21/06/2025
WHY I BELIEVE ACCOUNTING IS A BETTER PRE-LAW COURSE THAN POLITICAL SCIENCE (A PERSONAL REFLECTION)
When I graduated from high school, I didn’t have anyone to guide me in choosing a college course. My parents, both of whom only finished elementary school, gave their full support, but they couldn’t help me navigate career paths, board exams, or professional licenses. At the time, the internet wasn’t as accessible or informative as it is today, so I had to rely on advice from people around me.
I was a working student then, employed as a kitchen helper at The Aristocrat Restaurant in Malate, Manila. One day, I asked one of the waiters—who was already studying law—what course I should take in college if I wanted to become a lawyer. Without hesitation, he told me:
“Take Political Science. That’s the course most aspiring lawyers choose.”
So I did.
Political Science gave me the foundation to think critically, write clearly, and understand government and society. When I entered law school, those skills helped. But looking back now, with the benefit of real-world experience, I can honestly say:
👉 My only regret in my educational journey was choosing Political Science as my pre-law course.
Here’s why:
✅ After graduation, I realized how limited my job prospects were. There was no board exam or professional license to lean on. Most jobs available to me were low-paying, administrative, and with limited growth.
✅ Had I taken Accounting, I could have become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)—a profession that opens many doors, even outside the legal field.
✅ Accounting would have given me a fallback, a license, and stability, whether or not I pursued law right away.
✅ In law school, I faced completely new subjects like Taxation and Business Law. These are part of the accounting curriculum. Having studied them beforehand would have made a big difference.
✅ CPA-lawyers are in demand—in tax, corporate law, estate planning, and compliance. Their dual expertise gives them better opportunities and higher earning potential.
While Political Science graduates eventually catch up, CPA-lawyers often start strong—and stay ahead.
If I could go back and give advice to my younger self—the kitchen helper at Aristocrat trying to figure it all out—I would say:
👉 “Take Accounting.”
Not because it’s easier, but because it gives you options. It gives you a profession, a future, and something to hold on to even if plans change.
To all aspiring lawyers out there—especially working students, first-generation scholars, and dreamers from humble beginnings:
Choose the course that opens more doors. Choose the one that prepares you for both the dream—and the reality.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have made a different choice.
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