Law School

Earlier this year, I had an epiphany of sorts. Up until then, I'd been resigned to the life I have, not really thinking about doing anything different, and feeling kinda old. Then one day I realized I'm only 24 years old. I'm still young. I still have my whole life ahead of me. People my age are still going to school.

That got me thinking about how much I liked college, and how long it would take me to finish my degrees. And then I started thinking about something that I've thought about off and on over the years only to dismiss it as something I didn't really want to do. I was thinking about going to law school.

I've always liked the law, and I love lawyer shows(yes, I know they're not real). The one thing that always kept me from seriously considering pursuit of a law degree was the courtroom. It would be a constant battle against performance anxiety.

However, this didn't seem such an obstacle this summer, when I was thinking about it again. I sent for an updated transcript and course evaluation from my school. I'll need two full semesters to graduate with my double major. They don't have a pre-law program, so I would have to find another school.

Enter problem #1: travel. The nearest school with a law program is more than an hour's drive from home. I haven't yet gotten my driver's license.

Problem #2: child care. We have four children. The three oldest are in school full-time, and the youngest just turned two. My mother-in-law would watch her for a reasonable price, but we can't afford that on one income. Also, I would miss the angel terribly.

And problem #3: We might decide to have another baby. We've been talking around it for awhile now. I get terrible morning sickness that would interfere with studying, and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a newborn with a babysitter(not even Grandma). That last part would depend upon timing, as I can take courses online to finish my degrees, which I want to do rather than transfer and face losing credits.

So I decided to wait it out, and see if this was a passing fancy. Here after several months, and one awkward conversation with my husband about it, for some odd reason, I find myself still wanting to be a lawyer.

I'm not sure what to do about it now, because it's a most inconvenient path to take at the moment. Perhaps I should stick with writing, and settle for writing about lawyers. I really don't know. I welcome advice from anyone who has some to give.