Is Paralegal a good job?
I'm a freshman in community college just taking gen. ed. because I don't know what I want to do yet. I'm looking at getting an Associate Degree of Paralegal studies. I think that law is very interesting and I really like that it will only be about 2 years of schooling and cost about $10,000 to get this degree. Also, according to many articles online, a job as a paralegal pays about $50k a year.
However, after doing a little research online it seems that a lot of people are complaining that it is really hard to land a good job right out of school with this degree. Lots of people complain that they either can't find a job or they can only find ones that pay like $10/hr. I have read that to get a job as a Paralegal you're better off with a Bachelor's degree in something like Political Science than an actual Associate's in Paralegal studies. Is this true?
What would be the best route to get one of those sweet $50k/year jobs as a Paralegal?
Here are some of the articles I have read that have intrigued me:
http://education.yahoo.net/articles/well-paying_ca... (Career #2)
Comments
Take a look at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm for a description of paralegal educational requirements, job outlook, etc (from the US Dept of Labor). Also take a look at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes232011.htm to see average paralegal wages broken down by location - they vary significantly.
Give yourself a leg up when the time comes for job hunting by doing some footwork in advance. Talk to the local bar association about potential employers in your area; find out what their hiring preferences are. Find out if there are there any areas of specialization that are especially marketable in your area - immigration, bankruptcy, medical, or family law (or some other)?
As Mrs. Mesh suggested, use your school's resources to enlarge your networking efforts by talking to your professors, counselors, and helpful alumni - use their professional networks to help establish your own network. Ask them about any internship program they know of or any contacts within the industry they can suggest.
You have to *talk* to potential employers, not just sent resumes to post office boxes you find in the newspaper or anonymous forms you find online. Begin making contacts among hospitals, major manufacturers, law firms, governmental agencies, unions, etc - anyone likely to have a legal department. Volunteer at legal clinics, offer to help law firms with pro-bono work - do whatever you can to get actual face time with attorneys.
Good luck with it.
Yes becoming a paralegal is a great job. In fact, the bureau of labor statistics expect there to be a 28% increase in paralegal careers by 2018 so you're picking a good industry. I would suggest getting a paralegal degree because that will help you get the skills you need to move forward.
If this is something you like to do, then go for it. $50K is the average, so don't expect those types of salaries at first. Paralegals help lawyers do their job by conducting the research and running errands. You can work for a corporation, like IBM's legal department; a law firm; the legal department in government or schools (including colleges). It's hard landing any job right out of school with this economy. Just use your school counselor and their office to research jobs in your area. You may not get the one you want at first, but it could be a good stepping job. Also, you could try for a company that pays for employees to go back to school for advanced degrees in their work field.
No two paralegal positions are alike in any way, shape, or form. First of all, your tasks will greatly vary with the type of law your supervising attorney practices. That will dictate whether your job will be more clerical. It also depends on what size firm you work in. In a smaller firm, you will be expected to multi-task more. In a larger firm, your duties will be narrowed and more defined.