[wildmusings]

I quit my software job a year ago now. I loved the company, I had smart colleagues, and the pay and perks were great, but the line of work just wasn't doing it for me. I suspected as much when I started college, but decided to go with software anyway because I had enjoyed coding as hobby since I was 10, and the market for tech jobs was strong.

Now I'm starting law school next month. I've had a lifelong interest in the law and public policy, and conflict motivates me, so I think it's a good fit.

I don't think of my two years as a software engineer as wasted. I learned a lot about a great industry, and there's a very good chance I'll practice some kind of technology law. Cyber security law and policy is hot and is only going to get hotter.

If you are interested in this path, you should know that the job market for lawyers is nowhere near as good as for engineers. Going to a well-ranked law school, or being at the top of your class at a middling law school, is very important. It's too late to change your undergraduate grades, but you can do well on the LSAT, write a compelling personal statement, and get good recommendations from former professors and managers.

[Throwaway123212]

I should have put it in the post, I don't have a bachelors degree. I've had one lawyer say I should try to ace the LSATs and apply anyway but that seems like long shot.

I think theres also a path to becoming a patent agent without a degree but I get the impression people who do that are pretty exceptional as well.

[kodis]

I had a (not particularly exceptional) coworker with an electrical engineering degree go to work for the patent office. One of the perks was that the patent office would pay his way to becoming a patent attorney in return for a few years of service.