[fl-girl07]

Hello everyone, after careful consideration I have decided to go to college to become a paralegal. I already have my basic AA degree and will be going for my BA.
I might be moving to Jacksonville and I was considering going to UNF, but they don't have a legal studies program like I wanted.

So I've narrowed down my options for majors to:

Bachelors of Business Administration: Major - Finance, Minor: Political Science

PROS:
-Business is a versatile degree which could lead me to many potential job opportunities in the end
-If I decide to be a litigation paralegal or something of the sort, finance and money would be very helpful
CONS:
- It doesn't help with the legal aspect so when I get a job as a paralegal I'm afraid I will be lost and will deff have to be trained for everything
- I think I would be kind of bored learning about business and I don't want to end up being a manager or stuck in some kind of head retail position if paralegal work doesn't work out

OR

Major - Political science, Minor - Business Administration.

PROS:
- Politics somewhat interests me so I don't think I'd be too bored learning
- It kind of helps with a basic understanding of law issues
- The business as a minor could get me a job in finance somewhere if paralegal work didn't work out
CONS:
- The major itself I heard is not worth much and if paralegal work doesn't work out then I'm afraid it will be hard to find another job (VERY important to me)
- I don't want to work for campaigns or things like that if I end up having to

I understand that they're basically the same thing, but if I'm going to spend a majority of my time focused on my major I want it to be something that's helpful in the end.
PLEASE ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!

[CrowGirl]

I'm an attorney and honestly, if you don't have a specific paralegal degree or certificate it wouldn't matter to me looking at the resume what your major was. I think a BA is helpful, but just because it can show your ability to learn and do critical thinking. I don't think either a business administration major or a political science major does anything to particularly prepare you for paralegal work. I don't mean to discourage you; quite the opposite. You don't NEED a paralegal certificate to work as a paralegal in Florida and I have worked with a number of paralegals who worked their way into the job by doing more administrative jobs and showing an aptitude for the types of work paralegals do. To me a paralegal has to be smart, very detail oriented, have the ability to think logically, be comfortable working with a variety of people (clients, board members, witnesses, executives, etc.) and be good at research. My advice would be if you don't have access to an actual paralegal course pick a major that interests you or that may prepare you for careers other than paralegal if you aren't able to find a paralegal position.

Have you done much research on what the job of paralegal entails?

[fl-girl07]

Well the political science major has a concentration in public law, if that makes any difference? Although I understand it wouldn't help much. My hope is to get an internship or entry level job while I'm in college so that I can work my way up to a higher position and eventually as a paralegal, but I know that could be hard to do and takes time.

If I don't move to Jacksonville and attend UNF, I was going to go to UCF which has a legal studies program. I would think that this would be a good major for that kind of work; do you agree?

I have done a lot of research and I think that it's a good fit for me. I love to research, write, and am a perfectionist so everything I do is detailed and thorough. I don't want to have a job where everyday is the same, so I think that working on different cases and problems would be interesting to me. Is there any advice that you could give me about the possible cons of the job?

[markbrockman]

Edited to add: I realize that I sound like I'm persuading you away from your choices in majors, and I kinda am. I just worry that you'll be disappointed with what will happen after graduation. On to what I originally wrote, which sounds odd and negative to me.

In my experience, what makes a good job is the quality of people you work with. If your office has a pleasant feel, things are pleasant. If the majority of people are bitter and negative, that's going to weigh on you.

Accounting is safe. You might be shocked at what a BA in Business will get you, or Political science. And they aren't basically the same thing.

As for not wanting "every day to be the same," you will not get daring bold adventures. You will do the same thing over and over, whether that cycle repeats in days or months.

You may also want to consider the job market. I hopped on the "There aren't enough chemical engineers" bandwagon we had in the early 1990s. By the time I got out of school, the market was flooded. I have a recession proof, layoff proof govt job. And it took me quite a while to be happy with it. But I got out of an office with negative people and now work with a few pretty cool guys.

Check job listings (ignoring any job placement companies) to see what is really out there. That said, and very significant, the market is dynamic and things can change rapidly. For example, there still seems to be hype regarding pharmacy jobs. They might be there now (I think that market is already flooded) but the glut is coming.

I sound negative, but I am saying that a pleasant office, regardless of what you do, is a lot better than getting a degree you think might be a challenge daily. And I've never heard of such a job. Even paramedics and bounty hunters (both considered to be action jobs) get bored and stuck in a rut at times.

If you know even one paralegal, talk to them.

[CrowGirl]

I'm not very familiar with legal studies programs so I don't know how applicable they may be to paralegal work. It certainly sounds like a possibility but it also sounds like it may be a program geared toward law enforcement. You'd have to get details from the program itself regarding the careers it is geared toward.

An internship would definitely be great if you could get it, not only for building your resume but also to help determine whether paralegal work is what you really want. As the previous poster advised if you know any paralegals definitely talk to them. Research is great but it's nothing like a first hand impression.

The types of work paralegal do varies wildly. I am more familiar with corporate paralegals, who do a lot of license and other regulatory filings, keep records regarding equity awards, handle stock transactions for private companies, prepare diligence, etc. I am less familiar with the work of paralegals in other areas of the law like litigation, real estate, probate, intellectual property, family law, etc. From what I know the job is pretty different not only depending on which of these areas the paralegal works but also the setting or firm for which he or she works. Regardless of the setting I think there is a lot of repetition in it. I think that's inevitable in any job, but it's definitely true of paralegals. Law in general (including for lawyers) is pretty repetitive. That's part of where the expertise comes from - having handled a similar situation several times previously. There are small differences and nuances generally; that is why detail orientation is important. Those nuances are often the key to success but they are also often where the enjoyment of the job comes from.

At any rate I am glad to hear you have done some research; many people seem willing to pursue an education geared toward a particular field so I thought it was important to ask. BEst of luck whatever you decide.

[fl-girl07]

Thanks everyone for your help! I greatly appreciate it! However, after researching some more and hearing all the negative comments on paralegal forums, as well as learning that jobs are very scarce (even though I was hopeful that if I did go to school for this that I would be one of the lucky ones to land a job, I understand that it's just probably not realistic)..I've decided to venture off from this and research some other careers that would be a possible good fit for me. Hopefully I can find something that interests me and has a good future outlook.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by fl-girl07

Hello everyone, after careful consideration I have decided to go to college to become a paralegal. I already have my basic AA degree and will be going for my BA.
I might be moving to Jacksonville and I was considering going to UNF, but they don't have a legal studies program like I wanted.

So I've narrowed down my options for majors to:

Bachelors of Business Administration: Major - Finance, Minor: Political Science

PROS:
-Business is a versatile degree which could lead me to many potential job opportunities in the end
-If I decide to be a litigation paralegal or something of the sort, finance and money would be very helpful
CONS:
- It doesn't help with the legal aspect so when I get a job as a paralegal I'm afraid I will be lost and will deff have to be trained for everything
- I think I would be kind of bored learning about business and I don't want to end up being a manager or stuck in some kind of head retail position if paralegal work doesn't work out

OR

Major - Political science, Minor - Business Administration.

PROS:
- Politics somewhat interests me so I don't think I'd be too bored learning
- It kind of helps with a basic understanding of law issues
- The business as a minor could get me a job in finance somewhere if paralegal work didn't work out
CONS:
- The major itself I heard is not worth much and if paralegal work doesn't work out then I'm afraid it will be hard to find another job (VERY important to me)
- I don't want to work for campaigns or things like that if I end up having to

I understand that they're basically the same thing, but if I'm going to spend a majority of my time focused on my major I want it to be something that's helpful in the end.
PLEASE ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!

Why would you 'settle' for a degree you don't really want and that will more than likely not get you into the field you do want? Find a different school that has what you want and ASK THEM FOR THE SPECIFICS AS TO WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOAL.

[CoreLysium]

Adding to what CSD said, a specialized school that recruiters visit is probably a really good idea. Or the ability to get a co-op job. You don't get paid for an internship, but a co-op job pays AND gets you experience.