I have completely wasted my degree

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Feel I can't admit this to anyone else it's just something that has bothered me on and off for years. Need to get it off my chest to see if anyone else has a similar experience or advice.
Basically I have a law degree from a very good university I graduated more than 10 years ago now. Most of my uni friends went on to law college and are now solicitors/barristers. I don't keep in contact as I'm too ashamed. I never even went for a graduate job. I am not a confident person at all. I am academically clever and did really well at Alevel law so I just did it as a degree because it just seemed to make sense at the time. I was really shy but kept telling myself I would become more confident as I got older. It obviously never happened if anything I became even less confident as I was on a course with 200 other very confident clever students who would effectively be my competition.
I have a job that is reasonably ok paid and I like the company. I now have two children and the company have up to now allowed me to do part time. DH often reminds me that if I had become a solicitor I might never have met him and I certainly wouldn't be working part time and being with the children as much (for me this would have been a big issue).
I just feel I have completely wasted a fantastic degree. When I left uni I felt lost as I didn't know job besides lawyer a law degree could get me. I still don't to be honest. At the moment I feel there isn't much I can do about it as I want to be home with my children.
Sorry I have rambled on. I just wondered if anyone else has a similar experience. Also if anyone has a law degree but hasn't become a lawyer what have you done?

What positive experiences did you have in your 20s instead of becoming a lawyer? I think you need to focus on that, and on the positives you have now. If you feel underchallenged in your career, why not take a course?

I'm sure some law graduates will be along with their experiences and better advice.

I have never used my degree, but I dont regret it. I'm really glad that I didnt have a high powered job and was able to spend time at home with my kids when they were little. But then I was lucky and went to uni in the days before tuition fees. If I had graduated with lots of debt I might have been more ambitious. I think previous poster is right you need to focus on the positive things you have gained like more time with your kids.

I don't think you've wasted anything. And why should you be ashamed? You did a degree, but the profession wasn't for you. More people ought to have the confidence and good sense to admit that. And what's wrong with wanting to be home with your children or working part time for a company you like?

Could well be there are people you knew who've gone on to be hot shot lawyers, who are now agonising about changing careers, or wondering if it's all worth it, or whatever - they might be envying you. Not saying that to imply I think there's any right or wrong career decision here, just to say that I think it's a shame if you feel unable to keep up with old friends on the assumption they'd look down on you. I hope they wouldn't, and if they did, they don't deserve to know you.

I have never used my degree... I work as a TA in a special school! Never had much ambition ( I was quite 'clever' for what it's worth but never wanted a high flying career)

Had four children and my job allowed me to be there for them..they are now in their 20s, two of whom ARE in respectable medical professions... and they all say they are glad I was there for them growing up... oddly enough, especially in the teen years, when they seem independent but the emotional crises just keep on coming.

Sometimes I get itchy to go and do something new, but realistically I can't afford to retrain (and I'm 52 so getting on a bit though I don't feel it)
so I stay with what I know I'm at least competent at!

How is it a waste? Yes you're not using it now but if you're still in your early thirties (assuming) you've probably got at least another thirty years of work left! There's a lot of opportunity to get another job in that time, and even if it isn't law related lots of jobs specify a degree now, and a law one from a good university will always look good.

I am sure there are statistics that show a high number of students who study law don't go into traditionally law related jobs, but believe it's accepted to be a course that teaches a lot of transferable skills.

I mean I did an english degree which has been completely useless to me in all my subsequent jobs so

Does this help?

I did a tourism degree but I'm quite senior in construction. Not a compete waste because a degree is a degree but I haven't applied any learning to my career.

Oh that's weird, I could have written the first half of your post! I really enjoyed the degree and so based on that alone I don't think it was a waste. It also looks great on the CV and gives lots of transferable skills. I didn't want to go into law because I looked at all the magic circle type firms and worried there'd be no work life balance. I work in an unrelated field now, self employed so with flexible working too. I also volunteer for citizens advice which helps scratch any law itches. I'm so glad I didn't become a solicitor!

I could have written your post. I even did a Masters in Law but decided a career as a lawyer was not for me. I work in insurance and it's served me well so far. I'm home for the children and can pretty much set my own hours. It's not a waste of a degree, just an alternative career path.

So what? Many people have degrees they never 'used'. Most general subjects do not naturally lead to jobs.

However, the skills you gain from studying for degrees may have helped in you getting on the career path you have.

I think you need to stop thinking about this - I graduated 6 years ago and did an additional course after it at a cost of £5k because the degree wasn't enough. I did get a job from this, but I'm now in a different industry I didn't need this course for. But I see it as, all our paths have led to the path we are on right now - everything helped build this. Don't beat yourself up.

In a very, very, very similar situation to you OP. Studied law, did extremely well and now don't use my degree at all. I actually wondered for a moment when I started to read your post if this was an old thread I wrote myself under a different name. Also feel very down about it sometimes but I know I am a really sensitive person and would have struggled with corporate life. I actually started out in a 'high flying' career after graduating and was miserable and left. Did something else for a few years and for various reasons, started back in another high flying job in same industry (not legal but sort of related l) . Again, I was miserable with the stress, long hours, harsh management and constant pressure. Just wasn't for me. Now I'm in a job which is way below my ability level ( I really was a high flyer at school and uni) but pays well enough for what I do - mainly due to the type of organisation it is and the value they place on staff. Have lots of time for my child and have a lot of flexibility if illness or something comes up. Sometimes I feel down when I think of what I could have achieved and feel a bit embarrassed at what I'm doing in comparison to peers. Then I imagine myself working all the hours God sends, being stressed all the time and my child in constant childcare while I work. I know I would not be happy like that either. I'm not sure everyone working in a legal job is particularly happy. Yes, it has status and money. However, the working hours and pressure can be horrendous. I do think about perhaps retraining one day. Have thought about teaching and have had outlandish ideas of learning to code :-) You are lucky to have a supportive partner and time to see your kids. Don't feel bad about yourself. I would love to have a partner who had the depth of character to talk to about these issues but in addition to my doubts on my job, have serious doubts about my partner. It sounds like you have built a good family life and have found a great balance in life with work and kids. Would you really be happier overall if you had "used" your degree?

I've got a degree in marine biology and work in construction project management. Plenty of people don't use their degree in their field.

Your h or partner sounds like the issue dragging you down.

Name-changed for this because it might be outing, but I am in a very very similar position to you, OP. I did a law degree, did well at university and worked as a solicitor for a while after graduating. Due to circumstances beyond my control I wasn't able to continue in the role and since then I've never again worked in the legal profession. I too am embarrassed to see friends and ex-colleagues because at one time I had planned on being a barrister, and now I have a very generic, perfectly average job. It's not what I'd expected for myself at all so I completely understand the disappointment you feel. But I truly believe things happen for a reason. Maybe being a solicitor would not have been a good option anyway. It's no use living in regret and I think the best thing is to focus on making the best of the career you have now, even if it's not in law.

I think also because law is a career path with a fair amount of social prestige attached to it, it can be disheartening to compare your career to that of solicitors. I know I look from the outside at my friends who stayed in the legal profession and feel pangs of envy. But realistically, it's not always the most exciting job and the corporate law side of things was definitely not for me. If it was something you were genuinely passionate about you probably would've found a way to make it happen - I know for me it's less about a passion for law than about a sense of having 'failed' because I'm not a solicitor, so I find this helps to keep things in perspective.

Thank you everyone your comments have really helped. I think I need to change my mindset. I did a lot of travelling in my 20's which I highly doubt I would have been able to do if I was in some high powered job. I think having children has made me question myself as I just want the best for them. But at the same time I bet if I was in a full time demanding legal role I would probably be on here writing about how guilty I feel that I don't spend enough time with them.
I think when they are a little older I will start looking at increasing my hours and hopefully possible career progression. I do like the company I work for and hope to stay with them.

I didn't do law but a social sciences degree and then masters and I too feel that I wasted my degree. I didn't really know what I wanted to do and had good qualifications but no experience so couldn't even get an entry level job. I just bumbled round doing minimum wage because I didn't have the confidence to figure out what I wanted to do and how to do it. I know work in a university but it's taken me ages to work my way up to a managerial position which even then is a junior role. To be honest most of it has been my own fault because of a lack of ambition and confidence.

@Crinkle77 I think I am the same to me it is completely down to a lack of confidence. As I have got older I have realised the difference between me and people in more 'successful jobs' is simply confidence. I often look at the job criteria and say I can't/haven't done that so don't apply. To me more confidant people won't necessarily lie but are able to apply their skills to that job somehow. I also think people's first impressions of me are that I am shy/quiet. This is definitely something I need to work on.

Op don’t be too hard on yourself.

To be a solicitor it’s a long hard arduous road. After graduating you need to do your lpc (or other route) which is one year full time or two years part time, and then you need to get a training contract, which are like rocking horse shit, and do two years across four different seats before you can qualify and practice. So it’s six or seven arduous years of training Because you’re even allowed to practice by the law society..

To do that you need to really want it. And you need a lot of determination and stamina. Most people who do law degrees do not end up as solicitors or barristers. And many wh do end up in high street firms earning a very small amount of money for many years.

Having a law degree is a huge achievement. It’s not an easy degree to get. It does not sound that then after graduating spending rhe next three or four years qualifying to practice law would have been something you enjoyed or wished to do. Law is a great general degree also.

You’ve picked the life you wanted, don’t look back with rose tinted glasses. The road not chosen does not seem like it would have been right for you personally.

You had a lucky escape! Every day in every way I pat myself on the back for not sticking with the becoming a solicitor! My life is much better because of this (and it sounds as if yours is too).

Not law but otherwise similar. Also went to a good uni, trained as an accountant at a big 5 firm, then moved into corporate finance at an investment bank which I really enjoyed.

Had my first child at 30 and went back part time for a few years (and had a second child). Eventually (and with some guilt..) stopped the part-time work which was very flexible but not client-facing so quite boring in comparison to my old role.

Two of my uni friends have now made it to partner at their firms which is a great achievement. Sometimes I feel a pang of nostalgia at what I could perhaps have achieved in my work life if I hadn't stayed at home with the kids.

But then again, the hours in corporate finance were awful, I know I'm lucky to be able to spend time with my kids and my accountancy qualification at least proves useful for certifying my friends' passport applications!

Hi OP I’m sorry you feel like this. I would agree with others - what were the positive things you’ve experienced over the past 10 years? If there were aspects of your studies that you enjoyed, how/ when would you like them to be a part of your life now? (or not!).