Completing a law degree takes a lot of work. After getting an undergraduate degree, you then have to go on to carry out further studies. You spend a lot of time and money gaining your qualifications, and probably extra time doing internships too. When you’ve finally finished, you need to decide what you’re going to do for the rest of your life. It’s time to start your career and put your degree to work. But what if you’re unsure about what to do? Maybe you’re not even sure if you want to be an attorney. Here are some careers to consider to put your qualifications to good use.
Be a Lawyer
If you’re having doubts about working in law, you should think about what options you have before you decide to do something different. There are many paths that you can take if you want to be an attorney. Of course, you have likely already given this a lot of thought, but even if you’ve been concentrating on one path, there are always ways to change your mind. You can work in criminal or civil law, and there are lots of specialties within those two broad categories. Think about what you really want from your career and how you want to make a difference.
Go Into Politics
Politics is a popular path for people with qualifications in law. Some people, like Senator Mike Crapo, choose to practice law before going into politics. However, you might choose to consider a political career instead of going into law. If you’re passionate about making a change in the world, politics could work out for you. Your legal knowledge can be useful, especially as you will likely have learned a lot about the government and the political side of the law. Law and politics are intertwined, so it makes sense as a career path to consider.
Become a Teacher
Working in education could be an interesting career path for someone with knowledge of the law. You could teach at a college level, but it’s worth considering whether you might like teaching high school students too. Classes like government, civics, criminal justice and others related to law or politics could be interesting for you. In some places, you might be required to have an education degree, but there are many states where it’s not necessary. Check the rules where you live or perhaps even consider going elsewhere.
Work in Banking
A career in finance is another possibility. Your knowledge of the law can certainly come in handy if you choose to work as a banker. There are varying roles that you can explore within banking, such as financial management and investment banking, so there are plenty of opportunities to use your legal knowledge in different ways. A lot of rules govern how you deal with people’s money legally and ethically, so a legal mind can be very beneficial.
Practicing law is one option if you have a law degree, but it’s not the only thing that you can do. There are other careers available where your knowledge will be useful.