Shivana Brhamadat November 12, 2006
Career and Transfer Research Paper “My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there”- Charles F. Kettering. The future can hold many possibilities, we can make choices that can either haunt us or open a world of opportunity. Perhaps the best way to walk the path towards our future is to plan our way getting there, after all without a map we might as well be lost. But not all who wander are lost, I’ve wandered through most of highschool thinking about possible careers that best fit my interest. After I transfered from Queensborough Community College I decided to become a lawyer. I was influenced by my family having experience in buying and selling houses as well as contracting and fixer-up development. I am now a Paralegal Studies major at LaGuardia Community College. I plan on becoming a real estate lawyer. The first step in becoming a lawyer is to have a bachelor’s degree, afterwards attending law school prepares a student for the Bar exam. One must pass the Bar exam in order to become a practicing lawyer. The entry level salary range for all lawyer graduates is $55,000. The job duties of a lawyer are to “handle all real estate related legal issues, including transfers of titles and deeds, construction, mortgage concerns, and zoning. Provide legal advice to an organization, prepare resolutions and forms, and participate in major legal actions. They must be familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures. Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Perform a variety of tasks. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to the top legal executive/general counsel (salary.com)”. According to www.collegeboard.com, government economists expect job growth for lawyers to increase as fast as the average for all careers. Experts warn that this field will become increasingly competitive as more and more students complete law school. Interpersonal skills needed for becoming a lawyer are office skills such as usage of Microsoft Word, multi tasking, teamwork, and communication skills. I already possess communication skills and office skills but I need to work on my skills in working with groups. Usually in group work I try to motivate others in order to get the job done. In some cases I’ve had to do projects on my own without the help of others because they were lazy or inattentive. I plan on upgrading my skills by gaining experience in different law fields, perhaps later on I will move onto general practice of law rather than only real estate. I plan on being a lawyer for about eight years before I move onto my second career which is a Judge. The minimum educational requirements for becoming a judge is a bachelor’s degree as well as experience, although most judges have a law degree. The duties of
a judge are to ensure that all trials are held in a fair manner, resolving disputes as well as determining guilt or innocence between two parties. The entry level salary range for a judge or magistrate position is $93,070. A high use of communication skills are necessary for becoming a judge, as well as good decision making on deciding the fate of a party. In order to upgrade my skills, I plan on acquiring knowledge from different areas of law in order to apply them to future cases. I will probably sit in the jury of other cases and trials in order to gain information and have a broader area of knowledge on different laws. I plan on going to City Tech for my choice as a four year CUNY school. The major I’m interested in is Paralegal Studies. The tuition for a full time matriculated student is $2,000 per semester. What’s special about this college is it’s convenient for me to get there, as well as a few clubs I’m interested in joining. I originally decided on going to John Jay College, but I’ll graduate faster from City Tech since the major is the same as LaGuardia’s. A scholarship I’m eligible for here is the Benjamin H. Namm Scholarship. I have the minimum GPA requirements for it as well as financial need. The award is $500 per semester. The SUNY I picked out was University at Buffalo Law School. This is where I plan on attending for four years in order to become a lawyer. The annual tuition is $12,170. I haven’t seen any information on scholarships on the site however. I plan on going for the JD Program. After the first year I can customize the program to whatever area of law I wish to pursue. Preferably real estate law.