Undergraduate Degree(s): Political Science

Graduate degree(s): Juris Doctor (JD)- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. I knew I had to go to law school because I did not want to teach and jobs with a political science degree are hard to come by. But I also knew that I would be a lawyer.

Favorite class(es): I didn't have just one. I really enjoyed my upper level political science classes. In law school, it was probably my small lecture classes. I enjoyed the opportunity to analyze and discuss various issues.

Changing majors:

I went to a medical magnet high school. But for some reason the need to be in the medical field escaped me when I got to college. While I explored business and (VERY) briefly nursing as majors, I really enjoyed Political Science.

I think the reason I even considered business or nursing was because I knew that those were "practical" degrees that I could get a job in out of college. Ultimately, they weren't what interested me and I continued on with political science.

Moving from college to career:

My undergrad degree wasn't essential to get me where I am today, but it helped. I needed a degree to be able to go to law school, but law schools consider a wide variety of degrees.

I'm glad that I chose the major I did because the amount of reading and writing I did was helpful in law school. While other majors like English do the same, the style and type of writing is very different. I saw that many people had a transition to get out of "business" writing or writing as English majors.

Being able to analyze and look at things from a different perspective was definitely helpful in law school and continues to be helpful today.

Career influences:

There were a couple of things that influenced me, the first being my grandfather. Growing up in El Paso, I didn't know any lawyers. I knew my grandpa (who did not have higher than a high school education) believed in helping people and speaking up when he didn't think something was right. I went with him on many voter education and petition drives. He inspired me to get involved.

In undergrad, I participated in the Law School Preparation Institute at UTEP. Without that, I would never have had the opportunity visit a law school (UT) and would have had no idea how to prepare for the LSAT, law school or had any idea of what to expect. Because I didn't know anyone who had gone through the law school process, this was vital. I enjoyed the techniques we learned and the way classes were taught (it was my first exposure to Socratic method).

Remember what you are doing now will be looked back on later. During my time as a recruiter with SMU Law, one piece of advice I offered applicants was to be professional. Get an email address that incorporates your name (or doesn't have nicknames or slang), and be aware of what you are putting online. Twitter and Facebook are great places for employers and schools to begin their research about you. Don't give them anything to judge you on (fairly or not).

Don't choose a career because you think it will "make money." Often we incur debt for school thinking we are making an investment because we are guaranteed a job upon graduation. This isn't the case. Also, you may aspire to work for a big law firm and make great money, but you may realize that the environment or lifestyle is not something you really want.

When trying to decide what you want to do after college, take several things into consideration--especially whether you will enjoy what you do. While jobs are hard to come by in this market, you don't want to spend the majority of your waking hours doing something you don't enjoy or even like.

I wish I'd known how important first year grades really are in law school. While you have the opportunity to continue to raise your GPA throughout your law school career, those first year grades will lay the foundation for opportunities you will encounter during the summer of your second year.

Get to know your college (or grad school) career service counselors and take advantage of them. That's what they are there for. They can be an invaluable resource for connecting you to future jobs. Mine definitely were.

Learn more about careers in:

• Business & Entrepreneurship
• Government & Public Affairs

Check out these links:

• WorkinTexas.org