1. Law is far more stressful from a business standpoint. Because of the business pressures I'd only go back into practice as corporate counsel or now that I've learned about it, as a patent litigator, but I'm too late for that game maybe
2. No opinion
3. Yes but I don't know how to express them, they're so subjective. Lawyering is like boxing coupled with research and writing. Tech work is engineering. Interpersonal skills, stamina, a go for the jugular instinct are far more important to successful lawyering than to tech work after you've established yourself as a developer and become sought after. For lawyering, selling yourself, reading people, keeping a poker face, negotiations, all of these skills yes you still need these for the every endeavor's business side but they'll be tapped constantly both the biz aspect and the job throughout your legal career, and you have to be in top form. Also when you start out if you don't come from a name school your employment options are nearly as bad as if you had no graduate degree. You may not have much choice in what kind of work you do if you generalize: Whatever walks in the door is your next task.
Law positives: I did mostly consumer collections defense and I loved it. The people I helped really needed help. It wasn't financially rewarding but it was immensely satisfying to help people out of situations usually not totally of their own making. The matters almost always have a definite ending point so there's not much worrying after its done and the relevant time periods run. I had no problems going to sleep every night. I kept 9-5 hours and had Federal holidays (unpaid though). The ageism in software is inverted in law.
Software positives: The money. Geographical flexibility if you don't need to be in SV. Being in demand all the time. Performing at the top of your field without having to schmooze with scumbags you'd avoid if you could (on the net excepted). Taking a concept from idea to market, and being recognized for it. Ageism. Working for The Man if you're not into roll of the dice contracting. Did I mention the money?
2. No opinion
3. Yes but I don't know how to express them, they're so subjective. Lawyering is like boxing coupled with research and writing. Tech work is engineering. Interpersonal skills, stamina, a go for the jugular instinct are far more important to successful lawyering than to tech work after you've established yourself as a developer and become sought after. For lawyering, selling yourself, reading people, keeping a poker face, negotiations, all of these skills yes you still need these for the every endeavor's business side but they'll be tapped constantly both the biz aspect and the job throughout your legal career, and you have to be in top form. Also when you start out if you don't come from a name school your employment options are nearly as bad as if you had no graduate degree. You may not have much choice in what kind of work you do if you generalize: Whatever walks in the door is your next task.
Law positives: I did mostly consumer collections defense and I loved it. The people I helped really needed help. It wasn't financially rewarding but it was immensely satisfying to help people out of situations usually not totally of their own making. The matters almost always have a definite ending point so there's not much worrying after its done and the relevant time periods run. I had no problems going to sleep every night. I kept 9-5 hours and had Federal holidays (unpaid though). The ageism in software is inverted in law.
Software positives: The money. Geographical flexibility if you don't need to be in SV. Being in demand all the time. Performing at the top of your field without having to schmooze with scumbags you'd avoid if you could (on the net excepted). Taking a concept from idea to market, and being recognized for it. Ageism. Working for The Man if you're not into roll of the dice contracting. Did I mention the money?