My husband and I decided that we really needed a getaway of our own, someplace where we could relax and escape the stresses of everyday life with our two pooches. So we started out on our search for the perfect little cabin on a piece of lakefront property in northwestern Wisconsin. I knew the search wouldn’t be easy, but I never expected it to be full of so many twists and turns.
The realtor we started out with was a real piece of work. Most of the listings had not been updated with important information like, “you know all those trees that surround the cabin . . . well, they have been cut down to make way for additional lots.” And unexpected changes to our pre-approved loan amount because of all of the “stuff” going on in the lending market soured our disposition. However, the most frustrating point of all happened half way through our search. I found out that my company would be going through a merger that most certainly will mean staffing reductions, and my husband got the news that his salary had been frozen, so that the pay increase that was to accompany his promotion was not going to happen this year. So here we are, more stressed than ever, and torn about whether to continue on, hoping for the best, or put the whole thing on hold until conditions stabilize.
In a shaky market, buying property has it pros and cons, but so does spending a ton of money on law school. It is not hard to find a plethora of stories about layoffs in firms large and small around the country: Law Shucks even has a layoff tracker. So with everything that is going on, my potential job loss, a combined forecasted salary of a few grand less than expected, and an uncertain legal job market, why have I never questioned my attendance in law school?