Need some opinions

[vin1215]

Hey guys I need some opinions about what I should do concerning an internship with disney and school.

I just interviewed for Disney Consumer Products and it looks like I will be able to land an internship with the company in California for either the spring or next summer.

I am also applying for some Professional Internships in Orlando ( Keep in mind I already live in florida)

however I have realized from this board that Disney does not pay well. My goals like everyone are to be happy and make good money. I took the LSAT this year and was also considering law school. I am a Senior in college (marketing major) so I pretty much have to decide what I want to do pretty soon and I have no clue. Disney sounds fun because I am a huge disney fan but on the other hand Law school offers more security ( please do not dispute that statement because it is true, any doctorate degree will have more job security than a undergrad business degree 9 times out of ten)....Anyways Im not here for people to tell me what to do I would like like to hear opinions on what they think would be the best course. Ultimately I will make my own decision but I like to hear other's thoughts. Pretty much it comes down to Business degree or Law School?

 

[ashliejere]

I'm in the same boat as you right now. So, I can't offer much more than support. But, the best advice I can give you is do what makes you happy. I'm sure people have offered that to you already. But, seriously it is the best thing to do. No matter what advice or opinion anyone offers to you, it has to be your choice. I could tell you to go for law school or go for business...but what you do doesn't impact my life. Whatever you chose should be for you and you alone.
I was a business major for three years and then switched to Mass Comm and English. I question if I did the right thing all the time, b/c Business offers better job security. I have even debated going to Law School (there are schools that offer M.A.'s in Mass Comm and a law degree at the same time)...b/c I know that will keep me more secure after college. I finally had to weigh out what I wanted to do and what I found comforting. Sometimes the best things for you are the things that make you a little uncomfortable. Things out of your comfort zone. I took a writing class because I needed an extra credit. I wasn't fond of the idea and I had no interest in it. I was perfectly happy with my business major. I ended up finding something that I wouldn't of otherwise done. It changed everything for me.
When I look at Law/Business I find jobs/situations that I would like that can fit within that degree because they make me feel a little more secure about my choice. But, when I look at writing and the jobs that communications has to offer, I get excited about it. I'm not saying go with what makes you happy, even if it looks like it won't give you much in the long run. But, make the choices based on what makes you the happiest (most don't like being a lawyer...so test the ground with that first, to be sure it is the enviorment you want to be in). Why do you want to go for law vs business? What makes you second guess going for law school? If you chose one over the other do you see yourself regretting not doing the other one? I know that I'm talented at writing and in certain jobs that I can get with a Comm. degree...but I also do well in business. However, if I chose business because I was decent at it and because I felt like there was more security there..I know ten years from now I would miss writing, I would miss doing all that I could with the Comm. degree. If you're happy with what you do, you're more likely to work harder at it. Law may offer you more job security...but what if you get there and hate it? You could do business and love it, thus making you work harder at your job. That will increase your job security. If you would feel better with doing business and going to law just for the peace of mind of having the degree, then do that. Take some time to experiment with it. Take the PI with the business company, see if you fit well there. And/or take an internship with a law practice, see if you fit there. By trying them out, you may find that you fit somewhere within those areas that you wouldn't have known about otherwise. The two main things I had a hard time remembering was to relax and that there is no rush in this choice.
So...there's no rush, relax. Take some time feel them both out. There is always time to go to law school. It's not going anywhere.

 

[vin1215]

lol you sound exactly like me! I know that I need to and want to do what makes me happy but I am having trouble trying to find out what that is. Working in the business world seems fun and exciting which would make me happy but also being a lawyer and having job and financial security also makes me very happy so its a super tough call. lol I will probably expand some more to your reply but I am heading to the movies so I have to keep it short. Are you doing a PI?? If so which one?

 

[CelebrationNM]

Exactly as the last poster said: relax, take your time, try some things out. There's nothing wrong with taking time off before graduate school and it's my opinion that no serious graduate program should accept a student without some work experience, but I digress.

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know right now I can leave work at 10 at night, come home and catch up on emails, add new tasks to my PDA and be really excited about going back and doing it all again tomorrow. If I didn't love what I was doing, that pace would suck and I'd never be able to keep it up.

It sounds like there are aspects of being a lawyer that you'd like and it's definitely worth considering for you And hey, if you hate it you can still change and do something else. You're right... a law degree is very solid.

Of interest: There's a management/leadership/communication speaker named Michael Brandwein. He began his career as a lawyer and made partner in the firm. Then, he left the firm to go on the road as a speaker and, if you listen to him talk, you'll know why he's successful. He had a lot of security and he must have been good, but he decided to go out on his own anyway. Point: you can always change careers.

Business degree or law school? You can't lose with either one. (Or rather, if you lose, you can't blame it on the degree.)

 

[ashliejere]

I'm not going down till May 09 (after I graduate). So, I have some time to think about it..but I'm debating between doing the CP or doing a PI. I would love some time off between graduating and getting an internship where I can just relax and just have some fun..ya know?

My advice is the same...being a lawyer would give security...but that doesnt bring happiness. The idea of security brings peace of mind, nothing more, really. Like the other poster said...

"I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know right now I can leave work at 10 at night, come home and catch up on emails, add new tasks to my PDA and be really excited about going back and doing it all again tomorrow. If I didn't love what I was doing, that pace would suck and I'd never be able to keep it up."

If you go into law for nothing much more than security, you may end up hating it. Those hours and what you do between getting up and going to bed could make you miserable. If you hate your job, you're less likely to do well at it. If you hate your job and suck at it, because you hate being there/hate what you do, having a degree isn't going to give you security in that job. You can be replaceable in a job, degree or not. So, find a job that makes you want to not be replaceable. Find one that makes you want to get up and go through the day. Something that doesn't feel like work.
Here's what I've been doing:
Google jobs in business. Try and find a list of jobs that you can get with a degree in Business. Go through that list, find jobs that you think you'd like to do. Research the jobs you like out of that list. Do the same for law positions. Research the jobs you like out of that list. Then compare them. Is there one job/area of working that you like better than the other? You may find that there is a ton of jobs you favor in law over business or visa versa.

I think it is smart to get experience before going to grad school. You want to be sure that this is where you want to be. You could find a part of business you love, that you didn't know exsisted and decide to get a masters in that.

 

[Quiksilvr]

Well, vin, I think I gave you my opinion on this in another thread. As someone who has been in a similar position and who has gone to a top law school and works at the extreme high-end of the legal field, I recognize where you're coming from, but at the same time there is not a day that goes by in which I don't regret going to law school.

And as someone who actually has a doctorate, I think I will dispute your statement that having "any doctorate" makes you more "secure" than someone with only an undergraduate degree. It's not true. I have friends from law school who are anything but secure right now and they might have been better off if they had either (a) not gone to law school at all or (b) chosen a graduate program that better fit their personalities, intelligence, and skillset. I also have friends with Ph.D.'s who couldn't make more than $60,000 a year if you paid them half of it yourself. I know plenty of store-front lawyers in my hometown that thank heaven when someone with a contested DUI or an old lady who needs a will walks in the door. None of that sounds like "security" to me. As another poster mentioned, a doctorate is not some magic piece of paper that makes you secure and successful. Most successful people will be successful irrespective of the field they choose. Personally I think this is because "success" is a blend of intelligence, hard work, experience, work ethic, and ambition. If you don't have that stuff, you're not going to be successful regardless of how many degrees you amass. I know plenty of people who make more money than I do (and I make a lot) who don't have doctorates.

So, my final advice to anyone who is thinking about any graduate program is this: do it because you truly believe that you want to be in the field. Don't do it because your friends do it or because your mother thinks it would be a great job for you or because you can't think of anything else to do with your time. Most graduate programs are extremely expensive (law school just keeps getting worse) and are often (note, I did not say "always") not worth it unless you will really be happy with what you're doing.