I’m sure many people start an online paralegal degree with the intention of becoming a paralegal for a top law firm. However, sometimes, things change. Upon discovering more about a paralegal’s job at a law firm, you might find it’s not right for you. Or competition for your dream job might mean you can’t get it as soon as you graduate, and you need to acquire some working experience first. Fortunately, and perhaps surprisingly, there is a lot more you can do with an online para degree than working for a law firm.

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Here are some career options for paralegal students:

Administrator

Find work as an administrator or admin assistant in any office setting. Practice your paralegal skills of IT, communication, organization and team work while becoming a great administrator. If you are looking for a job with flexible hours, consider applying to be a school administrator.

Legal Secretary

Working as a legal secretary would again allow you to improve upon your paralegal skills you earned with an online paralegal program. It would also allow you to gain experience working in a law firm. Getting a foot in the door like this could put you first in line when a paralegal job does become available.

Law Blogger

Blogging can be a fantastic way to earn money, and learn some new skills, such as web design. Your in-depth knowledge of the law could make your blog stand out from the rest. You could easily become a trusted source of information, especially if you have a specialist field.

Advocate

Advocates work on behalf of clients. Negotiating on their behalf, and explaining their rights to them along the way. To be an advocate you need a good knowledge of the law. Your paralegal degree would be an ideal qualification.

Journalist

Your knowledge of the law could see you turn to journalism, either print, radio, TV, or online. You could use your knowledge of the law to write or present on legal matters with great authority. The best journalists are those with some knowledge or experience of their specialist field.

Real Estate Paralegal

Many real estate offices now employ their own in-house legal team. This would be a chance to get a paralegal job and start gaining experience straight out of university. You’ll need to make sure your knowledge of real estate law is fully up to date.

Nursing Paralegal

Nursing, or hospital paralegals, are quite a new thing. But more and more hospitals are using an in-house law team, as more “no win, no fee” type companies appear, bringing more lawsuits into medicine. You will probably need to gain a nursing education and some experience, but your paralegal degree would be a great place to start. If you didn’t want to work within a hospital, insurance companies and other medical or pharmaceutical companies would be other options.

My Say

If it is still your dream to become a top paralegal, don’t fear that by taking one of these jobs you are wasting your time. Most of them would allow you to gain a lot of relevant experience, giving you an advantage over the competition when it’s time to apply.