Should I pay 27,000 in student loans to become a legal secretary?
Asked by Monique
I currently work as a machine operator and hate my job. The company I work for offers many benefits: 401K, health benefits, and an ESOP program. I currently make 37,000 a year. Is it worth a hefty student loan amount to make less or about the same as I make now? Should I just stick with my current job because of the great benefits? PLEASE HELP!!!!!! Thank you!

Best Answer:
Paying for a job decrease does not make sense. 27K? Law School at a state U is about that. I recommend the Book, Discover What You're Best At by Linda Gale for ideas. You want a job, great, keep looking. In this economy you have a well paying position. Factory jobs have half that pay with no benefits. I would get educated now and plan to make a jump when things get better
20 Years Business
Answered by Richard Z

No! And besides, that amount is WAY too expensive. It sounds like you are getting scammed. Be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first. Reminder: We are in a World-wide Recession. Consider career paths that have available JOBS.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Warning> Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This is just not a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many reasons. We now have computers. So, many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet. Also, there are a lot of companies out there making very efficient legal software for the field of Law. Today's graduating lawyers tend to be very computer savvy, so they just do the work themselves to save themselves the cost of overhead. Also, the "Public" buys this legal software in order to get legal work done without the cost of an Attorney. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals - we have an absolute glut!! ("Legal Professionals" includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc) There are no jobs in this vocational field. My family, coworkers, friends, acqaintances, etc. are being laid off left and right in this vocational field. Regarding being a Legal Secretay: Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law today want employees with Bachelors degrees from traditional colleges/universities. Those "certificates" you see advertised aren't worth the paper they are printed on - they are generally scams. (I found this out the hard way.) Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $150,000+. Be prepared to take on a LOT of debt.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Even if you finish law school, you won't be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking, many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work "down" as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <<this would be your competition. And the competition is fierce!! Now... the law schools know this, but they won't tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just saturated with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will lie to you. The root of the problem is we have too many law schools. We are in a recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival - they will tell students anything to get to the students' money. (Which is why they won't tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates.............Remember: law schools are BUSINESSES - their top concern is making money for themselves. If you don't believe me, then just do a SEARCH here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law. Call some local law firms - ask to speak to the Manager of Human Resources - ask them if they are hiring; ask them what they think about job availability in the field of Law.................. In the book "So You Want to be a Lawyer?" by Marianne Calabrese and Susanne Calabrese (ISBN 0-88391-136-1): "The United States has more lawyers than any other country in the world. About 38,000 students graduate >each year< from the 200+ law schools in the United States. The competition is very keen for jobs and clients." - Even Associate Justice Antonin Scalia (who served on the U.s. Supreme Court for more than 20 years) says there are too many lawyers. (9/14/2008) Check out these websites: http://informeddecisionmaking.blogspot.com http://calicocat.com/2004/08/law-school-big-lie.html http://abajournal.com/news/triplt_bad_news_for_law_students_three_firms_aX_summer_associate_programs/ http://abajournal.com/news/as_rio_tinto_saves_millions_other_corps_will_outsource_too_counsel_says/ http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/02/03/dont-try-to-dodge-the-recession-with-grad-school/ (A link to a website does not constitute endorsement.) If you want a job when you are done with your studies, consider and look into the fields of >>>Healthcare or Information Technology! I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job availability! and scholarships! Good luck. (This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.)
Answered by mailaccount63

Sound like an awful lot of money, and a decent secretary's job in most major cities will pay that amount, even without the legal aspect. If I were you, I would go to night school to study general business and office administration classes, spreading the costs out, and then look for a secretary job that matches your current pay and benefits.
Answered by Lauren F

I wouldnt
Answered by Randy M

being a secretary (legal or otherwise) doesn't require spending 27,000 in college -probably a high school diploma and a couple of courses for legal terminology or somethng you could probably get a paralegal degree for half that at community college and make a lot more money
Answered by Doctor Deth

$27,000 to become a legal secretary is a ripoff and whoever is offering that kind of worthless course has no moral conscience or center. Aside from the fact that the employment market for legal services is bad, there is nothing vital you can learn from a "legal secretary" program that you can't learn by going to your community center to become proficient in professional office software such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook), Adobe software, etc. If you want to switch jobs I recommend you learn a trade, something that cannot be outsourced overseas, such as carpentry, plumbing, HVAC etc. or city job supported covered by a labor union, like a police officer, fireman or teacher. The former allows you to work your way up to a good living standard and the possibility to be your own boss while the latter offers you strong health and retirement benefits.
Answered by happypitbull

No. You can become a legal secretary for absolutely nothing. A legal secretary does not necessarily need any degrees, licenses or certifications. Spending that much money to be a secretary would be a total waste. Besides, jobs in the legal field are extremely hard to find now. Even though you hate it, in this economy you should stick to what you're doing. The field of law may seem fascinating or glamorous to you but it really isn't. It's just like any other job after a while, a grind....And, truthfully, legal secretaries, at an entry level, don't make sh*t for a salary but they sure do end up doing most of the lawyer's work! You're looking at the $10-$12 per hour range for pay and there are only very rarely benefits like health insurance or 401K plans. If you want to take some night courses or something to further your education, that's great but you should do some more research into what is a worthwhile career anymore before shelling out that much money. With your background as a machinist, perhaps you should look into engineering courses and the like. Update and improve the skills you already have and try to make yourself more valuable to your current employer. Maybe look in to CNC programming, something like that....
Answered by lillllbit