hated the work. I would like to get my BA in maybe the culinary arts just to accomplish the degree.

Knock em dead!

schwarcw

hearingimpared wrote:

I would like to get my BA in maybe the culinary arts just to accomplish the degree.

You cook bro?

Carl

hearingimpared

schwarcw wrote:

You cook bro?

Carl

Big time!!! My Italian Mother started me cooking when I was five years old.

hearingimpared

Carl, when I had my audio business back in the late 80 -early 90, my brother and I had decided to open a restaurant so I got a job as a cook along with the audio business and my regular job at SMS. I became the souse chef there for two years and loved it. I had quit my regular job and worked at the restaurant until my brother and I decided against opening one of our own.

That's enough here, don't want to hijack the thread.

disneyjoe7

Darla, Follow your heart and go for it. Do what you enjoy for a living, the money will follow.

wingnut4772

I just took my Spanish CLEP test and passed! YAY 6 college credits for me for $75.00.

disneyjoe7

Passed Spanish...

Hmmm I thinking living in Miami had something to do with that.

Congrats.

zombie boy 2000

Congrats Darla!

Just keep in mind that becoming an attorney isn't necessarily a ticket to diamonds and riches. My wife passed the Bar, practiced law for two years within a small firm and could barely make two ends meet. Now she works for the Federal Gov...

Sounds like you're in it for the right reasons though.. i.e. your passion for the field and not the money (though I'm sure you'll become filthy, stinking rich anyway.. so please disregard my rambling:D )

wingnut4772

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Passed Spanish...

Hmmm I thinking living in Miami had something to do with that.

Congrats.

Definitely! Deja me ver tu licencia por favor!:D

wingnut4772

zombie boy 2000 wrote:

Congrats Darla!

Just keep in mind that becoming an attorney isn't necessarily a ticket to diamonds and riches. My wife passed the Bar, practiced law for two years within a small firm and could barely make two ends meet. Now she works for the Federal Gov...

Sounds like you're in it for the right reasons though.. i.e. your passion for the field and not the money (though I'm sure you'll become filthy, stinking rich anyway.. so please disregard my rambling:D )

I would be lying if I said I did not want to make tons of dough. I have heard that from a lot of people actually....that many law graduates are not really making bank. What gives there?

Ricardo

wingnut4772 wrote:

I just took my Spanish CLEP test and passed! YAY 6 college credits for me for $75.00.

Felicitaciones!!!!!!

zombie boy 2000

I think it really comes down to whether or not you can get connected to a large firm... in which case, be prepared to work some of the most hellacious hours on the planet.
Once you become established, break away and do your own thing and still make bank.

However, starting off at a small-firm can be difficult financially. Only so much of the pie to go around, and if you're low person on the totem pole, be prepared to fight, scratch, and claw for your share.

wingnut4772

Is your wife happy with the money she makes now with the Gov?

zombie boy 2000

Unbelievably happy... as am I:D
The prestige was halved, but the money doubled. Go figure.

If you can get in with the Federal Gov with a law degree under your belt, you should skyrocket. You might have to swallow your pride for a year or two while people you graduated with ask you to perfrom menial tasks... but it's all temporary. I couldn't be more proud of my gal:)

BaggedLancer

wingnut4772 wrote:

Oh yes. $390 a credit !:eek: My job pays 1/2 but I am done upgrading for a while. I will have to figure out how to pay for law school in two years or so but I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

I am at a little over $1100 a credit, yes thats correct, a SINGLE credit. I have zero financial aid. It doesn't hurt right now but it surely will when I graduate and the loans need to be paid :mad: :eek:

Right now I'm playing the work and save(sometimes ) game. I have a little under a year to go for my Bachelors in Business Administration.....can't wait to get out and get a permanent job.

Anyway, good luck with the classes, criminal law classes are always interesting from what I hear.

cfrizz

Hi Darla, ZB is correct. If you work for a big firm, you will most probably make good money but not the kind of money that partners get. But you will almost have no life!

If you decide to work for the goverment, you will take a huge paycut, but you will most likely have a life. Mind you what you will be making with the goverment will not be chump change, you will be doing a lot better than most who don't have a law degree!

wingnut4772

zombie boy 2000 wrote:

Unbelievably happy... as am I:D
The prestige was halved, but the money doubled. Go figure.

If you can get in with the Federal Gov with a law degree under your belt, you should skyrocket. You might have to swallow your pride for a year or two while people you graduated with ask you to perfrom menial tasks... but it's all temporary. I couldn't be more proud of my gal:)

Thanks. I was thinking of staying on the Dep't and just going to the Legal Bureau also as an officer. That would be a schweet gig and maybe the best of both worlds with my retirement. I guess as I learn more I will figure it out. The problem is that right now I make in the area of 70 to 80K and I want to do better.

wingnut4772

BaggedLancer wrote:

I am at a little over $1100 a credit, yes thats correct, a SINGLE credit. I have zero financial aid. It doesn't hurt right now but it surely will when I graduate and the loans need to be paid :mad: :eek:

Right now I'm playing the work and save(sometimes ) game. I have a little under a year to go for my Bachelors in Business Administration.....can't wait to get out and get a permanent job.

Anyway, good luck with the classes, criminal law classes are always interesting from what I hear.

Geez! Where are you going to school?!:eek: :eek:

zombie boy 2000

... and don't forget -- with the USGov, the raises keep coming and coming and coming so chump change turns into posh living over time...

Just an option. You have years to decide. Congrats again!!

BaggedLancer

wingnut4772 wrote:

Geez! Where are you going to school?!:eek: :eek:

www.neu.edu

wingnut4772

I think that's where my roommate went. Pretty pricey but I bet it will be worth it.

jdhdiggs

And the gov offers their employees kick **** retirement programs...

One other thought, do some research as to where you want to work and ask them specifically what degrees and coursework focus' that they are looking for so you can be more marketable to the companies you want to work for. 70-80K is nothing to sneeze at. I hope you can make at least that much starting out, might be tight.

BaggedLancer

wingnut4772 wrote:

I think that's where my roommate went. Pretty pricey but I bet it will be worth it.

Yep there co-op program is #1 in the country. You get the experience for your resume + the money + the networking to land you a big job right out of school.

Early B.

wingnut4772 wrote:

I would be lying if I said I did not want to make tons of dough. I have heard that from a lot of people actually....that many law graduates are not really making bank. What gives there?

Supply and demand. There are too many lawyers in America, so many of them don't make very much money unless they have connections or graduate at the top of their class. Your situation is probably a bit different because you already have extensive experience in law enforcement.

BTW Wing -- what does the Legal Bureau do? Thanks.

wingnut4772

jdhdiggs wrote:

And the gov offers their employees kick **** retirement programs...

One other thought, do some research as to where you want to work and ask them specifically what degrees and coursework focus' that they are looking for so you can be more marketable to the companies you want to work for. 70-80K is nothing to sneeze at. I hope you can make at least that much starting out, might be tight.

No. I am not sneezing but that is with OT and having to shoot people for a living which I would rather not do anymore.

PhantomOG

when I graduated in 2001 my tuition for the year was ~$25,000 :eek:

I'll be paying student loans for a long long time