Today I will be discussing how to balance out law school and work. Many law schools do not allow law students to work their first year of law school or only permit law students to work part-time. This leads me to my question: how are law students expected to make a living? Student loans? Working secretly? Help from family or parents? Unfortunately, everyone situation is different. But if becoming a lawyer is all you have ever dreamed of and you a genuine about perfecting your craft in practicing law the rest of your life, then balancing out law school and work will be worthwhile. Finding balance in our life is what helps us grow and helps us have a clear mind to avoid becoming overwhelmed with life's endeavors.
Schedule Your Law Classes Carefully:
Law school courses are filled with assigned readings and studying. It's a good idea to first find balance by taking some difficult courses mixed in with some electives that don't require as much work as the required courses do. Don't carry more than the can handle by attempting to take all your rigorous courses all at once. This can affect your grades and be extremely overwhelming. As if, law school isn't already overwhelming enough, group your courses together. This means, try to schedule your courses either all during the morning or all courses taken in the evening. Having some courses in the morning and some in the afternoon does not allow any free time in between. If you're a student taking all morning classes, you will have the entire afternoon/evening to study and finish assigned readings and go to work. If you have night classes, you have the entire day before class to get any final readings in or have the opportunity to stay up late the night before studying and can work evenings. This will allow you to get a fair amount of time in your day to be productive and not have many stops and go in between such as waiting for your next class that has a 3-hour gap, for example.
Pick Classes That Interest You:
You've probably heard it a million times, but law school is anything but easy, but it is not impossible to overcome. The least you can do for yourself while being in law school for 3 years is to take courses that interest you. If you have had a particular area of law that you have already planned to practice after graduating, take the courses that relate to that area of law and expand your knowledge. Being able to take courses you genuinely find interest in is important because not only does this benefit you in the long run and enhance your experience during law school, but it makes law school a more enjoyable experience to gain knowledge that you know will not go to waste. Also, this will better your chances in having more interest to complete coursework you know will benefit you when you start practicing that area of law.
Communicate With Work:
If you have an upcoming test, study group meetings, or meetings with your law professors, please let your work know in advance. Be considerate and don't put your co-workers in a bind and catch them off guard by not showing up to work because of school. Hopefully, the job you have through out law school is already understanding that school is a priority, but you must also under that balancing both school and work is important and part of adulthood. Plan for anytime you need off in advance to prevent any miscommunication or issues. When you're able to communicate with your co-workers and manager, it shows that you are responsible and a good worker. If you're handling school and work, that already says you are dedicated, but remember communication in key in and out of work and school.
Don't Make Excuses:
Working during law school will be hectic and you may have days where you feel like giving up. If you ever do feel like giving up, please remind yourself why you started. As a student in undergrad school, you are familiar with deadlines. Your law professor isn't going to feel bad for you because you were working late and didn't get to read the assigned case. Your boss at your job won't feel bad for you if you're falling asleep at work because you were up studying late. This is why balancing out school and work is important. Excuses will only allow you to fail. Only you can make excuses and excuses only hold you back from living to your full potential. You should know that before you committed to law school, that it was going to be an intense 3 years, but it is what you make it. Be consistent, stay dedicated, and remember that your hard work will payoff in the long-run. Carefully manage your time and make sure to also throw in some "me time" to take care of your well-being. Everything will fall into place and everything will be fine, I promise.
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