MBA or JD for a EE

[EEWithoutStyle]

I'm currently looking at my future career path and am debating about which way to go. I recently graduated with my MS in Electrical Engineering and have been working in the automotive industry for the past 3 years. I'll be turning 26 next month.

My concern with the JD is lack of current job opportunities. If I did go for the JD, I would definitely like to practice IP law. I will be contacting one of the IP corporate lawyers I deal with at work for career advice as well.

If I went MBA route, I am setting my sights on executive leadership one day. I would work my way up via program management and other mid/upper level management roles.

Any advice or guidance that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[papa kot]

If these are the only options, I'd look into a JD. I have dealt with IP lawyers and if you establish yourself, it is a nice gig. Learn how to live on modest means and you may not have to work 80 hour weeks to make the ends meet. With a technical background you may get an upper hand due to your knowledge of systems, etc.

I've decided against an MBA for a variety of reasons. I am pursuing something else at the moment, but I don't discount a possibility of going for a JD sometime soon. If everything fails, at least you can provide pro bono services to those who need them the most

 

[EEWithoutStyle]



If these are the only options, I'd look into a JD. I have dealt with IP lawyers and if you establish yourself, it is a nice gig. Learn how to live on modest means and you may not have to work 80 hour weeks to make the ends meet. With a technical background you may get an upper hand due to your knowledge of systems, etc.

I've decided against an MBA for a variety of reasons. I am pursuing something else at the moment, but I don't discount a possibility of going for a JD sometime soon. If everything fails, at least you can provide pro bono services to those who need them the most

My biggest fear with going to law school is not getting a job at a firm or a becoming a corporate lawyer especially with the fact that many graduates are not getting placed. If I did go that route, I guess I would try to get a job as a patent clerk/drafter at a law firm while going to law school at night. Thoughts?

 

[papa kot]

My biggest fear with going to law school is not getting a job at a firm or a becoming a corporate lawyer especially with the fact that many graduates are not getting placed. If I did go that route, I guess I would try to get a job as a patent clerk/drafter at a law firm while going to law school at night. Thoughts?

This is a valid concern. Have you tried applying to patent law firms without a JD? They need patent engineers and with an EE degree you may be well qualified. As you work, perhaps you'll realize that this is not for you and jump the boat.

The fallback is stuff like criminal, family law or immigration. A buddy of mine switched from finance to family law... He likes it, but he works a lot. And some cases just suck.

 

[Xiaogou]



I'm currently looking at my future career path and am debating about which way to go. I recently graduated with my MS in Electrical Engineering and have been working in the automotive industry for the past 3 years. I'll be turning 26 next month.

My concern with the JD is lack of current job opportunities. If I did go for the JD, I would definitely like to practice IP law. I will be contacting one of the IP corporate lawyers I deal with at work for career advice as well.

If I went MBA route, I am setting my sights on executive leadership one day. I would work my way up via program management and other mid/upper level management roles.

Any advice or guidance that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Go talk to a recruiter at a law firm in Chicago. From what I have seen, if you are not the top 10 in your class, you can forget having a job upon graduation. Ranking starts your first semester. Law school is cut-throat. You are ranked against your classmates. It is not uncommon for a professor to state that only 10% of the class will get an A. Yes, that means there is a cutoff. After your first semester, you will be ranked then will start applying for summer internships.

With a MS in EE, I would get the MBA. It is a natural progression when compared with the idea of law school. Besides, do you want to go into +$100k in debt and not have a job waiting for you? The only way around this would be to go to one of the T14 law schools.

 

[EEWithoutStyle]



Go talk to a recruiter at a law firm in Chicago. From what I have seen, if you are not the top 10 in your class, you can forget having a job upon graduation. Ranking starts your first semester. Law school is cut-throat. You are ranked against your classmates. It is not uncommon for a professor to state that only 10% of the class will get an A. Yes, that means there is a cutoff. After your first semester, you will be ranked then will start applying for summer internships.

With a MS in EE, I would get the MBA. It is a natural progression when compared with the idea of law school. Besides, do you want to go into +$100k in debt and not have a job waiting for you? The only way around this would be to go to one of the T14 law schools.

Thanks for the feedback, I did more research and what not on law forums and I think I'll head down the MBA route.

 

[Huntsman]

Quote:
This is half B.S. and half decent advice. I say that as a B.S. MechE who passed the Bar last year. OP, PM me with any questions you have. I'd reply more fully but I just got home and need sleep.

~ H

 

[Kid Nickels]



My concern with the JD is lack of current job opportunities. If I did go for the JD, I would definitely like to practice IP law.

I'm a JD/MBA from a T14 with much experience in soft IP (copyright/trademark), but since you have an EE, hard IP (e.g. patent) is a definite. It seems you are in Chicago. I live in LA and San Diego is a hotbed of patent IP. And it depends on whether you would pursue litigation or transactions. I completely disagree with @papa kot that your fallback would be immigration or family law or some ****. That honestly makes no sense. With an EE you could be way into Communications Law, emerging Internet Law, Environmental, Business or possibly Cryptography Law… and many others. These are all emerging fields and as for a lack of employment opportunities idk what you're worried about. Patent law is booming and many of those guys are making dough hand over fist.

 

[Harold falcon]



This is a valid concern. Have you tried applying to patent law firms without a JD? They need patent engineers and with an EE degree you may be well qualified. As you work, perhaps you'll realize that this is not for you and jump the boat.

The fallback is stuff like criminal, family law or immigration. A buddy of mine switched from finance to family law... He likes it, but he works a lot. And some cases just suck.

I had a very astute prof at law school who explained that the two recession proof areas of law are divorces and DUIs. I have done fairly well in both.

 

[Kid Nickels]



I had a very astute prof at law school who explained that the two recession proof areas of law are divorces and DUIs. I have done fairly well in both.

If you dig that kind of work then good on ya. I didn't go to law school simply for the income however.

 

[Harold falcon]



If you dig that kind of work then good on ya. I didn't go to law school simply for the income however.

Ah, you went to be an accountant.

 

[byau]

Given your career goals, the question becomes... do you have the chops to make it into a T14 law school or Top 20 business school? Go to GMATClub or top-law-schools.com to find out.