Many of us know what it takes to get a law degree. Those who considered or, heavens forbid, succeeded, are aware of what it takes in terms of debt load be it dimes or nickels.
Consider that the typical student coming out of a reasonable state or moderate private university might carry somewhere between 30 and 50k in debt. Tack on 100k as a nice even, and entirely reasonable bill for law school and the typical lawyer starts a mortgage in the hole.
All this to be able to commandeer one of those jobs that justifies investing in that power suit and briefcase.
http://images.dailykos.com/...
According to this craigslist ad it's worth $10 an hour if you happen to live in the Los Angeles area. To put it in perspective, that is exactly $1 above the minimum wage and just a bit less than the average McDonald's fry cook in the city.
One of the common arguments folks make here is that youth emerging from school are entitled for not being willing to work from the bottom and earn their dues. That somehow it is reasonable for someone to come out of school with a professional degree, a mortgage in debt for it and hope to be given the opportunity to work at a level where working the fryer is more enticing.
We all know that those with law degrees, even with bar credentials, have seen some dire straights, but the idea that someone would even suggest that they are offering an opportunity for paying a well educated, skilled professional fast food wages under the guise of professional development shows what a sham our economy has become.
No this is not an experience builder. If you want an ABA certified barred lawyer to meet with clients, write motions and attend court proceedings, I assure you their client is being billed far more than 10 an hour for your efforts. Plenty of lawyers are expected to perform junior level tasks under a more senior associate or partner for some time and still is paid as the professional they are.
At least they used to.
We need to move past the economy of earning ones dues through virtual servitude. Asking to make enough in a profession to earn a meager living is not entitlement, nor is it starting from the top.
But to do this, we need to think very hard about our decisions as many of us are complicit. We are the ones that embraced the "sharing economy" where even skilled and semi-skilled jobs are often sent out at bottom of the barrel rates on sites like Fiver, Task Rabbit and its ilk. We marvel at how cheap Uber and Lyft are compared to a cab with no regard to the fact that we are pushing many of our own into dire circumstances where it is almost seen as the norm to start your career groveling for the loose change rattling through the economy.
Or, in this case, a buck over minimum wage in exchange for a 150k investment.
Collectively we need to start saying that enough is enough and return to real market rates that pay for skills and tasks according to their worth in an environment where people are expected to afford a roof, food and clothing. We need a reset, lest we see medical fellowships, post doctorate positions and others drift into desperation wages as the only foot in the door.
Anybody who wants to reply to the ad, I highly encourage it, particularly those JD holders who are struggling to become established, but think they deserve better than poverty.