Step 1: How to see which career is right for you

If there’s one lesson more important than any other, it’s to look for a career that is right for you and your very many skills, qualities and interests. Don’t just follow the crowd. You have many options, and you are privileged to be able to aim for a job that should give you satisfaction and fulfilment. If the path you’re looking at doesn’t do this, find a different one. And remember, you are not limited to the legal field.

Look back at what you have enjoyed most at school, in your spare time, while at the LSE and beforehand. Close examination of these periods reveals a lot about the sort of person you are, what you care about and where you feel comfortable. One way to approach this is to write a list of everything you’ve chosen to do, what you’ve learned from those experiences and what they demonstrate to yourself and others. Write too, a list of where you hold back, where you’ve made mistakes, what you don’t enjoy, and ask yourself why. What do those choices and experiences say about you? What environments make you thrive? What do you actually want to be doing on a day to day basis? Who do you enjoy working with? What are the values you want to adhere to?

If you are finding it hard to articulate your values, The Life Values Inventory is a free online programme that asks you a series of questions about your values and actions and then presents you with your results.

In addition, you could explore the LSE Careers Skills Framework. This runs through the many skills that all employers are looking for at the moment, the world over, and highlights how you might go about acquiring and demonstrating them. You can record your progress on the platform.

Armed with a firm reminder about who you are and what you stand for, you can then explore what’s out there and what you may be suited to.

Also, do remember that an LSE law degree is a global passport to a vast range of professions, moving far beyond the traditional UK solicitor or barrister roles. Our graduates apply their analytical skills in many and varied legal fields all over the world, from corporate M&A to international human rights, compliance to social work. Furthermore, they are equally respected in global finance, charities, management consulting, government policy and diplomacy, teaching, journalism and politics, often finishing their careers with leadership roles in multinational corporations or organisations like the UN. There is no need to feel pigeonholed by your degree.

The Career planning section of the LSE Careers website gives you much more information and access to more tools to discover more about yourself and your career options so do look at those too if you are in any doubt.

You can also explore your motivations and values in a one-to-one appointment with a careers consultant.