Doctor or Lawyer?

madnesspersues

which one?? I am stuck between the two and need to decide which would be best? i know that becoming a Doctor would be very rewarding and interesting however becoming a Solicitor offers more business opportunities.. eg: opening your own Law Firm.

which would you choose??

run_Forrest_run

surely you can't be serious asking such a general question!
So you are not sure which path you want to take, maybe it's best to arrange to meet a lawyer and a doctor (on separate occasions) and explain your issue with them. More importantly listen to them, try to apply what they say to what you believe you would like to do and to how what they say fits in with your principles as a person.

But hey, it's a very nice position to find yourself in, either way work hard and never ever make your decision based on money.

damnyanks

If you do a law degree other avenues are open to you. If you do medicine you are pretty much stuck with medical type jobs.

watna

Do you have an interest in science? Are you good at it? If not, being a doctor is not for you.

mikemac

Doctors are looked up to, lawyers are looked down on

That is all

run_Forrest_run

damnyanks wrote: »

If you do a law degree other avenues are open to you. If you do medicine you are pretty much stuck with medical type jobs.

perhaps but you make 'medical type jobs' sound very limited! As a doctor you can branch out into all sorts of career options. It's not all about writing prescriptions to OAPs you know :rolleyes:

Pat Mustard

Bit of a general question, there. Two prestige professions involving dealing with people, and supposedly at least reasonable money going with each of them.

Tough times for lawyers at the moment. No jobs. Hopefully that will have changed by the time you come on the jobs market.

I know a few docs, and they all wanted to be consultants when they were in college. Pretty much none of them wanted to be GPs. I wouldn't have thought too many docs could end up as consultants, but maybe I am wrong.

If it is a question of choosing between two jobs that you think you might like, then go and try to talk to a friendly GP, Consultant, Solicitor, Barrister, and see what their day/week is like. Maybe you will see something that attracts you. Maybe you will get a picture of what you want. Maybe you wanna go talk to an engineer while you are at it, and see what they do.

If it's about a prestige profession with loads of cash, then seriously look at dentistry .

I have a number of friends who are archaeologists. Few of them have any cash, ever. Most of them are sick of constant short-term contracts, and many of them are getting out of mainstream archaeology. They love archaeology, they just find it impractical as a job. To be fair, one or two are gonna stick with it for the moment anyway.

Seriously though, money is important. Let nobody tell you anything different. It's just that it's not the be-all and end-all. Find something that you like doing, see that you can make some kind of living doing it, and do it.

bills

well they are completely different so i couldnt imagine wanting to do both. I have done law & like someone has already said, there are no jobs at the moment & even if there was, competition & exams are very tough so i wouldnt reccomend it to anyone. A law degree does not give you that many options- i found that out the hard way!! Get some work experience in both areas & you will soon have an answer to your question.

what2do

Another alternative career that seems to be a great money spinner is Pharmacy ... great opportunity to open your own business.

Eoin

The Mustard wrote: »

Tough times for lawyers at the moment. No jobs. Hopefully that will have changed by the time you come on the jobs market.

Yeah, it's very hard for solicitors at the moment, a good few of my sister's friends who recently qualified have been unable to get a job - some are out of work for up to a year I think. Many of them who are in a job are barely clinging to it.

While it's very bad now, it is traditionally a hard area to get a job. If your family has contacts in law, it can greatly help your chances.

Miss Fluff

There is a doctor and a barrister in my immediate family.

Both are very worthwhile professions although I think with the Bar particularly you have to be really excellent to do well (just like my bro:)) and you really have to be prepared for a long slog. A good idea may be to train as a solicitor, build up your contacts and then do the conversion exams. There seems to be a large number of people who, with astounding self-confidence seem to think they will take the Courts by storm and oftentimes fall flat on their faces.

Medicine is extremely worthwhile. Again lucrative and extremely rewarding although I think there are a lot of people now doing medicine simply because they got the points in their Leaving and not through any calling or desire to help.

Think long and hard about your skills, what subjects you are good at, where your interests lie. As someone else pointed out, it may be a good idea to arrange a chat with people from both professions. Good luck and I hope you choose the one right for you (and society;))

Eoin

Well, the OP specifically said solicitor, so it looks like that would be the route to take. Anyway, solicitors tend to have a broader knowledge of the law and it is probably easier for a solicitor to convert, than the other way around.

krd

As a solicitor you could easily be hitting your 50's before you're seeing any proper money. I had a friend who had his own practice, who told me that he was literally going to have to wait for some of his clients to die before they paid him.


As a solicitor you will also more likely then not end up doing things you will really regret as part of your job. Like destroying peoples lives. (saying that, one of the most useful things you can have in life, is a loyal bent lawyer)


Become a doctor and people will treat you like you're a god. You'll feel honest about the money you earn.



Most people never had the option.

The_Conductor

madnesspersues wrote: »

which one?? I am stuck between the two and need to decide which would be best? i know that becoming a Doctor would be very rewarding and interesting however becoming a Solicitor offers more business opportunities.. eg: opening your own Law Firm.

which would you choose??

In all fairness solicitors are in big trouble at the moment. A lot of solicitors had their business models based around lucrative conveyancing- and there was amazing money to be made in it for a long time. The number of practising solicitors exploded over the past 10 years though. There was a report in the papers last week about numbers of solicitors contacting the Law Society seeking retraining courses in areas other than conveyancing, along with reports on practices closing up shop altogether. I'll see if I can find you a link. Link here.

Re: Becoming a doctor. Only become a doctor if you have the aptitude to be a doctor. Becoming a doctor just because you have the points to do the course is the worst possible reason in the world. It was recently reported that of recent medical graduates that large numbers are leaving the profession as they only saw it as a stepping stone towards other life goals (report in the Irish Times here). If you're serious about medicine as a longterm profession- well and good- but don't do it simply because you have the points.

Make sure that you understand the different professions that you are proposing to enter- and make sure that you are making your choices in possession of the full facts. Becoming a solicitor because your uncle is a barrister- is not a good idea- unless its for you- not for some familial reason........

krd

If you have a chance to study medicine, Do it. It will open up an incredible world to you. Even if you don't complete your studies, it will open many very interesting doors. I've known several people who studied medicine and didn't complete. Without fail they all walked straight into very high paying interesting work. It's not for everyone, but you'll only find out once you've tried. And medicine is worth trying and failing at.

On the other hand. As the conveyancing work dries up. The main cash cow of the solicitor business will be personal injury claims against local authorities and small business. They'll even try rob little old ladies.

This drives insurance premiums up, and rips off the honest.

You have a choice. Become a saviour of lives,,, or a venal social parasite.

ImDave

To be honest if you have the chance to study medicine and have to ask a question as to whether you should do it or not indicates to me that it does not seem to be what you want to do, and from what I know, it is most certainly something you must have a passion for.

The_Conductor

krd wrote: »

On the other hand. As the conveyancing work dries up. The main cash cow of the solicitor business will be personal injury claims against local authorities and small business. They'll even try rob little old ladies.

This drives insurance premiums up, and rips off the honest.

You have a choice. Become a saviour of lives,,, or a venal social parasite.

Emm- actually the establishment of the PIAB (Personal Injuries Assessment Board) has pretty much killed off this aspect of the business. Most firms specialising in this have moved towards criminalistics and other bread-and-butter type business, that they try to normally shy away from (as it involves long hard work- along with hours of hanging around the courts waiting for cases to be called etc).

Miss Fluff

krd wrote: »

If you have a chance to study medicine, Do it. It will open up an incredible world to you. Even if you don't complete your studies, it will open many very interesting doors. I've known several people who studied medicine and didn't complete. Without fail they all walked straight into very high paying interesting work. It's not for everyone, but you'll only find out once you've tried. And medicine is worth trying and failing at..

I had to reread this to believe it. Are you seriously suggesting taking up one of the few and highly sought-after places in medicine to give it a whirl and see how the OP gets on?????:eek:Some poor kids out there with a genuine vocation are bursting a gut with their exams trying to get into a course they have always dreamed of ffs and it's because of people like your friends that places are at a premium. Shame on them!

krd

Miss Fluff wrote: »

I had to reread this to believe it. Are you seriously suggesting taking up one of the few and highly sought-after places in medicine to give it a whirl and see how the OP gets on?????:eek:Some poor kids out there with a genuine vocation are bursting a gut with their exams trying to get into a course they have always dreamed of ffs and it's because of people like your friends that places are at a premium. Shame on them!

Yes I'am suggesting just that.

Medicine is a weird business. Most 17/18 year olds are nowhere near being formed into the kind of personalities it takes to work in medicine.

At least half of medical students drop out over the course of their study.

It isn't fair who gets to study medicine or not. Irish kids have the hardest time getting access to study it. If they had rich parents, they could just go and study somewhere that accepts them.

More then half of all medical students studying in Ireland are there because they have rich daddies, not through academic brilliance.

Life isn't fair. How you get on in life greatly depends on who's there to help set you up in the first place. Millions of people work their fingers to the bone and still have nothing to show for it. Ireland is a very difficult country if you haven't been born to the right people.

I know people who have come from very humble backgrounds and have become doctors. Also people who were well set up.

If you go to a good school, you have a good chance. People have no idea how rigged and twisted the system is. The only people who would like to see things fairer are those who are powerless. It is now much harder for someone from a poor family to become a doctor then it was 30 years ago.

You either have an easy ride,, or you're the donkey being ridden.

Medicine is weird. Not everyone has the nerve to stick their finger up a strangers asshole.

hunnymonster

krd wrote: »

..
At least half of medical students drop out over the course of their study.

It isn't fair who gets to study medicine or not. Irish kids have the hardest time getting access to study it. If they had rich parents, they could just go and study somewhere that accepts them.

More then half of all medical students studying in Ireland are there because they have rich daddies, not through academic brilliance.

your numbers are way off
-much less than half drop out
-most people come through the CAO system i.e. they get the points not the $$$'s

krd

hunnymonster wrote: »

your numbers are way off
-much less than half drop out
-most people come through the CAO system i.e. they get the points not the $$$'s

I don't have the most recent and accurate figures. So I can't say for sure.

I do know an Irish medical student, who bypassed the Point system by claiming to be an overseas student. How they were able to do that was through social connections and cash.

But another can of worms.... Do you know how the leaving cert is marked? Do you know it's biased towards 'better' schools,, where the 'better' kind of people send their children.

I'm sorry for using ancedotes. But I have heard first hand tales of 'irregularities' over the years.

If you think life is a fair race,, you're very naive. If you think Ireland is a fair and decent country, you're stupid.

Ireland has all the veneer of a modern first world country. But the truth is scratch just a little beneath the surface and you find a backward and feudal isolated island, populated by bottom sniffing savages.

Miss Fluff

krd wrote: »

I don't have the most recent and accurate figures. So I can't say for sure.
I do know an Irish medical student, who bypassed the Point system by claiming to be an overseas student. How they were able to do that was through social connections and cash.

But another can of worms.... Do you know how the leaving cert is marked? Do you know it's biased towards 'better' schools,, where the 'better' kind of people send their children.

I'm sorry for using ancedotes. But I have heard first hand tales of 'irregularities' over the years.

If you think life is a fair race,, you're very naive. If you think Ireland is a fair and decent country, you're stupid.

Ireland has all the veneer of a modern first world country. But the truth is scratch just a little beneath the surface and you find a backward and feudal isolated island, populated by bottom sniffing savages.

Obviously a huge chip on your shoulder.

Can you back up these generalisations with actual factual statistics?

hunnymonster

krd wrote: »

I don't have the most recent and accurate figures. So I can't say for sure.

I do know an Irish medical student, who bypassed the Point system by claiming to be an overseas student. How they were able to do that was through social connections and cash.

But another can of worms.... Do you know how the leaving cert is marked? Do you know it's biased towards 'better' schools,, where the 'better' kind of people send their children.

I'm sorry for using ancedotes. But I have heard first hand tales of 'irregularities' over the years.

If you think life is a fair race,, you're very naive. If you think Ireland is a fair and decent country, you're stupid.

Ireland has all the veneer of a modern first world country. But the truth is scratch just a little beneath the surface and you find a backward and feudal isolated island, populated by bottom sniffing savages.

Sorry to drag this up but it is results day.

So krd, you have anecdotes, I work in university admissions and my MIL is a leaving cert examinations inspector.... so yes, I would say I kinda know what I'm talking about:rolleyes:

No Ireland is not perfect but walking around which huge chips on your shoulders is not going to improve it. If you don't like how things are, do something to change them. Whining on the internet doesn't count.

newname

Doctor or Lawyer?

Fast forward 10 years and imagine your sitting in your place of work and saying:

"So Mr Friel your having difficulty urinating, jump up on the couch there and lower your trousers I'll check just your prostate"

Or

"So young McCarthy you were making a nuisance of yourself again at the weekend, this will be the third time I have represented you in court for this behaviour - you may recieve a custodial sentence this time young man"

Which of these would you prefer or dread????

madnesspersues

Aww I'm just looking at my old threads now and wanted to inform you all of my choice. I've decided LAW is the better option for me. I've LAW in Trinners No.1 on my CAO so hopefully i'll get it! Thank you all for your help. Medicine seems soo far away now and something I definitely would not want to do!

My next question: Solicitor OR Barrister?

haha the choices!