I started to - I went to law school with the intent of switching, and ultimately cut that short to go back to tech. I just didn't enjoy working with attorneys. I'm sure some people do, so my rejection of that industry should be taken with a grain of salt... but I'd take time to get to know who your professional community would be before committing to such a change.
I'm curious. What was your experience working with attorneys? I heard an anecdote from a law student that the classmates were highly competitive about grades. Less anecdotally, there was a recent Financial Times article about corporate lawyers at one firm billing ~100 hours each week, and others sleeping only ~5 hours a night. It also reported a more accurate measurement from a survey:
"That level of exhaustion is taking a toll. In a survey of over 1,700 lawyers published in September, LawCare — a mental health charity in the sector — found almost 70 per cent had experienced ill health, either clinically or self-diagnosed, in the 12 months to January 2021, including depression and anxiety. According to the study, those aged between 26 and 35 were displaying the highest burnout scores — in part because of a lack of autonomy over their working lives. A fifth of respondents said they felt unable to cope." [0]
I'm guessing that law attracts competitive personalities who are willing to work long hours to make money, and that prospect might cause many lawyers to be high-strung.
It’s like anything else, people get into law and chase money without thinking about what they are getting into and why the pay is so high. Don’t feel sorry for them, a bunch of type-a types killing each other for sport is by it’s nature a stressful endeavor.
Even in public sector, the mental toll of dealing with criminal prosecution and defense is high. Alcoholism is rampant, all sorts of personal acting out / implosions are frequent. (High-flyer prosecutors and corp counsel people in local government are looking for money indirectly through political aspirations or access.)
It’s the price of admission to working your way into a more elite strata of society. It’s much harder than the old fashioned way.
People who find a less lucrative, but sustainable, niche are like any other professional.
Though: Software Engineering is not doing all that well on the mental health front either, as far as professions go. See [1] which I found kind of shocking, though I don't know what those numbers look like for other professions or in the general population.
Software Engineering is an appealing profession for people with several of the issues on this list (in particular: social anxiety, ADHD, spectrum disorders) so this is not surprising.
You are mixing up cause and effect; working as a developer is not causing ADHD, bi-polar disorder or spectrum disorders.
I’m a truly happy attorney! So is my wife. But it’s a client service job. I think a lot of Americans suffer from delusions of grandeur, especially more highly educated ones, and the reality of being a cog in the machine really bursts their bubble. I think of myself more like a very skilled tradesman. People need legal representation, just like they need electricians. My trade is intellectually stimulating and highly remunerative, so why shouldn’t I be happy?
