"Have you ever been unable to pay rent, and then wondering if you were going to have enough money to go grocery shopping?... You know... you're going to be a great lawyer."" - Robert Seuss, Dean of the University of Tulsa Law School

I went to law school nearly 10 years ago. My wife and I went together (we were dating at the time). We had no debt going in. My wife's parents set up a "prepaid" student loan account for her. They put nearly $35,000 into it, and they made sure she knew it was a loan with interest. She graduated law school with $42,000 in debt and was able to pay it off within about 2 years of graduating. She took on a $60,000.00 a year job with a prosecutor's office, "losing" approximately half of her salary to federal and state taxes. She didn't bring home more than $2,600 a month. That was still enough to afford an apartment, a car, food, and about $300.00 a month towards her student loan debt. She paid off her student loans within 2 years. After paying off the loan, she saved what she could afford to save each month, and went out and bought a car with cash. <br><br>My situation was a little different. I didn't have any money saved, but I was able to get a full-ride scholarship to law school (I was in the top 5% of my class in undergrad). Still, law school was expensive enough that I didn't have any money while going to school, and my living expenses put me nearly $35,000 in debt over 3 years. I have no idea how people go through law school and come out with $150,000 in debt. I was barely able to afford to pay rent. I had to live with 3 other people to make it, and they had scholarships too. We lived like kings though. We each payed $700 a month in rent, and had 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. We even had a garage and a 2 car driveway. My student loan debt was less than my friends who went to medical school. I didn't have to take out a second student loan to pay for a suit, a car, and interview travel. I walked out of law school with about $35,000 in debt. I could have paid it back after graduation, but I deferred my loans for 6 months so I could focus on getting a job. I took the bar exam in July, and I still hadn't found a job. I interviewed with plenty of firms, but nothing seemed like the right"fit." I was also at a disadvantage. I had interviewed with plenty of firms, but had applied to very few jobs. I figured I could always work for the government, or some small firm, or even a prosecutor's office or public defender's office. I even considered working in house for a corporation. I still had plenty of options. <br><br>I still figured I could work as a lawyer. I figured any place that could "afford" to hire someone fresh out of law school would be able to pay enough for me to pay back my loans. I applied to every prosecutor's office within a 3 hour radius of my home, and I got 2 interviews. I got 2 offers. One was $50,000 a year, the other $48,000. Apparently... I couldn't afford to take either job. <br><br>I could, however, afford to take a job with a small law firm (3 lawyers) for nearly $70,000 a year. They figured they were doing me a "favor" by paying me that much. I figured they were doing themselves a favor by hiring someone stupid enough to work for such a low salary in a profession where student loan debt was so high. They were paying me $70,000 a year, but figured they could pay themselves $300,000 a year... and they didn't have to pay the $35,000 in student loans that I owed. I figured I could work hard the first few years of my career, and then go somewhere else. I figured that any other job could probably pay me more than $70,000 a year. I still managed to go on a vacation to Hawaii while working for such low wages. I spent under $2,000 for a week vacation. Apparently, I was paid well enough that I could even afford to have a good time. I took cases to trial. I got good experience. I made good arguments. I won cases. I lost cases. I discovered that I was good at what I do. I discovered that I like doing it. I discovered that being a lawyer is rewarding. <br><br>I left that job after 2 years, and now I work for a big law firm. I still figured I was underpaid. I now make over $150,000 a year. I figured I was "rich" now. I'm not. I still have to pay student loan debt. I still have to save money for the future. I still have to pay taxes. I still have to work hard and prove myself on a daily basis. I still have to work with difficult clients. I still have to work with difficult colleagues. I still have to deal with difficult judges. I work nearly 60 hours a week, and I'm still barely ever home. I'm still barely ever able to sleep in. I'm still barely ever able to go on vacation. I'm still barely ever able to do anything. I'm still barely ever able to do anything that I want. <br><br>I do have the means now to pay back my loans. I probably would have been ok even if I had taken the prosecutor job... I could have barely afforded to pay back my loans, but I'm not sure if I would have even been able to eat. I had to work a second job after graduating law school just to be able to pay rent and my loans. I probably would have been better off taking the $48,000 a year job. At least I wouldn't have had to work a second job. <br><br>I still love being a lawyer. I still love what I do. I still love going to work. I still love the camaraderie at the office. I still love the guys at the office and I still love the women at the office. I still love the law clerks. I still love my paralegal. I still love my assistant. I still love my job. <br><br>I'm just glad I didn't "have to" live on $50,000 a year.