Hi,

I've been working in healthcare/Public Health all my life until this point, including at the CDC, at a big city health department, and health advocacy organizations. Doing a mix of research, admin, and policy work, I have gotten into exceptional positions so far. And, I have been left uninspired and unchallenged.

The work never excites me, and I do my best to do it well without reaching burn out. But I am starting to burn out, and I really want to transition into a career that combines my exceptional writing skills, decent public speaking skills, my passionate tenacity, and problem solving abilities together.

I am a natural hard worker and draw personal value out of my work, but need work that is both valuable (in that it makes a difference) and challenging (in that I could put long hours in, enjoyably solving issues and puzzles). I also enjoy jobs that employ specifically:

• Client relationships
• Problem Solving
• Logic Puzzles
• Writing
• Collaboration
• Research
• Self-Driven
• Fast-Pace
• Variety and change

I believe law can do all of this, and allow me to do the change I think is necessary in the world. Within public health I have encountered many serious blockades to health that prevent PH organizations from truly ending disease, such as intentionally faulty screening policies, the criminalization of HIV status, and intentionally weak or disparate government interventions. Beyond that, many of the issues we are trying to treat in my field stem from social-legal realities such as tenant rights and homelessness, the criminalization of poverty, and the lack of a right to health.

I find the legal courses I find in course catalogs more and more enjoyable in theory with time. And ultimately, I debate if I am taking the wrong career path. I applied to a Master's of Health Policy and I am debating if that is a waste in light of my growing decision to pursue law.

But simultaneously, I have no legal experience. All these ideas were formed in theory. The Public Interest jobs that combine health and law I am interested in are few and far between. (Although I would also enjoy a Legal Services or Aid job -- easily.) And the programs that will allow me to pursue a career in Nonprofit law are cheaply are super competitive!

• I am debating if this is the right career move?

• Should I continue with my master's degree (I am receiving no scholarship for it.) but it's at a "top" school?

• Should I get experience first? And how? I studied nothing relating to law in college (I was pre-med and public health) and none of my recommender or mentors have experience with this. I do have five years of PH experience and live in D.C., there's gotta be something I can make work here.

• I have a 3.4 GPA in Pre-med at a high ranked research university and high scores on my GRE verbal and written, is that a qualifier for my pursuit of the field?

• Should I just straight up apply for law school and leave the rest in the wind?

I apologize in advance for being long and having grammatical errors, it's been a really long workday and sort of going through an existential crisis