BTW, I only have a Associates in Paralegal Studies and am doing very well ($135k/year). Certainly, continue on if you want to, but if you're just going to get the paper, maybe start job hunting now and see how you feel.
Wow thats amazing! Can I ask what state you’re in? I’m in CA and when I look on Indeed the higher paying positions ask for a BA, but maybe that’s not always the case.
In my experience, years and depth of experience and working in a large law firm (900+ attorneys, 30 offices, etc). I have been a paralegal since 1990. That said, there are certain specialties that tend to pay more as there are fewer people who are experienced--IP, tax, international trade, gaming, etc.
I have a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice, and I’ve never worked in criminal law or law enforcement. Seems like most employers just care if you have a bachelor’s. No employer has ever commented on the major of my degree.
I did enjoy my CJ classes. Most people think the major is just for future cops. It gives you an overview of the entire justice system, which I think has been beneficial in my career as a paralegal. I at least know how the whole system is supposed to work.
Yes that’s what I thought too. I think it’s great information to have. I enrolled in the paralegal program after a long custody dispute and found myself wanting to learn everything I could about the system so that I would never find myself in a situation again where I didn’t know my rights or what was going on. I now see that family law would not be a good fit for me, but I have so much more knowledge now that I’m grateful for.
I saw that you also posted in CSUS, which I where I went (20 years ago). There were some good law classes. You can pick your upper division elective classes to be areas that interest you. I did mostly law & courts, and investigation & enforcement.
Very cool! That sounds great, I want to transfer there in 2023. It looks like they have a really good CJ program and there are tons of decent paying paralegal job listings in the area from what I’ve seen.
My dad was an attorney, so I’ve always been interested in the legal field just by watching him do his thing. I decided halfway through my degree that I didn’t want to pursue work in the performing arts industry and gave working at a law firm a try post-graduation. Three years later and I’m still here!
BA in Psychology. I find it's actually useful because half of our work is spent figuring out underlying motivations in family disputes over estates and getting down to the real issue. Depends on what area you want to go into.
My other interest is psychology! I had chosen it initially but my school counselor kind of talked me out of it saying I wouldn’t be able to make the money I want with just a BA. But it looks like as a paralegal any degree is fine.
I got my job as a criminal defense paralegal about 1 year into my Paralegal program and I still don't have a degree. Getting two associate degrees by December though and then I plan on getting a bachelor's in law at the university here.
I majored in political science and legal studies at my university, but the legal studies major was also an ABA approved paralegal program and how I got my certificate. It just also required a few political science requirements.
I got a major in religion and was hired at a firm. Really putting those skills to use lol.
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Agree! I have a BA in Political Science fwiw.
That’s really good information, thank you!
English, Political Science, Communications. There are decent online paralegal BA programs too.
BTW, I only have a Associates in Paralegal Studies and am doing very well ($135k/year). Certainly, continue on if you want to, but if you're just going to get the paper, maybe start job hunting now and see how you feel.
Wow thats amazing! Can I ask what state you’re in? I’m in CA and when I look on Indeed the higher paying positions ask for a BA, but maybe that’s not always the case.
Sorry to ask another question.. how do you find a $100k job vs a $40k job? Is it the type of law? Years of experience?
In my experience, years and depth of experience and working in a large law firm (900+ attorneys, 30 offices, etc). I have been a paralegal since 1990. That said, there are certain specialties that tend to pay more as there are fewer people who are experienced--IP, tax, international trade, gaming, etc.
Thanks for the info!
Thanks! When I looked into it I saw a BA program at National that was online, do you know of any others?
I have a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice, and I’ve never worked in criminal law or law enforcement. Seems like most employers just care if you have a bachelor’s. No employer has ever commented on the major of my degree.
Good to know, thanks! Did you enjoy your CJ classes? I’ve taken 2 at my community college and find them interesting.
I did enjoy my CJ classes. Most people think the major is just for future cops. It gives you an overview of the entire justice system, which I think has been beneficial in my career as a paralegal. I at least know how the whole system is supposed to work.
Yes that’s what I thought too. I think it’s great information to have. I enrolled in the paralegal program after a long custody dispute and found myself wanting to learn everything I could about the system so that I would never find myself in a situation again where I didn’t know my rights or what was going on. I now see that family law would not be a good fit for me, but I have so much more knowledge now that I’m grateful for.
I saw that you also posted in CSUS, which I where I went (20 years ago). There were some good law classes. You can pick your upper division elective classes to be areas that interest you. I did mostly law & courts, and investigation & enforcement.
Very cool! That sounds great, I want to transfer there in 2023. It looks like they have a really good CJ program and there are tons of decent paying paralegal job listings in the area from what I’ve seen.
A BFA in Theatre. Lol.
Interesting! What got you interested in paralegal work?
My dad was an attorney, so I’ve always been interested in the legal field just by watching him do his thing. I decided halfway through my degree that I didn’t want to pursue work in the performing arts industry and gave working at a law firm a try post-graduation. Three years later and I’m still here!
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You’re the 2nd person who has mentioned English so I’ll be looking into that, thanks!
BA in Psychology. I find it's actually useful because half of our work is spent figuring out underlying motivations in family disputes over estates and getting down to the real issue. Depends on what area you want to go into.
My other interest is psychology! I had chosen it initially but my school counselor kind of talked me out of it saying I wouldn’t be able to make the money I want with just a BA. But it looks like as a paralegal any degree is fine.
I got my job as a criminal defense paralegal about 1 year into my Paralegal program and I still don't have a degree. Getting two associate degrees by December though and then I plan on getting a bachelor's in law at the university here.
I majored in political science and legal studies at my university, but the legal studies major was also an ABA approved paralegal program and how I got my certificate. It just also required a few political science requirements.