[ohaideredevs]

Some other questions, and a purely subjective ones at that:

1. Do you feel software or law is harder / more stressful?

2. Do you feel that devs or lawyers are "smarter" on average? Specifically at same pay scales - so partner vs architect / senior dev vs senior associate, etc.

3. Do you feel significant culture differences?

Any other notable positives and negatives that are significantly different between the two?

[pnw_hazor]

Compared to getting an engineering degree, law school was easy (time consuming but otherwise untaxing). The hardest part for some people was learning to think like a lawyer.

Also, some people seemed to have a lot of trouble analyzing fact patterns from different points of view. Where it may be easy for some to argue vigorously in support of an issue they agree with but difficult to form arguments for the other side.

Profs would listen to students argue from their preferred position (often the good guy position) and then ask them to argue why the other side is right. Some people just couldn't do it (future prosecutors?).

I found LS fascinating -- it was like learning a new kind of physics. One that described how society works rather the describing how nature works. And, like real physics, "legal physics" works whether you understand what is going on or not. E.g., previously I had a small business and entered into many contracts even though LS taught me that I had no idea how a contract really worked.

On the other hand, in my experience, the practice of law is much harder -- taking far more concentration and mental energy than SW development. Good lawyers are as nerdy and as smart good devs.

[howard941]

1. Law is far more stressful from a business standpoint. Because of the business pressures I'd only go back into practice as corporate counsel or now that I've learned about it, as a patent litigator, but I'm too late for that game maybe

2. No opinion

3. Yes but I don't know how to express them, they're so subjective. Lawyering is like boxing coupled with research and writing. Tech work is engineering. Interpersonal skills, stamina, a go for the jugular instinct are far more important to successful lawyering than to tech work after you've established yourself as a developer and become sought after. For lawyering, selling yourself, reading people, keeping a poker face, negotiations, all of these skills yes you still need these for the every endeavor's business side but they'll be tapped constantly both the biz aspect and the job throughout your legal career, and you have to be in top form. Also when you start out if you don't come from a name school your employment options are nearly as bad as if you had no graduate degree. You may not have much choice in what kind of work you do if you generalize: Whatever walks in the door is your next task.

Law positives: I did mostly consumer collections defense and I loved it. The people I helped really needed help. It wasn't financially rewarding but it was immensely satisfying to help people out of situations usually not totally of their own making. The matters almost always have a definite ending point so there's not much worrying after its done and the relevant time periods run. I had no problems going to sleep every night. I kept 9-5 hours and had Federal holidays (unpaid though). The ageism in software is inverted in law.

Software positives: The money. Geographical flexibility if you don't need to be in SV. Being in demand all the time. Performing at the top of your field without having to schmooze with scumbags you'd avoid if you could (on the net excepted). Taking a concept from idea to market, and being recognized for it. Ageism. Working for The Man if you're not into roll of the dice contracting. Did I mention the money?