Career crisis

[Embers70]

I'm in my late twenties and have recently graduated with a first in Law from a top UK University (this has increased my own and my family's expectations of what I'm going to do with it). I've been offered a training contract to train as a Solicitor (doing the LPC part-time whilst doing the TC).

I enjoyed the degree but AIBU to not want to become a Solicitor or a Barrister? I have spent the last 12 months working for a legal firm and found the work very dull and don't want to spend my life doing this (when the highlight of your day is making tea and watering the plants - it's time to leave isn't it?).

Has anyone changed career at this stage or later in life and had success? Also, has anyone used their degree for a different purpose other than what would be normally expected?

More specifically, are there any lawyers out there who have any advice?

All I get from friends and family is that it would be a waste to not carry out the rest of my legal training. I worry that I spent three years studying something that I might not directly use in a job.

Would you move into corporate law for a finance company or something?

Are you based in London?

jobs.legal500.com/jobs/banking-finance/

The above for example? Over a 100 jobs there in Financial Services. Financial Services in the city are usually a very sociable bunch too.

I always imagined law to be a good career choice because there is law affecting every aspect of our lives - so if you are interested in, say, music then there will be opportunities to work in law relating to music. Or animals. Or the environment etc etc.

I also always imagined that lawyers had to serve their time to get into the interesting/rewarding stuff.

so maybe persevere, if you can, and seek out a legal niche that turns you on

There are tons of options for you outside law - I'd recommend making an appointment with your former university's careers service to find more that might suit you.

If it's the area that you're working in, that's one thing - but if (as I found) you wanted to be actually doing and making things Vs being more of an enabler, then there can be better options.

Don't get stuck now!

Do you think there is any kind of law you would be interested in? I’m a lawyer and can safely say I’m never bored at work. It may just be finding the right field for you. If that’s the case, you should stick it out til you’re qualified and then find the field that suits you.

If, however, law overall is absolutely not for you there are still loads of things your degree could lead to. How about HR / insurance (i.e. claims handling, loss adjusting or underwriting) / civil service / HMRC / almost any grad scheme.

You’ve proved you’re bright and hard working - the world is pretty much your oyster!

If you are making tea and watering plants as part of your training contract you are at the wrong firm! Your experience ias not typical of life as a solicitor! You must know that.

That said if you don't want to be a sokicitor you don't have to be. There are all sorts of graduate programmes out there.

I did similar have a Scots law degree ended up getting a 2:1 when I didn’t think I would. Worked in law firms but decided law wasn’t for me.

What I found was law was a good degree to have for really any job. I worked in a student union for a couple of years until I decided what I wanted to do.

Then I applied for a “business/non stem” graduate scheme at a nuclear plant and now I’m a nuclear safety writer. Something I would have never got without my law degree as it shows off that I’m fairly intelligent and I can learn.

So I would personally say take a year to work somewhere until you decide what you want to do. There’s no harm. Your law degree will still be there and clearly you’re a smart cookie that TCs will snap you up.

Good luck!

Thank you for the replies. Yes I do feel that I'm at the wrong firm and that I'm 'wasting' what I've worked so hard for as I'm utterly bored.

Reassuring to hear that others have done interesting things with their law degree.

Unfortunately I'm very far from London and I don't think I particularly want to move there (property prices and commute etc). The difficulty is that where I am from, the majority of legal work is very run of the mill -conveyancing, wills etc type stuff which I really do not want to do.

I think I will have to move. I've applied for sever graduate schemes including the Civil Service but haven't passed the situational judgement tests unfortunately. My University have suggested a Masters and then possibly lecturing but that's also very competitive.

I think maybe a gap year and just allowing myself some time before rushing into something.

How about crime?

As in the law relating to, not a life of 🙈

A gap year inside? Haha, I had not considered that but it would be free board and lodgings and would definitely narrow down my career option dilemma wouldn't it.

Three of the careers advisors at my uni have a law degree

There's all sorts of stuff you can do, you'll have loads of skills and a good grade. It doesn't have to be a grad scheme. For example of you want to work in the civil service you don't have to go through fast stream, you can just apply for civil service jobs. People who do this can end up over taking fast stream applicants anyway.

What are you interested in? What do you like doing? Don't think about a connection to jobs at this stage, just write it all out: times you've been happy, things you enjoyed studying etc Are there any connections?

If you like the structure of grad schemes, how about the local government grad scheme: www.local.gov.uk/national-graduate-development-programme
Or something with a big retail place? people tend to shy away thinking it's not glamorous but they can be really interesting and well paid e.g. www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/graduates/#

Agree with pp, go to the careers service at your uni!

If we stay in the EU, maybe look abroad? The EU civil service alone employs 22,000 people in numerous fields. Do you have a second language? If you're planning on spending a year working somewhere to take advice and think about your options, could you cram in language study as well?

I work in HR pretty far from London and lots of people in my team originally qualified in law.