I need unbiased advice on possibly choosing a job

Question

Help! :) Long story short....been temping for several years, now looking to get back in the workforce. I have a BA and several years of great experience. But, there are few jobs near me and most are not paying well at all. So, I did a lot of thinking and decided to go back to school. After MUCH research, I chose a paralegal program, which I am set to start in Sept. I know that the paralegal jobs here want experience more than anything, so I have been looking into entry-level law jobs so that I can work while going to school.

I have been looking into other jobs, specifically gov't. ones that provide job security and benefits. They are so hard to find here. On a whim, I sent a resume in for one and had an interview yesterday. It went very well. Now, I know that I may not be chosen, as I am competing with 14 other people. Sigh....the only part that I do no like is that this job is a bit of a drive, but the salary is excellent, so that will make it worthwhile.

The other day, I had a law firm interview. It was ok, the attorney was nice, but they are having trouble keeping staff. I think their Office Manager is mean. This would be ideal for me to go to while in school, if I could handle the meanie, which I think I could. It is a nice drive and a nice area of law. They are now calling my references, and I think I have a good shot. It pays very low, but the experience is so worth it for the paralegal course.

So, what if I am offered BOTH? I can dream, right? Unless something really bizarre happened, the gov't. job would be lifetime. It has a pension and benefits. It would probably take me a few years after school to reach this salary if I chose the paralegal route, but the para route has potential for more money. Money is NOT my main goal, but I have to live and my state is very expensive to live in. Obviously, I don't know what my future for a paralegal would be at all....

What do you think? If offered both, what to do? If I get the gov't. job, I cannot go to the school.

THANKS!

Answer 1

From my experience of looking for a legal job go with the law one! They are so hard to come by and i mean very very very hard that if offered it would almost be a crime to reject it! Then you would have the experience you need and the qualification and off you go. I unfortunately have been searching for a year and still no hope for legal experience for me!

Answer 2

Mmmm . . . go for the money or go for the security . . . the age old question. For starters, government jobs aren't all they're cracked up to be. It is heavy in red tape (no surprise there) and it can be extremely difficult to get promoted, Government jobs do offer good benefits, sometimes one of which is paying for your education. If you really don't like the work, though, a long commute and a job you dislike can make for a pretty miserable existence. On the other hand, I'd be very concerned about a company who can't keep help. I made that mistake myself a long time ago. It was a job in my field, I needed the work and it seemed like a good opportunity. Within a week (no kidding!) I knew I needed to find another job.

Ultimately, you need to think long term. If you can get by on a bit less money, try to take a job in your potential field. You may find that you absolutely hate working at a law firm and being a paralegal isn't your thing. That would be a painful, but valuable, lesson learned.

Tough decision-good luck!