hobbes1989 wrote:Does anyone else really, really, really want to live in Colorado for the stereotypical reasons but is underwhelmed by CU's post-graduation employment numbers? I would love to pull the trigger, but I'd literally be making more (albeit in a far shittier city/state) at my current job than the 75th percentile of 2015 CU grads...
I still find this
exchangebetween a CU law prof and a prospective admit on Dean's scholarship to CU insightful. Observe especially this part:
If you go to CU you are likely to end up needing to get a job in Colorado. The difficulty with this is that you don’t appear to have any connections to the area, which puts you at something of a disadvantage in comparison to people who do. CU law graduates are currently having quite a bit of difficulty getting real legal jobs, meaning full-time long-term employment that requires a law degree. Not having connections to the area will be a problem for you, all other things being equal.
Do not simply look at income stats, but look at where grads earn that money. If I recall correctly, the most recent (2015?) ABA report said 124 of 126 reported salaries go with Colorado. And then the above quote applies, in spades. The kind of money you earn in Colorado depends on a lot more than simply your ranking in law school, some glowing LORs from Prof #87 and whether or not you made law review.
Of course a couple of things have changed since that 2012 post. The average house price in Boulder is now 950k dollars; this extends beyond the city limits to many smaller settlements in Boulder County. The Denver Metro area is similarly on the rise. The State has seen massive economic growth in the past 5 years (owing to the pot industry, among others) but been unable to keep up with rising housing demand.
Google is moving in with hundreds of employees into downtown Boulder, and 2020 CU law grads will compete for housing and other goods in the area against a growing and well-salaried tech crowd. Good luck to that, say I.
In short, you have to measure CU law earning potential against the rising living costs in the State - because you will live in Colorado. New York and SanFran pays lawyers salaries in line with the exorbitant living costs. You won't have that in Colorado.
