University Ruined My Life!

Raquela

I'm very concerned as to why your university didn't drum into you the hard work it would be to become a solicitor, and encourage you to make your vacation placement and training contract applications in second year of university instead of after you'd graduated?! And spending money on a masters is indeed fruitless unless you want to be an academic lawyer, it would be much better to spend that money on the LPC, even if only part time.

you are incorrect in stating that you can be a solicitor without doing a law degree, or at least its not as simple as that. If you do a different degree, you have to do the law conversion course (GDL or CPE) before embarking on the LPC, and that is essentially a law degree condensed in 1 year full time or 2 years full time. Yes you can get on the LPC by doing ILEX, but unless you are in a firm already, going the degree route is always going to be the best and preferred route. There is a reason why most law firms like people with 2.1s from certain universities!

I do sympathise, I'm in exactly the same position, except I now have a massive loan to pay back from a graduate loan to study the LPC, which I dropped out of because I hated it so much. You don't really need to study ILEX though, you can just paralegal, that's what I did. I was doing a lawyers job, but realised I hated it, which is why I now don't want to be a solicitor. You will earn pretty much the same whether you paralegal or do ILEX, my view is that if a firm wants you to be ILEX qualified, they will generally pay your fees to do it.

By the way, in case you feel disillusioned about the whole thing, before I realised those firms that rejected me did me a big favour, I applied for 200 training contracts over 3 years, out of that got 3 interviews/selection days. And I graduated with a 2.1 from one of the best law schools in the UK!

I don't think it's fair when people say that their degree was a waste of time because it didn't get them where they wanted to be. I could easily say the same, but I had an absolute blast at university, got to do a lot of things I never would have otherwise done, yes I came out with more debt, but it was worth every penny. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could, even to do a completely worthless masters!

PasturesNew

What happened to "Solicitors' Finals"? Years ago I know somebody did the route of: degree ... to solicitor, but they did:
- Law Degree
- Solicitors' Finals (42 separate exams in different areas of law)
- Articles
So it took 6 years (3+1+2) to become a Solicitor of the Supreme Court.

gmags

This is my first ever post on here but your post compelled me to write as I used to think like that and get very down about "wasting" ten years or so of my life by going down the university route only to be further back down the ladder than when i started! However, hindsight is a wonderful thing! You have obviously worked really hard and you have qualifications that can never be taken away from you and you should be proud of that. Your commitment to a law degree will not go unnoticed as its not an easy degree. Maybe with the recession and everything at the moment things are not too good but things are on the up and I believe in the long term you won't regret what you have done and who knows what is around the corner. I must admit I had a great time at university and made some amazing friends for life. I was very stupid with money then and even dropped out 9 weeks before my finals, (at least you actually have your degree!!) I ended up £32,000 in debt (hence the fact I have been lurking on here!). I will finally be debt free next year for the first time since I was 18 and its been a hard slog on yes, a lot lower salary than I would be on if I had taken an alternative route but looking back now coming out of the debt the people I met and the experiences I had along the way were worth every penny of debt and I have learned my lessons and will never put myself in debt again. You make decisions rightly or wrongly at the time but you can think positively and think what good things in your life might not have happened if you never went to university. An earlier poster stated that "money isn't everything" and they couldn't be more right. For the record I too work in a legal firm and I am in a position I could have been in 10 years ago but to be honest - dwelling on it won't turn back time so just take the good things from it all and there is plenty time for things to turn around for you.
Finally though i am in full agreement with you that young people should get given more options when they complete their GCSEs & A-levels rather than presuming they want to go to university. I found myself there without even thinking about it!
Hope my post isn't patronising :hello:

brokemedic

I think the problem is that there is a perception amongst some people that if you go to university, acquire the qualifications, build up your CV, then you can walk into a job but that is not the case anymore. In fact I am not sure if that was ever the case unless you attended one of the top ten unis.

With the current government encouraging students to go to university and there is only ever going to be a limited number of jobs, there is unfortunately going to be a surplus of people who are academically capable but not going to get the job of their dreams. Sorry..

I think you made a choice as well - beef up your CV, go home during hols as opposed to get a PT job. There are some students on my course (myself included) who don't go home as often as they would like because they choose to work and thereby reduce their debt level at the end of the course. Tough decision but it pays dividends. You could have made that choice as well. (I don't mean to offend you but I think there is another side to this as well).

Also isn't university more than just getting a qualification - it's the experience as well, surely??

brokemedic

payless

I got a 2.2

might this be the issue ?

PFCGino

Hi Raquela thanks for your post. I understand everything you are saying, but I have to disagree - the ILEX route is a way of qualifying as a solicitor without a law degree, and once you're in a firm it's easy to do it. That said there's nothing stopping you from studying for the ILEX without a job.

I was applying for vacation placements etc in my second year - in fact I had a few interviews but never made it - it was just too hard.

I am doing my ILEX because I really want to get qualified as quickly as possible - I even want to do some advocacy courses. I study very hard, every day practically, and it just feels like it's all gone to waste.

My Master's degree was a waste of time and money and really put me financially up **** creek. Tbh, I really should've waited but I panicked big style and enrolled literally last minute!! My time at uni was great and it's three years I enjoyed the most - met some good people and enjoyed my course and was the best three years of my life - just can't help feeling a bit like I'm on a wavelength, and Uni was the high I'm now on the low.

Hopefully my firm will accomodate my career wishes, they seem pretty up for progression, so I'll crack on, complete my ILEX in January and eventually do the LPC equivalent to become a solicitor.

Raquela

PasturesNew wrote: »

What happened to "Solicitors' Finals"? Years ago I know somebody did the route of: degree ... to solicitor, but they did:
- Law Degree
- Solicitors' Finals (42 separate exams in different areas of law)
- Articles
So it took 6 years (3+1+2) to become a Solicitor of the Supreme Court.

It's basically the same but instead its now

Law degree
LPC
Training Contract

I think it's a shame that degrees have become devalued, and ironic that it's worse at the better universities. At my university, it was largely oxbridge rejects whose mummies and daddies told them they had to go to university, and in some instances what they had to study, and it was largely 3 years spent drinking and doing little else. And a lot of times it felt like these were the ones who walked into great jobs because of mummy and daddy's contacts. I was a fair bit older than the rest, worked damn hard to get my 2.1, but felt like I was being penalised for rubbish A level grades a decade and a half earlier, and for actually having life experience when time came to apply for jobs. But as I said, university for me was more about actually being able to study for years, and get a degree, something I had wanted for its own sake since I left school. University gave me the opportunity to make lots of friends, to travel, and discover lots of new things. I also discovered that there is more to life than worrying! I think anyone who is only going to university to get a better job is doing it for the wrong reasons, because in today's market they are likely going to be disappointed.

Raquela

PFCGino wrote: »

Hi Raquela thanks for your post. I understand everything you are saying, but I have to disagree - the ILEX route is a way of qualifying as a solicitor without a law degree, and once you're in a firm it's easy to do it. That said there's nothing stopping you from studying for the ILEX without a job.

I did qualify my statement though. To qualify via ILEX without significant legal work experience and already being in a firm who is willing to train you, is a seriously risky move compared to getting a good degree and doing things that way, especially in current markets - firms want the best they can get, and have too many qualified applicants coming in through the graduate route to look at ILEX applicants.

PFCGino

Payless - I don't think the 2.2 is the issue - I think it was an issue in respect of not doing the LPC because in my view the LPC is worthless without the prospect of a training contract.

Brokemedic - thanks for your post and don't worry no offence taken. Basically yes you're right I made choices to go home etc - I started uni when I was 17, and have always been close to my family and wanted to go home in the holidays. That said, I did have work in term-time working at a football stadium, bar work, cinema to name but a few! The experience was amazing, one I'd never ever forget and one that taught me independence.

That said - it's royally screwed me up financially (especially the Masters bit) - but part of that is my fault. I'm not amazing with money anyway, but I still feel that I wouldn't be in half of the debt I'm in now if I was better advised.

The moral of my story is: check check check your options and don't jump the gun. I work hard, so hard it's unreal. I haven't had a good night out in months because I'm either skint or studying (often both), and have made so many cutbacks lately. I'm hoping that promotion is just around the corner though

PFCGino

Raquela wrote: »

I did qualify my statement though. To qualify via ILEX without significant legal work experience and already being in a firm who is willing to train you, is a seriously risky move compared to getting a good degree and doing things that way, especially in current markets - firms want the best they can get, and have too many qualified applicants coming in through the graduate route to look at ILEX applicants.

Point taken - it just highlights though what potential students have to decide. Perhaps I'm just bitter because Uni was sold to me as a step to getting the best jobs, but I'm still earning pittance as a glorified secretary lol