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Debt Vs income vs age? Jitters or reality?


Lulu_spector

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Lulu_spector
  • Law School Admit

I am in need of wisdom. Life wisdom and financial wisdom. Before I uproot my baby and husband to the Downtown Toronto life.. I would appreciate some insight.

Does it mathematically make sense to pursue law at 40? I’m either having last minute jitters, or because I want to be smart about this decision I am seeing the reality, or it’s fear of the unknown? 😬🥴

Law school: starting at 40 years old

tuition: $30,000 a year 

rent in Toronto: anywhere between $2500-$3400 a month 😩 

line of credit: about $140K with a grace period of 12-24 months 

osap: undergrad + law school 

By the end I assume I’ll owe around $200,000 and possibly more depending on if osap covers tuition and if the interest rates get higher? 

If I can’t work 100 hour weeks, the most I could make would be around $70k or about 6 figures I assume in the family law, legal aid, advocacy, litigation arena (areas I’m considering). So.. I would be pay-check to pay-check. So.. I won’t be able to get a house still.. and I’ll still be poor? 😂 

I’m not sure if I’m getting scared or if this is a realistic and reasonable thought process. 
 

If it’s going to take 20 years to pay it off, then I’ll be 60 and retired by the time I pay it off 😂 I’m not sure if this makes sense. I’m doing this because I love the law but I also want to have the opportunity to get ahead in life 🤔 But if I’m still only “surviving” even as a lawyer then why would I do this? It would only be more extreme debt and surviving and struggling?  
 

I am having a major existential moment with this and would appreciate a reality check and for someone to be real and raw and alpha with me about this 😆 🫣

Edited by Lulu_spector
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I think I responded to you elsewhere that you should minimize debt by not going to a Toronto school. I maintain that view. With those debt levels, you will either have (i) a very challenging repayment schedule or (ii) a job in a field you may not particularly want.

Lowering tuition and rent payments while you’re in school is the most effective way to keep law school debt down. You’re going to one of the most expensive law schools in Canada in one of the most expensive Canadian cities. You’re not minimizing debt. You are maximizing debt. 

If you’re serious about keeping costs down, you should wait and reapply this cycle, so that you can go somewhere more affordable. 

Edited by realpseudonym
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Turtles
  • Law Student

If I was you, I would first figure out exactly what you want to practice and ascertain whether you'd really be happy doing it (in light of the subject matter, day to day lifestyle, and compensation) before making such a big committment given your current situation. While the mantra is usually "you'll figure out your interests in law school, you won't really know beforehand so don't worry too much", when you have existing debt, family responsibilities, and less time before retirement (~25 years vs 40+ years that the 25 year old and under applicants benefit from) then you can't really afford uncertainty and don't have the benefit of being able to fail and simply trying something new.

You've effectively asked if it's a wise financial decision to attend one of the most expensive law schools in the country to pursue one of the lowest paying legal roles in the country. And be careful not to assume low pay means fewer hours per week, these roles can require extensive time committments because of lack of funding to afford enough staff.

From an economics perspective, you should either re-evaluate which law school to attend, so as to minimize costs, or which area to get into, so as to maximize salary while retaining enough interest so you can work in the field for 25 years. If you really decide you can't change either variable, i.e., that any change would make it infeasible or unattractive due to your circumstances or a lack of interest, then clearly the whole law school move will just not work out.

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Lulu_spector
  • Law School Admit
44 minutes ago, realpseudonym said:

I think I responded to you elsewhere that you should minimize debt by not going to a Toronto school. I maintain that view. With those debt levels, you will either have (i) a very challenging repayment schedule or (ii) a job in a field you may not particularly want.

Lowering tuition and rent payments while you’re in school is the most effective way to keep law school debt down. You’re going to one of the most expensive law schools in Canada in one of the most expensive Canadian cities. You’re not minimizing debt. You are maximizing debt. 

If you’re serious about keeping costs down, you should wait and reapply this cycle, so that you can go somewhere more affordable. 

Being 40, it feels like “now or never”, especially with regards to windows of opportunity for work, health, family expansion. Also, where is a cheap school in Ontario? The only reasonably priced school is in Quebec (McGill), but one needs to speak and write French. You’re absolutely right though, but where is the other option that is worth the sacrifices? 

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Going to law school was probably the best decision I've made in my life. I wasn't 40 (I was 27), and it was cheaper back then, but the opportunities it opened to me were immense.

That won't work for everyone, of course, and with much cheaper rent and tuition in the mid 2000s the decision was easier.

Even people on Bay St don't work 100 hour weeks. I used to work around 50-60 in most weeks, and survived for five years.

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Lulu_spector
  • Law School Admit
1 hour ago, KOMODO said:

Sometimes when we ask questions in the "life advice" category, we're really just asking for encouragement or someone to vent with, and not actual advice. I would hazard a guess that's the case here. If so, I think it would be much more productive for you to have those conversations with your friends and family.

I answered this question in a lot of detail in March by PM, when I said I did not think this was (or is) a good financial idea / I wouldn't do it. However, I think you've already made the decision, and because you feel so strongly that it's the right call despite various indicators to the contrary, you will probably have regrets if you change course now based on the opinions of strangers.

Hello and thank you for sharing your opinion here. I have appreciated your insight via pm and here now. Nevertheless, you’re perception of what I’m truly asking aka the subtext is wrong. Here’s why:

1) The reality, which I think many here don’t understand, or if they do understand they aren’t giving it deep consideration, is that as a first generation law student with an immigrant background bla bla bla sob story after another, the decision becomes much heavier because the sob stories behind me make this a massive opportunity to change the story and change as a person for the better. The ultimate personal development and rocky story win.
 

2) Also, when someone is in poverty in some ways more than others, the decision becomes a massive opportunity to get OUT of poverty. So, for some people it’s “oh cool I got into law school”, whereas for me it’s “HOLY SMOKES I GOT IN!!!!” — it’s a very intense opportunity to walk away from without 5600 ideas of analysis.
 

3) Asking family and friends for me is usually about the “fantasy” side of law, such as but not limited to, “you’d be awesome in the court! You can dream at any age! You can make so much money in law”. I don’t have anyone who’s actually grasping what law is, or the financial risk VS the very, albeit consistent, little reward since I’m starting late. No one around me has moved to a city with a baby at 40 to start a new path 😂 everyone around me have houses and vacations and did all this in their 20’s and prospered financially because they were smarter faster and younger. So for them it’s like an adventure for me, “wow living in Toronto that’s exciting!”
 

Therefore, even if I come here asking this in different ways to strangers, it’s worth it, and even if it’s redundant, or annoying to read, or seems useless, to me who feels isolated and alone having to make this decision without tactical reasoning beside me, I NEED to discuss this with you all because you’ve been there & done that.

Even if I know the answer, which is obviously that it’s way too expensive to do this and thus not financially smart, I have worked soooo hard to get here and walking away for someone like me is frightening. 

So, maybe I just need you or other seasoned men or women or whomever to remind me over and over again of the rational side of things. It’s ok to do that, because it’s helping. I do it with people and their problems “No Susan, don’t date a drunk for the 689th time”.

 

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Patient0L
  • Law Student

 

1 hour ago, Lulu_spector said:

Being 40, it feels like “now or never”, especially with regards to windows of opportunity for work, health, family expansion.


It's interesting that everyone's version of "it's now or never" or "I'm not getting any younger"  (ie, age panic) is completely different. I see 27 year olds on reddit making this argument a lot. You are by far not the oldest person to go to law school nor the oldest prospective law school student on this forum. Note: It can be a teeny bit irk-some for us older folk to hear that we've officially passed "never."

The only thing I think that might be an issue with age is if you are a uterus-having person (and not in a relationship with a younger uterus-having person) and want kids, I would get on this today. However, there are also other ways to obtain children without bearing them yourself.

8 hours ago, Lulu_spector said:

I am having a major existential moment with this and would appreciate a reality check and for someone to be real and raw and alpha with me about this 😆 🫣

This happens to the best of us, hence the term "mid life crisis."

If you add up all the math, on face value you could make the case that debt will destroy your life... but being in a shitty career that you hate for the next 25 years, also seems like a good way to destroy your life.

So... it's up to you, but you could also think about for awhile, and decide to go back to school at 45, and it wouldn't be the end of the world.

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Rusty Iron Ring
  • Lawyer
3 minutes ago, Lulu_spector said:

So, maybe I just need you or other seasoned men or women or whomever to remind me over and over again of the rational side of things. It’s ok to do that, because it’s helping. I do it with people and their problems “no Susan, don’t date a drunk for the 689 time”.

 

A legal career can be incredibly rewarding, or it can be soul crushing, depending what you like and where you wind up. But regrets are soul crushing always.  If you think you're going to spend the rest of your life regretting not going, then go. There are harder ways to live than paying off debts on a lawyer's salary. 

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OntheVerge
  • Lawyer

Another thing to think about is, how much is the regret going to "cost" if you don't go? Say you decide it's not the right financial decision and don't go. Are you going to spend the rest of your life regretting that? Is it going to haunt you and make you bitter? I know a few people - all older - who have told me they regret not pursuing law when they were younger and making the safer choice (whether that parameter of safety is safer financially, safer as in job security, safer as in a shorter path to making money out of school, etc. or all of the above). There's no way of knowing if it would have worked out as well as they imagine, but they regret not trying. And in one case, is very, very bitter about it.

So I would weigh the cost of potential lifelong regret to your decision, as well. If you're the person who won't regret deciding against it, and won't think twice, then you don't need to weigh it as heavily. But it should factor into your consideration if you think you're going to be on your deathbed regretting that you didn't try to make it work. 

@Rusty Iron Ring I didn't see your post until after I posted mine but looks like we had the same thought - great minds, etc.

Edited by OntheVerge
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Rusty Iron Ring
  • Lawyer
1 hour ago, Lulu_spector said:

1) The reality, which I think many here don’t understand, or if they do understand they aren’t giving it deep consideration, is that as a first generation law student with an immigrant background bla bla bla sob story after another, the decision becomes much heavier because the sob stories behind me make this a massive opportunity to change the story and change as a person for the better. The ultimate personal development and rocky story win.

Also, careful about assumptions.  For all you know, many others here are (or were) first generation law students with an immigrant background etc.

Edited by Rusty Iron Ring
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bocuma
  • Law Student
2 hours ago, Lulu_spector said:

Being 40, it feels like “now or never”, especially with regards to windows of opportunity for work, health, family expansion. Also, where is a cheap school in Ontario? The only reasonably priced school is in Quebec (McGill), but one needs to speak and write French. You’re absolutely right though, but where is the other option that is worth the sacrifices? 

USask tuition and fees are about $20k per year. Dalhousie is like $20k as well. UNB is $14k (not to mention what you'd be saving on rent...). Alberta is $15k. UVic is like $12k.

Tbh I think a lot of younger students have the same concerns as you, and simply choose not to apply anywhere in Ontario because the tuition fees are ridiculous. It's not like there aren't law schools outside of Ontario that are worth applying to. That said, the older you get the more of a pain it is to move around a bunch or uproot your life to relocate for school. I have no idea if you have a family, partner, etc., so perhaps other provinces aren't realistic.

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2 hours ago, Lulu_spector said:

Being 40, it feels like “now or never”, especially with regards to windows of opportunity for work, health, family expansion. Also, where is a cheap school in Ontario? The only reasonably priced school is in Quebec (McGill), but one needs to speak and write French. You’re absolutely right though, but where is the other option that is worth the sacrifices? 

UNB, Manitoba, Uvic, and UBC are the most reasonably priced schools outside of Quebec. Uvic and UBC are difficult to get into, but Manitoba and UNB are not. There are lots of reasons not to do this. It may not be viable, in terms of admissions, personal circumstances, preference, family, etc. It’s also true you would lose a year of earnings and work experience. But there are much cheaper schools in Canada.

Based upon your posts, you seem pretty committed to going to law school. In the long run, it’s probably still possible to come out with an okay financial return on the loan. It’s not unrealistic to expect to earn into the six figures after 5-10 years of call, even in a lower earning field. That leaves you with a few high earning years left to save and invest. I’m assuming your alternative career options at this point aren’t great, so at least you’re not giving up a high earning alternative.

My concern at that debt level is the first five years. After the grace period expires, you’re looking at minimum payments of what? $2,000 per month, once you count interest and payments on the principal? Once you count in childcare, housing etc., you’re probably looking at needing to take home like $6000 per month to make ends meet, while paying the minimum on your debt. Which is doable. But the majority of articling and junior associate jobs will still leave you with a degree of financial precariousness, if you’re servicing $150,000 plus in student loans while supporting a family.

My advice remains to wait and go somewhere cheaper. Knocking the debt down by the $60,000+ you’d save by going to one of the cheapest schools would be huge. Even at one of the slightly less expensive schools, you’re still saving, what, $20,000 over the course of the degree? Those kinds of savings will give you a much greater degree of career flexibility. Even as a mature student, I would trade a year for tens of thousands less in debt.

 

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KOMODO
  • Lawyer
34 minutes ago, Lulu_spector said:

...

Even if I know the answer, which is obviously that it’s way too expensive to do this and thus not financially smart, I have worked soooo hard to get here and walking away for someone like me is frightening. 
...

This is all I'm saying with my previous post. I think you know, and I would agree, that objectively the path you are describing is unlikely to benefit you financially, and/or you're likely to make a lot of personal sacrifices for a minor payoff. To put it simply, it's more likely to be a bad decision than a good one. I think many of us have said as much over the last few months. You can ask the same question as many times as you like, and if you ask enough people, eventually someone will give you the answer you really want. To me, that's what this seems like - not a real request for advice. But if I'm wrong on that, then my advice is still that this is objectively unlikely to be a good decision.

Now despite all of that advice, you still want to try. You want to take a shot and see if you can beat the odds to somehow make the numbers work long term, or you just care so much about being able to say that you're a lawyer that you're willing to make major financial and personal sacrifices for that label. That's okay too. We all make decisions based on emotion, and sometimes we get lucky and they work out better than we would have expected. As I mentioned and as several others have said too, you are likely to have regrets if you change your mind now, precisely because you have these strong feelings about what it means to attend law school or be a lawyer. But if that's the case, just be honest with yourself about it - you're hoping for an unlikely outcome, or you're willing to make major sacrifices so that others have a certain opinion of you.

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Conge
  • Lawyer

Personally, I don't think you should do it. I don't think it make financial sense, even if you do go to a cheaper school. 

Also, a cost you aren't considering is opportunity cost: how much are you making now per year, and how long will it take you get back up to that salary in law? That potentially large sum should be added to the total cost. 

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LMP
  • Law Student

Everyone has made really excellent points, echoing them in detail would contribute little. 

But I would like to add that you should be cautious of a phonmenon I've noticed during my brief time in law school / work. 

What people envision the practice of law to be is often tremendously dissimilar to the actual practice of law. 

This is especially true at the start of one's career (again, I don't want to speak out of turn, this is simply my observation). Servicing a hefty debt while doing what you love is one thing. But will you be happy if you're being crushed by the money you owe while you do doc review or file your 300th copy pasted Wagg motion? 

Obviously deffer to those who are more experienced than me, but also take the time, if you haven't already, to think about what practice might look like and if you believe you would like it. 

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CleanHands
  • Lawyer
2 minutes ago, KOMODO said:

minor payoff

2 minutes ago, KOMODO said:

We all make decisions based on emotion

3 minutes ago, KOMODO said:

willing to make major sacrifices so that others have a certain opinion of you.

I believe you've given realistic advice on the financial side of things and I don't quarrel with any of that.

With that said, for many people, the decision to go to law school isn't a purely financial one. Nor is prioritizing non-economic over economic factors necessarily an "emotional" decision (one could argue that prioritizing pursuing material wealth/comfort beyond necessity and security is an emotional decision), or is social status the only non-economic reason to pursue this path.

It's hard to put a price on being able to do meaningful and interesting work, with autonomy to make decisions (even very important ones), that gives you a reason to get up in the morning and the ability to achieve self-actualization. Assuming that law offers this and one's alternative career options do not. We spend around half our waking hours working and we only get one life, so it should matter to us what we do in that time.

This is easy for me to write because I have never had dependents to worry about. But the question isn't (or shouldn't be) just whether this is an economically ideal decision but whether it's doable and worth it when factoring in non-economic factors. This should probably have been delineated more clearly because non-economic factors obviously matter to the OP and they are obviously willing to make some degree of financial sacrifice to that end.

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Just now, CleanHands said:

I believe you've given realistic advice on the financial side of things and I don't quarrel with any of that.

With that said, for many people, the decision to go to law school isn't a purely financial one. Nor is prioritizing non-economic over economic factors necessarily an "emotional" decision (one could argue that prioritizing pursuing material wealth/comfort beyond necessity and security is an emotional decision), or is social status the only non-economic reason to pursue this path.

It's hard to put a price on being able to do meaningful and interesting work, with autonomy to make decisions (even very important ones), that gives you a reason to get up in the morning and the ability to achieve self-actualization. Assuming that law offers this and one's alternative career options do not. We spend around half our waking hours working and we only get one life, so it should matter to us what we do in that time.

This is easy for me to write because I have never had dependents to worry about. But the question isn't (or shouldn't be) just whether this is an economically ideal decision but whether it's doable and worth it when factoring in non-economic factors. This should probably have been delineated more clearly because non-economic factors obviously matter to the OP and they are obviously willing to make some degree of financial sacrifice to that end.

I am also sympathetic to the non-financial reasons for going. Which is why my advice isn’t not to go, even though going doesn’t make much financial sense. 

The only thing I’d add is that I can see how OP’s background is a compelling reason to go. I am normally pretty dismissive to appeals to prestige or status in the profession. But I can understand how the social capital afforded to lawyers would be valuable to a former sex worker and person of colour. If you’ve been stigmatized for most of your life, I think it makes sense to want to attain a degree of status and power. Lawyer jokes aside, lawyers do command respect. Where that respect has probably been withheld due to race, gender, and occupation, I tend to side with OP here. Changing their story is perfectly legitimate reason to pursue law school. 

The question to me is how to make it work financially. As per my earlier posts, I’m not sure the current plan is adequate, where there’s a minor dependent in the picture. 

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It also depends on your current career path. Even if you just make it a financial decision, getting a job that pays you $100K when you're up to speed could make up the difference pretty quickly, depending on what you currently earn.

And after graduating, you still have 20 years of work, which is a long time. You are nowhere close to being too old for a change to be worth it, if it will make you happier in the long run.

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GoBigOrGoHome
  • Law Student

I think you know it is a bad idea. 

As others have said, you are choosing the most expensive law school in the country in one of the most expensive cities in the country for what essentially amounts to ego and insecurity. 

And I am going to be honest, I am making essentially the same mistake as you are right now. 

If I had the confidence I would have changed my path in the public sector and become a product manager in tech years ago. If I was smart, I would do that right now because it is never too late. If I was willing to give up the sense of security that Vancouver gives me and the ranking of UBC, I would choose UVIC in a heartbeat (I would probably do better there).

I am not young either and this is a huge financial cost. People remind me of the opportunity cost every day. I make above the median Canadian income. 

I know law school is a bad idea. Hell I have learned that I could make over 100k with a 1 month course as a crane operator. There is so much demand in Vancouver and a shortage. Incould then use my free time to engage in the things that bring meaning to my life - which realistically I won't be able to do when I become a lawyer unless I practice in those areas. 

So why am I making this mistake and don't listen to my gut and everyone else? 

Because this is something that has been on my to-do list for the past 7+ years. The pain of not knowing what could have been is too much. I also get annoyed when people listen to lawyers at work who don't specialize in that area of law and I am a known expert in that area. If I had the title, as sad as it is, people would actually take my advice of how what to consider. 

In the end it's a vanity project. 

My therapist reminded me that I can quit after the first year, and she asked me if I believed that. I know in theory I can quit but I know I won't. 

I know I am relegating myself to a period of time in big law to pay off debts, I will hate my life, and my relationships will suffer. On the flip side, that doesn't have to be for very long. I have the prior experience that I can very quickly leave to become a director in the public service and maybe even ED. But the shifty thing is that I could be doing this right now as well. I don't need to go to law school to do it. 

You are going to make the same mistake that I am. It will either turn out fine or you will live with the consequences. You need to know already that your marriage is going to be impacted and your time with your kids. You need to do really well. You have more pressure than the average person. They won't see you as often as they would like and you would like. 

You need to start applying for bursaries and scholarships like it is your second full time job. If you think I am joking I am not. Start putting in your law school hours now after work trying to get money. 

It is a bad idea but the thing is that living with the idea of not knowing what if would eat at you more. So do what you can to lessen the negative financial impact. 

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1 minute ago, GoBigOrGoHome said:

I know I am relegating myself to a period of time in big law to pay off debts, I will hate my life, and my relationships will suffer. On the flip side, that doesn't have to be for very long. I have the prior experience that I can very quickly leave to become a director in the public service and maybe even ED. But the shifty thing is that I could be doing this right now as well. I don't need to go to law school to do it. 

Where is this idea coming from that a few years in a big law firm means you will hate your life? I did my five years, and it wasn't for me long term, but I didn't hate my life while doing it. In fact, I had a great life. The work was interesting, I liked my colleagues, and the pay was substantial. Obviously it had its downsides, which are much discussed around here, but every job has its downsides.

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CleanHands
  • Lawyer
19 minutes ago, LMP said:

But I would like to add that you should be cautious of a phonmenon I've noticed during my brief time in law school / work. 

What people envision the practice of law to be is often tremendously dissimilar to the actual practice of law. 

This is especially true at the start of one's career (again, I don't want to speak out of turn, this is simply my observation). Servicing a hefty debt while doing what you love is one thing. But will you be happy if you're being crushed by the money you owe while you do doc review or file your 300th copy pasted Wagg motion? 

Obviously deffer to those who are more experienced than me, but also take the time, if you haven't already, to think about what practice might look like and if you believe you would like it. 

Rather than being disappointed with practice being more humdrum than anticipated, the biggest surprise to everyone I know in crim law has been how much responsibility they have been entrusted with, so early on.

I can honestly say that my expectations were tempered by my experiences in the workforce before law school, I expected to have to do a lot of putting in my dues, but the opportunities I was provided and the timeline under which I was provided them significantly exceeded my expectations.

The phenomenon you allude to happens a lot. But that's mostly because tons of law students say they want to pursue "international human rights law" only to then take a job with Blakes at the first opportunity when OCIs roll around.

4 minutes ago, GoBigOrGoHome said:

I know I am relegating myself to a period of time in big law to pay off debts, I will hate my life, and my relationships will suffer.

Well what do you know; I got ninja'd by someone illustrating my point.

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1 minute ago, CleanHands said:

I can honestly say that my expectations were tempered by my experiences in the workforce before law school, I expected to have to do a lot of putting in my dues, but the opportunities I was provided and the timeline under which I was provided them significantly exceeded my expectations.

This is key. I didn't have a tonne of work experience. But I've spent enough time in retail, agriculture, general labour, and construction to know that as a stressful as law can be, the working conditions are pretty good. I am safe. I'm not ruining my body. And if a client yells at me, I can tell them, in the politest possible terms, to get lost. 

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KOMODO
  • Lawyer
6 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

I believe you've given realistic advice on the financial side of things and I don't quarrel with any of that.

With that said, for many people, the decision to go to law school isn't a purely financial one. Nor is prioritizing non-economic over economic factors necessarily an "emotional" decision (one could argue that prioritizing pursuing material wealth/comfort beyond necessity and security is an emotional decision), or is social status the only non-economic reason to pursue this path.

It's hard to put a price on being able to do meaningful and interesting work, with autonomy to make decisions (even very important ones), that gives you a reason to get up in the morning and the ability to achieve self-actualization. Assuming that law offers this and one's alternative career options do not. We spend around half our waking hours working and we only get one life, so it should matter to us what we do in that time.

This is easy for me to write because I have never had dependents to worry about. But the question isn't (or shouldn't be) just whether this is an economically ideal decision but whether it's doable and worth it when factoring in non-economic factors. This should probably have been delineated more clearly because non-economic factors obviously matter to the OP and they are obviously willing to make some degree of financial sacrifice to that end. (emphasis added)

I think we mostly agree. I don't mean emotional as in flighty or impulsive, I mean emotional as in coming from the heart, a non-financial decision. Totally agree that most people who go to law school don't go purely because of financial incentives.

But in response to the bolded text, I read OP's question as asking primarily about the financial implications (she asks if it "mathematically makes sense"), and secondarily about the life implications caused by financial stress (won't be able to buy a house, concerned about hours, etc.). Given her inputs (40yo mom of an infant, may want more kids, attendance will be in Toronto, already has debt and expects to graduate $200k under water, aiming to work in a lower paying field of law), from a financial point of view and based on the sacrifices she will probably need to make to service the debt, my answer to her question is that it does not make financial sense. 

I also would not personally make this choice even once non-financial matters are factored in, given the OP's inputs. It's a hard road to go through law school and start lawyering with little ones, as a mature student, and given other life pressures. But I'm not OP, and I think she will probably do it regardless, because of what the title/achievement mean to her and the people close to her. And that is totally okay too, but it doesn't change my advice. 

16 minutes ago, realpseudonym said:

... But I can understand how the social capital afforded to lawyers would be valuable to a former sex worker and person of colour...

Just for the record I think you may be thinking of a different poster, @Glamurosa

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1 minute ago, KOMODO said:

Just for the record I think you may be thinking of a different poster, @Glamurosa

I am! That's my bad. I don't know why I confused the two. 

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