Help! Entering HR career from JD/MBA
August 23, 2013 4:09 PM Subscribe
I'm in the middle of a JD/MBA. How can I plan my time to enter HR as a career?
I am starting my second year at a big state university's law school. I also completed an MBA program at an Asian university. Although I performed well in the MBA (top-quarter) my performance in law school has not been strong enough to give me much hope for my employment prospects in the lousy American legal market (not terrible, but slightly below median of the class). I am also concerned that I may not enjoy the practice of law. Thankfully, financial aid has kept me out of debt so far, but this is running short.
I am considering changing my career goals. HR seems like an attractive field that I would enjoy and be good at. It also appears to have some application for employment law knowledge if I continue in law school. How can I plan my next year or two in order to enter this field successfully? Unfortunately, my MBA studies did not focus on HR. Should I drop law school to pursue another degree, pursue some supplementary education, or do something else?
I am starting my second year at a big state university's law school. I also completed an MBA program at an Asian university. Although I performed well in the MBA (top-quarter) my performance in law school has not been strong enough to give me much hope for my employment prospects in the lousy American legal market (not terrible, but slightly below median of the class). I am also concerned that I may not enjoy the practice of law. Thankfully, financial aid has kept me out of debt so far, but this is running short.
I am considering changing my career goals. HR seems like an attractive field that I would enjoy and be good at. It also appears to have some application for employment law knowledge if I continue in law school. How can I plan my next year or two in order to enter this field successfully? Unfortunately, my MBA studies did not focus on HR. Should I drop law school to pursue another degree, pursue some supplementary education, or do something else?
Do not start another degree. (Though finishing law school is good if you can do it without debt).
MBAs are useful when you have experience, but aren't terribly helpful in making a career change. The market is just too competitive and an MBA isn't the golden key it once was. Next summer you need to intern in HR (or HR law). Get a workstudy job in your university's HR department. Join SHRM as a student member.
Think of these 2 years as the runway to launch an HR career. Intern and network.
posted by 26.2 at 4:59 PM on August 23, 2013
MBAs are useful when you have experience, but aren't terribly helpful in making a career change. The market is just too competitive and an MBA isn't the golden key it once was. Next summer you need to intern in HR (or HR law). Get a workstudy job in your university's HR department. Join SHRM as a student member.
Think of these 2 years as the runway to launch an HR career. Intern and network.
posted by 26.2 at 4:59 PM on August 23, 2013
I am considering changing my career goals. HR seems like an attractive field that I would enjoy and be good at. It also appears to have some application for employment law knowledge if I continue in law school.
I work at a Large Organization and frequently work with former lawyers and JDs who have HR roles (I am a NY-licensed lawyer although I do not wear my lawyer hat at this job; I do not have an HR role).
You need to get as much exposure to HR work as possible, as 26.2 suggests. This will allow you to determine if the field is actually right for you, help you narrow down your direction/goals, and get you relevant experience and resume content.
There will be a few challenges here. First, HR professionals are often called upon to handle sensitive or regulated information, so depending on an organization's policy some tasks may simply be off limits to you as an intern or trainee. Second, don't expect to use anything you learn in law school directly. By this I mean that you will always have the background understanding of contract interpretation, etc. which you gained, but if an organization has sensible risk management policies in place, pure HR people are not going to be providing legal advice. At most they will be called upon to work through a script prepared by counsel. Finally, you'll need to identify your specific passion for HR, as it will appear to the uninitiated to be basically law lite.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 5:22 PM on August 23, 2013
I work at a Large Organization and frequently work with former lawyers and JDs who have HR roles (I am a NY-licensed lawyer although I do not wear my lawyer hat at this job; I do not have an HR role).
You need to get as much exposure to HR work as possible, as 26.2 suggests. This will allow you to determine if the field is actually right for you, help you narrow down your direction/goals, and get you relevant experience and resume content.
There will be a few challenges here. First, HR professionals are often called upon to handle sensitive or regulated information, so depending on an organization's policy some tasks may simply be off limits to you as an intern or trainee. Second, don't expect to use anything you learn in law school directly. By this I mean that you will always have the background understanding of contract interpretation, etc. which you gained, but if an organization has sensible risk management policies in place, pure HR people are not going to be providing legal advice. At most they will be called upon to work through a script prepared by counsel. Finally, you'll need to identify your specific passion for HR, as it will appear to the uninitiated to be basically law lite.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 5:22 PM on August 23, 2013
If you've only done one year of law school and you don't think you want to be a lawyer, drop out now.
You already have an MBA, that's great. Do you have any resources from your university (maybe US-based alumni) who could give you advice on how to use that MBA? It sounds like you're not necessarily attached to HR, just looking for something that would be a good fit and a promising career.
posted by chickenmagazine at 5:24 PM on August 23, 2013 [3 favorites]
You already have an MBA, that's great. Do you have any resources from your university (maybe US-based alumni) who could give you advice on how to use that MBA? It sounds like you're not necessarily attached to HR, just looking for something that would be a good fit and a promising career.
posted by chickenmagazine at 5:24 PM on August 23, 2013 [3 favorites]
I'm an employment lawyer. Law is more than enough of a degree for HR. Frankly they make few decisions and might not be the job for you. Don't panic on the law career, you can always find a job, it might take longer.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:41 PM on August 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Ironmouth at 6:41 PM on August 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
It's cliche at this point to say it but if you don't think you want to be a lawyer, get the hell out of law school. It's not good training for anything, it's simply a requirement for being a lawyer. If that's not what you're going to do, you'd be better served working in an HR position for two years and earning even an entry level wage.
I wish it was so obvious 8 years ago when I was in a very similar situation. Or maybe it was and it's a just hard truth to hear.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 9:55 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I wish it was so obvious 8 years ago when I was in a very similar situation. Or maybe it was and it's a just hard truth to hear.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 9:55 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons at 4:59 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]