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CLS people: How bad is an A- and two Bs for fall semester of 1L?
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Feb 3, 2011 16:47
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HiddenReplaced posted:Would it really be so terrible making 140k with insane benefits, tons of free time, and job security for the rest of your life? Really? Why are you even thinking of leaving this position? I mean I know why, I think most of us on here have a pretty good feel for your ambitions by now, but think about this. You're going to lose SO MUCH of your free time for a little bit more money...SO MUCH. Please take the time to calculate how much you make per hour now, and how much you will make once you have to bill 2k+ hours. Yes. Do this. Do not do the other thing. Your wife's job is transitory. If she is the same age as you there's an excellent chance she'll be doing something else soon. There is opportunity for advancement in your current job, just not limitless advancement. The money is great at your current job and you constantly talk about how much free time you have. Do not take the new job. Stay where you are. It would be a very bad trade.
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Feb 3, 2011 16:51
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HiddenReplaced posted:Would it really be so terrible making 140k with insane benefits, tons of free time, and job security for the rest of your life? Really? Why are you even thinking of leaving this position? I mean I know why, I think most of us on here have a pretty good feel for your ambitions by now, but think about this. You're going to lose SO MUCH of your free time for a little bit more money...SO MUCH. Please take the time to calculate how much you make per hour now, and how much you will make once you have to bill 2k+ hours. Chiming in on this. WJ I understand the pressure to do what you are thinking. But you have about the sweetest setup in the world. If you really want to lose your free time and make more money, start up your own business, write a book, or something. I'm not trying to quell your ambitions. I'm just saying that if I could have a job where I made six figures with insane benefits (and won't you hit full pension by the time you're in your 40s??) and lots of free time / flexibility I would probably kill a muppet for it. I really, really think you are being prestige blinded by other people in your circles making more than you and you are missing out on the incredibly, unbelievably awesome deal life has handed you.
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Feb 3, 2011 17:13
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seriously this has like HORRIBLE LIFE MISTAKE written all over it man, I'm telling you
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Feb 3, 2011 17:15
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I think Baruch has a legitimate issue here - topping out your career income at 29 is not awesome, especially if you live in the DC metro area, which has one of the highest costs of living in the country. If he wants to have several kids, and save for their college, and other adult things, topping out in a few years is not a great thing. I can definitely understand your possible interest in trading some free time and flexibility for a higher income potential, Baruch. Solomon Grundy will probably support switching jobs, if I remember correctly he had some choice words to say about raising a family and how much it really costs. edit: How many of you advising him to stay are married, or have kids to support, and live in a high cost area like DC? $140k in my hometown would be incredible, $140k in DC while single or DINK w/ my wife would be awesome, but $140k in DC with my wife not working and with kids? That could be problematic in the long run. entris fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 17:19
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I'm so glad that people are stupid and self-destructive enough to quit high-earning, totally secure federal jobs that allow comfortable lifestyles while working and the chance for a real, dignified, comparatively wealthy retirement at a relatively early age. If they didn't, my chance at getting one of those jobs would be exactly zero, instead of just effectively zero.
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Feb 3, 2011 17:19
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entris posted:edit: How many of you advising him to stay are married, or have kids to support, and live in a high cost area like DC? Good thing he can move wherever he wants!
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Feb 3, 2011 17:40
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entris posted:I think Baruch has a legitimate issue here - topping out your career income at 29 is not awesome, especially if you live in the DC metro area, which has one of the highest costs of living in the country. I'm sympathetic to the problem, but at some point you start to sound like the law professor who was complaining that OBAMATAX would bankrupt him because after his vacations and parties and cars and pools and landscaping and kids private school his family just doesn't have any disposable income.
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Feb 3, 2011 17:41
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Also you said you were thinking of starting a business on the side a few pages or so ago, kiss that goodbye.
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Feb 3, 2011 17:42
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entris posted:I think Baruch has a legitimate issue here - topping out your career income at 29 is not awesome, especially if you live in the DC metro area, which has one of the highest costs of living in the country. When it comes to cost of living, it doesn't matter what age you top out at, it matters what dollar value you top out at.
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Feb 3, 2011 17:58
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Petey posted:seriously this has like HORRIBLE LIFE MISTAKE written all over it man, I'm telling you prussian advisor posted:I'm so glad that people are stupid and self-destructive enough to quit high-earning, totally secure federal jobs that allow comfortable lifestyles while working and the chance for a real, dignified, comparatively wealthy retirement at a relatively early age. If they didn't, my chance at getting one of those jobs would be exactly zero, instead of just effectively zero.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:00
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gvibes posted:I think the scope of the mistake is limited by the fact that he can always go back to work for the PTO. Yeah, hypothetically. Realistically he'll work for a year, his wife will leave her job, a kid might pop up, and then mounting financial obligations that come with increased income will force him to stay at his lovely new job.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:03
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entris posted:You are missing a couple of points: - WJ can move wherever he wants once he tops out and just telecommute, so the cost of living is a matter of preference for the DC area - he also has so much free time that he can start his own business or practice on the side, which is what many patent examiners do - he'll be fully vested in his federal pension by the time he's like 45 also, not 'some free time and flexibility' - because what he has now is not "some of it" he has "all of it"
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Feb 3, 2011 18:03
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gvibes posted:I think the scope of the mistake is limited by the fact that he can always go back to work for the PTO. It is much harder to go back to making less money than to stay making less money, I think: you tend to make financial commitments (house, children, ect) that don't work with the old salary.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:05
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like WJ could literally move to guam and become king of guam with abugadu as his aaron rodgers stalking manservant with his salary, his flexibility is incredible
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Feb 3, 2011 18:06
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Petey posted:You are missing a couple of points: I don't know what federal pension payouts are but state and county, it is like 80-90 of current salary retiring after 25-30 years. With medical. Pretty awesome.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:15
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Jesus, no wonder pensions are bankrupting the country.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:17
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diospadre posted:Jesus, no wonder pensions are bankrupting the country. (Oh and he's not really going to vest at 45)
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Feb 3, 2011 18:22
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diospadre posted:Jesus, no wonder pensions are bankrupting the country. They aren't in any way though, of course, and there's certainly no pension systems on the east coast at least that function anywhere near as generously as what nm is describing. If that's how it works in California, maybe, but it doesn't work that way in any other state I've looked into, including New York. I'll be shocked if anyone can show me a state pension plan that gives a more generous annual benefit than the military does for 20-30 years of service (50-75% of base pay within that range of years.) I'll be triply shocked if its in any state that isn't California.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:37
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Holland Oats posted:CLS people: How bad is an A- and two Bs for fall semester of 1L? Not bad. Not good. Average
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Feb 3, 2011 18:39
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Petey posted:Chiming in on this. WJ I understand the pressure to do what you are thinking. But you have about the sweetest setup in the world. If you really want to lose your free time and make more money, start up your own business, write a book, or something. I'm really not doing Keeping Up with the Joneses: I make by far more than any of my friends I'm fairly sure (although I don't really talk salary; that'd be gauche). I just want more money so I can do poo poo like get a new TV, go on a vacation, etc. CmdrSmirnoff posted:I'm sympathetic to the problem, but at some point you start to sound like the law professor who was complaining that OBAMATAX would bankrupt him because after his vacations and parties and cars and pools and landscaping and kids private school his family just doesn't have any disposable income. Eh, more like I'd like to have vacations and parties and cars and pools and landscaping and kids private school. The issue with everything is that working at a law firm opens up salary potential not just slightly higher than my potential at the patent office, but much higher. Yeah, I'd probably be starting at only 160k (heh, "only"), which is 40k more than what I made last year, but if it's realistic to think that I could be making like half-million in fifteen years... Although honestly if I could figure out something like a "work at home" that I could make an extra $500 a week or so I'd probably be happy doing what I'm doing now.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:49
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prussian advisor posted:They aren't in any way though, of course, Most state pension plans are bankrupt. They just haven't admitted it yet.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:50
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evilweasel posted:Most state pension plans are bankrupt. They just haven't admitted it yet. I didn't say state pension plans weren't underfunded, since a lot of them are (often deliberately.) I meant that state pension benefits aren't "bankrupting the country" in any sense of the phrase.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:53
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prussian advisor posted:I'm so glad that people are stupid and self-destructive enough to quit high-earning, totally secure federal jobs that allow comfortable lifestyles while working and the chance for a real, dignified, comparatively wealthy retirement at a relatively early age. If they didn't, my chance at getting one of those jobs would be exactly zero, instead of just effectively zero. Same here. I have gotten some "referred to selecting official" hits on usajobs so the more people leave for the awesome private sector the better. I also applied to a low-level USCIS job in Guam because once I'm in the federal system I won't be leaving.
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Feb 3, 2011 19:06
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Baruch Obamawitz posted:The issue with everything is that working at a law firm opens up salary potential not just slightly higher than my potential at the patent office, but much higher. Yeah, I'd probably be starting at only 160k (heh, "only"), which is 40k more than what I made last year, but if it's realistic to think that I could be making like half-million in fifteen years... How is your resume in terms of law school and undergrad degree?
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Feb 3, 2011 19:48
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gvibes posted:I think that a vanishingly small group of patent attorneys ever hit 500k, so I don't think it's particularly realistic. More likely is that you work a few years, get laid off, and have trouble finding a biglaw job again. what do you mean? 3.65 BS in Comp. Sci. at FIU, 3.23 at GULC
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Feb 3, 2011 20:31
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Baruch Obamawitz posted:I'm really not doing Keeping Up with the Joneses: I make by far more than any of my friends I'm fairly sure (although I don't really talk salary; that'd be gauche). I just want more money so I can do poo poo like get a new TV, go on a vacation, etc. Baruch Obamawitz posted:Although honestly if I could figure out something like a "work at home" that I could make an extra $500 a week or so I'd probably be happy doing what I'm doing now.
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Feb 3, 2011 20:47
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Baruch Obamawitz posted:what do you mean? There just aren't a ton of biglaw patent associate jobs, and even if you keep one, just about nobody makes equity, so 500k is a pipe dream. And if you plan on doing prosecution, there is even less of a chance of making 500k. My last firm (vault 50) had maybe a 100 person patent practice, and we had not made a new equity partner in the last five years.
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Feb 3, 2011 21:15
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Baruch Obamawitz posted:I'm really not doing Keeping Up with the Joneses: I make by far more than any of my friends I'm fairly sure (although I don't really talk salary; that'd be gauche). I just want more money so I can do poo poo like get a new TV, go on a vacation, etc. If you can't afford a TV and vacation on $120-140K, then you have a bigger problem. But seriously, it seems you have a case of the grass is always greener. I can seee how it might be depressing to be at your top salary before you're 30. But it's not like that top salary is $50K. How much do you value your gym time and rugby? As cliche as it sounds, money doesn't buy happiness, and if you have to give up all the things you like to do, will you be any happier just because you have more money? There's a value to your free time, even if it doesn't have a dollar value associated with it. Now, if you really hate your job and can't bear the thought of doing that for the next couple of decades (which is how I felt about law firms), then that would be a good reason to switch jobs. But if it's only about money, I don't know... I know I wouldn't trade my summers off for anything!
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Feb 3, 2011 21:26
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To be honest, it sounds like the best solution is to find your wife a better job. If she quits it sounds like it makes this change a net loss for the two of you, financially.
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Feb 3, 2011 21:34
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And then start work on piefarts.com
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Feb 3, 2011 21:34
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Baruch Obamawitz posted:I just want more money so I can do poo poo like get a new TV, go on a vacation, etc. I am going to kill you Not because your desires are unreasonable but because you can't figure out how to get a new TV on $120k a year with a wife working quote:Although honestly if I could figure out something like a "work at home" that I could make an extra $500 a week or so I'd probably be happy doing what I'm doing now. This. Do this. goddammit WJ do this. I am trying to save your life. e: think, for a moment, about all of the things you are going to have to give up to take this job. Now realize that you don't have that security anymore. And then think about the fact that you could just use some of that lingering libertarian initiative to bootstrap your way into supplemental income that would equal it. Petey fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 21:35
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quepasa18 posted:How much do you value your gym time and rugby? On the other hand, how much do you value your ACL's and menisci? Maybe if I'd been busier during college I wouldn't have dead people in both my knees.
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Feb 3, 2011 21:43
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Petey posted:I am going to kill you He doesn't even have law school debt! What the hell!?
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Feb 3, 2011 21:54
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Holland Oats posted:CLS people: How bad is an A- and two Bs for fall semester of 1L? Based on the the fact that you're mentioning three grades and not four, I assume CLS is Columbia and not Cornell?
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Feb 3, 2011 22:04
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WJ if you can't do all that poo poo with no debt on 140K you are Dumb As Hell
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Feb 3, 2011 22:08
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Well, he is a government employee. But since it's been pointed out so much, what's wrong with the idea of starting a side business for extra income? Seems to me like the way to go - you retain your current good job, you have flexibility over your new business, and if your side business fails, you've got a strong safety net in place. If your new business takes off, you could be looking at much better income numbers. What's the downside to that?
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Feb 3, 2011 22:10
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this thread is literally becoming that blog post from a couple months ago.
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Feb 3, 2011 22:10
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Lilosh posted:Based on the the fact that you're mentioning three grades and not four, I assume CLS is Columbia and not Cornell? CLS = Columbia The rule is the most prestigious institution gets the acronym.
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Feb 3, 2011 22:15
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Welp, time to hire some Chinese animators where do I go do that?
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Feb 3, 2011 22:16
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