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Comment by tibbon | Hacker News Reader

At betahouse (Cambridge coworking loft from 2007-2010) there were at least 3-4 people who were lawyers turned technologists/hackers/programmers/etc. Everyone said they were significantly happier working in software than they were in law. These days, they are probably making more money in software too :)

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>These days, they are probably making more money in software too :)

Really? Doesn't biglaw pay 170k starting salaries?

No, only for those with proper creds - top school, top of the class, etc.

Yea, that's like saying Google pays $1M/yr. I'm sure they do to some people, but that's only after a key player has been headhunted by Facebook or something.

At least one of the betahouse guys did a JD/Phd at Harvard and passed the bar in NY and MA, but still by all accounts seems to indicate that he's significantly happier programming than lawyering.

I don't think its about the money, but rather the environment, lifestyle, and culture. Being a freelance software dev in Cambridge isn't a bad gig as long as you've got stable incoming projects.

I agree happier, but you said more money. So that's false. Still, I appreciate you chiming in.

BTW - many law firms pay $170k+ to t14 grads - not just top of the class - so comparing it to Google $1mm/yr salaries is a false analogy.

:) Precise thinking leads to precise writing. Reading wrong information leads to imprecise thinking.

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