[naikameya]

You should not continue this degree for certification.
But...

Even if you do not want to make a career in this field but are learning and enjoying the knowledge, go ahead and complete the degree, be a sponge, grasp as much knowledge as you can, and then go for a degree that you want to pursue after it. Knowledge and learning are never wasted, they will come to fruition later in your life and probably much later, but they will for sure.

If there is no financial pressure for you to start earning, don't do some online/ part-time courses, as they often do not deliver knowledge the same way a proper course curriculum will. They often teach you how and not why. Education is about understanding the Whys, mastering the tools, and knowing when and how to use them.

[kamleshp]

from my experience:
1. It is not worth leaving if you are doing your Bachelors, work towards specialization in your masters. BUT - why did you pick this course at first place? Maybe there lies the answer.
2.Suck it up, this is what you have to do many times in your life. Isn't CFA just a certificate exam, start the prep. For all you know you will the only Law graduate with CFA credentials.
3. Is missing home/family the root cause of all this?

Finally - read the book "the dip" by Seth Godin. It may help to figure out if this is the right time to quit.

[brohanv]

Oh boy, do I have something to add to this dialogue. I feel that it was serendipity that brought me to the T-bhp front page after a week-long break. Before I tell you what I think, there are two important disclaimers, I do speak from a place of the utmost objectivity having been in similar shoes as you and having pulled the trigger. Secondly, I have not been long enough on the professional/ academic grind to see whether my decision brings fruition, which is why give greater importance to advice rendered by older, more accomplished bhp-ians.

Now coming to my two cents here:

Addressing my commonality with your experience, I was at GNLU and about halfway through my first year, being only 18 years old, and having not attained the psychological autonomy to go against the grain of parental and societal prestige, I was very conflicted at this idea. Between all of the trade-offs that were weighed against ideations of a better future, it was a difficult call to make. On the one hand, social prestige and potential big bucks in the future, on the other hand, were socially sanctioned ragging, which, if objected to, led to social ostracisation, among others. Please forgive my defiance, but a very mediocre team of faculty and an outrightly vindictive administration. At least that was my individual experience of it. I took up my feelings about the quality of education with a core faculty member at a more reputed NLU and she called it the faculty crisis. Her argument was, after 10 years of education, it takes a significantly unambitious(for the lack of a better word) being to settle at a STATE university with low pay (NLUs aren't nationalized like the IIT(s)). The quality of life was poor, between being made to dance and sing at the behest of seniors at 2 am in the morning to not having personal space and most importantly a sub-par classroom and learning experience. Law is a complex field, it is an institution based on the ability to interpret words, for which an unalienable prerequisite is a strong individual creative, and intellectual voice. This is effectively thwarted because the NLU curriculum expects you to understand the whole of IPC in one semester for instance. Of course, a young individual's development of mindset is thwarted when you unload ungodly burdens on them. For those that argue that it is a stress test, sure I agree to the extent that the ability to endure stress is a must in this profession but not at the cost of individual creativity. This is how you get mechanical corporate stooges rather than policymakers and jurists.

When one is in these shoes it can often become a question of running away vs. standing your ground. This was what haunted me in this position. The answer to this is simple, accountability to the self and only the self. All the matters of honour and prestige fall when one loses a grasp of themselves. It may be a prerequisite in today's capitalist world that demands value creation above all else, but this simply wasn't it for me.

Now, having quit, I joined a different private law school that was "ranked" lower but broadened the spectrum of experiences I could have, multifold. So I did experience some vindication. But having stayed in this fight for 4 years now, the mid-law-school crisis is all too familiar. I believe law is a serious pursuit and needs a certain maturity of the mind before one can decide to take it up, which is why so many of us go through this. The process of asking yourself "why I'm doing this" is one that never really gets over but a question that demands to be answered regardless.

My suggestion is this. Stay in law school for the dual degree in two scenarios, if your legal knowledge would lend you a position of distinction or advantage in whatever it is that you want to pursue now. Or if no bachelor's courses interest you. Else, there is always something the next door Mukesh wants to tell you about how to live your life, but at the end of the day you sit with the consequences and not him or anyone else. Do not let yourself fall into a state of analysis paralysis because as the great Robin Williams said in The Dead Poet's Society, "Boys you must strive to find your own voice because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it."

Godspeed

[adwaith]

I've made a couple of switches and that experience may be relevant to your query.

It took me until my last semester in engineering during internship, with a placement in hand, to understand that I wanted to do law. Up until then all I knew is that that I didn't like engineering. Those 4 years contribute in no way to my career but they do help in me sometimes in other aspects of life.

I switched over to law and I won't lie, there were fears and a bit of regret initially, but with time I realized it was the right call. The interest and curiosity I have for the subject makes things far easier.

My mentor, a very dear family friend, had gone out of his way to get me that internship, but I felt very out of place typing out code behind a desk. Thankfully with his support and obviously that of my parents I've switched over rather satisfactorily.

I was frequently asked and even now I occasionally am, why I didn't do it right after my 12th. Despite how supportive he has been, my dad has asked me that a few times too. I still do not have a satisfactory answer to that.

A career switch seems risky and wasteful, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Do what you like and do it now. Once you settle in, switching out becomes so much more difficult.

After law, I moved to Delhi, never to come back. The work was great and so were the Courts and I still miss it sometimes. But about 3 months in I couldn't see myself living Delhi long term, especially with the pollution and the pace of life there.

I finally decided that I would leave Delhi and everything pointed in the direction of home. The decision I was faced with at this point was if I was to move back immediately or if I should go somewhere else and collect experience before I head back for my final destination. A well-wisher who heads litigation at one of the foremost firms in the country told me that now that I have decided to move back, do it right away, since we have less time than we think and more importantly each Court has its own pulse and while no experience will go waste, it may not be directly relevant to the practice.

The point being that each industry has its own niches. While a law degree will be helpful, you could use those 2 years to do what you like and suits you better. You could be less sad for 2 years less and out of a place you don't like for 2 years less. It will be difficult in the beginning no doubt, but it will be worth the struggle.

Ditch the law degree and make the switch. Find what you like and what interests you. You'll be much better off.

[TorqMaster]

Just my two cents-

I believe your graduation degree and your occupation could be entirely different. It actually gives you a backup plan in case one doesnt work out.

Finish the course, have the degree in hand. Let this be your plan B and let it start generating income for you. While it is doing that, start your next venture of what you want to do. Carve out time and put in the effort since this is the age you can afford to do that. If you arent going to “ work out your Plan A” now despite the time and energy constraints believe me you wont have worked it out when the road was smoother.

The best plan always involves a plan B. I really dont want to call it as “suck it up” and finish the current course. You are “enduring the hardship” and finishing the course. The entire mindset and attitude is different with the second thought. You will succeed.

May God be with you and guide you.

[shaggydogg]

I resonate with your experience completely. Its been more than a decade and half now, but I actually ended up quitting NLU Bhopal in the first week. The reasons were manifold and I won't get into it, but I understand what you are feeling. I did end up pursuing law, but I did it from a university outside India, finished in 3 years and had a great life experience to boot.

Having said that, what I have come to learn over these past fifteen years is that the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in your career in the corporate world (you mention an interest in finance, so I am only talking about the corporate world) are very rarely developed at during your undergrad. If you are truly serious about pursuing further education in finance/management, I would suggest just suck it up and get through the two years. Get yourself some relevant internships during your breaks and start building a CV that will help you get into a great B-School. Lawyers seldom apply to B-Schools so you would be a very unique candidate in a sea of engineering freshers. The scene in India is highly competitive but with a good GMAT score, you could easily make it to ISB or a good top tier college abroad - demonstrable work experience and leadership skills are the key here and that is what you should focus on.

I only say this because if you were to drop out now and pursue a new degree, its not going to add much to your professional development, you may feel alienated from your peers and its a further investment of three years. While I completely agree with many others on this forum that this time in your 20s barely counts and will not even register much a decade later, you must give some weightage to the additional time invested starting a new degree, which may not be as good a learning experience as taking up some interesting internships.

I would try to target areas like consulting firms (Big 4s) in Financial Advisory - where they do employ a large number of lawyers. This way, you can get a foot into the door with your current education and then try to take up more interesting assignments. This will also help build your network for the future when you do not want to work in the legal industry.

Hope this helps!

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Streetracer_372

I am happy to see someone else going through the same dilemma as me. I am currently halfway through the first year of my Bcom. I was pursuing CA alongside but failed my first attempt in the Foundation exam. I have lost my interest in Accounting and feel that Tech/IT has a safer future and better pay prospects.My first plan was to pursue post graduation(MCA) but I am not eligible for admission due to not having studied Maths or Statistics in Class 12 or UG.Are there any valuable certifications or in demand skills that can help me to change careers provided that I can pursue it on a part time basis or after Bcom

Looks like your question got missed in-between the original discussion. There are many BCom grads working in the IT industry as programmers. Just pursue some programming courses from a place like NIIT along with graduation. The main challenge will be getting that first job where the bigger companies in India still look for BE and Math. But there are many opportunities nowadays. Post the first job, nobody cares about your degree.
Another option is to get into a Fintech firm with your commerce skills and then switch to tech internally by showcasing your aptitude and skills.

[d.w.w.]

I understand that you have decide to continue with the course. The good thing is that you took advice from many people in the process and made your decision. While you are in your 20s, you get that push to over react and take decisions when you are not thinking straight. If you avoid taking that decision, you will get things right. I did this mistake of taking a bad decision while I was having a bad time in my 20s, and now I regret it almost every day.

Originally Posted by Streetracer_372

I have lost my interest in Accounting and feel that Tech/IT has a safer future and better pay prospects.My first plan was to pursue post graduation(MCA) but I am not eligible for admission due to not having studied Maths or Statistics in Class 12 or UG.Are there any valuable certifications or in demand skills that can help me to change careers provided that I can pursue it on a part time basis or after Bcom

This looks like a case of 'grass is greener on the other side'. If you think IT jobs are safe, do check out the layoff thread here. Why don't you try for bank jobs since you are already in to commerce. Starting salary of a PSU bank PO is 60K+ while that of a IT fresher is 20k+. Who do you think has more job security? IT job can bring you more money only if you are good at the job and make enough job switches in the carrier, but before you try to switch careers, make sure you have it in you. I know many people who joined IT companies and then realizing they never possessed the skills to survive.

[Sandy Damodaran]

Originally Posted by skillaft

Hi,


Conclusion:

I have stated my 3 questions which I am seriously confused about and am not sure what to do about. I would be highly obliged if someone who has been in the same shoes or someone with experience or anyone who has any advice can share their opinion.

Thank you.

There's yet another option, take a year off, declutter and then rejoin this. I was in a similar place in a different era, and different course and this helped me

[iFrag]

Been there in your shoes, I hated my undergrad - it was not the course but the college. It was not my cup tea.

Things that helped cross that tough stage in my life, I was planning for MS abroad from 2nd year and was taking steps to achieve by preparing for GRE. That helped to divert from focus to a forward thinking mode rather than dwell in my current state. I am a firm believer in owning my mistakes and making lemonade from lemons.

That being said, I did engineering so I always knew that I will do MS. Ultimately, I did pursue MS in the US.

[voldemort]

Not recommending any course of action for you to take, but here are some thoughts:

• You do not want to be a lawyer and you hate that place.
• Having said that, knowledge of law might be useful in many other fields, such as finance, business, or even engineering.
• What's the other thing that you are interested in? Do you already know or is it something you're yet to explore?
  (You mentioned finance -- but it wasn't clear if you mentioned that as just an example or not).
  • If you already know the other thing that you want to pursue, go for it!
  • If you do not already know what other field you're interested in, you might as well continue with your current course, and on the side explore what you really want to do.
• In the long run grades probably wouldn't matter. Eventually the only thing your employers care about is that you can do your job sufficiently well and you're not a terrible person to work with.

Originally Posted by skillaft

I have decided to complete my course here only. Even though, I dislike the field, I have started something and I think I should finish it and it is not like everything I learn here will go to waste, quite the opposite actually. Talked to some passed out seniors and some more people in the industry, completing the course seems apt choice.

Happy to know you came to that conclusion. I don't want to spook you, but you might want to read up on sunk cost though. Just something to keep in mind.

Most young people understandably don't really know what they want to do. To somewhat solve this problem universities in the United States, for example, allow you to study whatever you want once you're admitted in. Like, I personally knew people who simultaneously pursued biology, political science, astronomy, math, dance etc. You only have to declare your major by around year 2 once you experiment and decide you want to do. (Of course, this costs both time and money.)

I'm going off on a tangent here, but for those who're curious about the above here's an official article from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology): Major Exploration (I did NOT study at MIT).

Good luck man!

[LegalEagle]

Let me start of by saying this - I am a lawyer, who joined this course as a last resort - because my +2 grades were not great.

Now, I am not your typical court work lawyer. I am the corporate counsel for an IT company, and have learned a lot along the way.

Also, I did not graduate from a Tier 1 NLU. I graduated from a law college which no longer exists, and from a university which is considered the last resort for anyone who stays in one of the biggest cities of India, and cannot get into the top university of the country.

With that in the open, below points matter -
1. Grades and marksheets do not matter in law at all. I scored a 6 CGPA back in 2009, and worked my way up.
2. Grades help only in shortlisting for campus placements. Should not be a problem as you are from a Tier 1 NLU.
3. Everyone around you would like to join a law firm. Do not get influenced by that.
4. If your first job doesn't get you what you want, switch jobs after a couple of years to get to the role of your interest.

The above points are the ones I learnt in my current journey, and am learning along the way.

Happy to guide you if needed.

[fhdowntheline]

Stay focussed on your law degree and the acquired skills/ knowledge , create its worth in your mindspace and I am sure you will have a great career ahead.

[jkrishnakj]

You’ve said that you hate the place! And get home sick. Do you hate the course too?

If you just end up deciding to suck it up and finish, and do an MBA on top, you’ll be acquiring a skill that not many in the world can boast of.

Now, what if you stop now to change a course and end up not liking the place and the course? That’s another point to think through.

[One]

Originally Posted by Streetracer_372

I have lost my interest in Accounting and feel that Tech/IT has a safer future and better pay prospects.My first plan was to pursue post graduation(MCA) but I am not eligible for admission due to not having studied Maths or Statistics in Class 12 or UG.Are there any valuable certifications or in demand skills that can help me to change careers provided that I can pursue it on a part time basis or after Bcom

Am not sure about the "safer future and better prospects part" but can answer your question around Tech.

Yes, there are multiple skills you can learn in Tech which will make you competent for openings atleast in the short term of 5-7 years. The beauty of tech is :
1. that everything in the beginning can be learnt online (through excellent free courses) without formal schooling
2. Valid competency can demonstrated online (through publishing your app/website/ code online) alongwith studying without formal educational degree.
3. You have time to gauge if you like it or not assuming there's a sincere effort towards learning something new.

I don't know enough about your tech background while you do your Commerce degree to be able to suggest a specific path but feel free to ask your questions here so than they can be answered.