Have you been considering becoming a paralegal? Your thoughts are right on the right track and so smart. Being a paralegal is a fun and rewarding career that helps so many people not become bored in their job, do something they love, and work in the law field. Many people want to become a lawyer but they don’t want to go to a school that long or do not like certain parts of the job. A great alternative is to become a paralegal. Now, you can become a paralegal by going to school for a long period of time, but you don’t need to. We will share options on how to become a paralegal without a bachelor’s degree and so much more. Keep reading to find out the different ways to become a paralegal.
Bachelor’s degree
Although we promised you some alternatives, we also are going to start talking about having a bachelor’s degree. This, of course, looks great on your resume and if you decide you don’t want to be a paralegal once you have entered the workforce, it’s great because you have a degree in your back pocket to go elsewhere. A degree will take you 4 years at university and will require a decent amount of money just like any other degree does. You won’t learn most specific paralegal job requirements during your degree however you will learn many terms which will help you in understanding more as part of being a paralegal which will help you a lot in the field. So, in the overview, you don’t need a bachelor’s degree however it is one great way of becoming a paralegal, having it on your resume, and being certified.
Take courses
There are many different paralegal specific courses out there that will help you in reaching your goal to become a paralegal. This takes a lot less time than going to college for four years and that is one of the benefits of it. If you are someone that feels strongly that you want to become a paralegal then this is the perfect option for you. It also is a great option because it is so specific. During your course, you will learn exactly what you need to be learning in order to thrive in your job.
There are different types of paralegal courses you can take. Once you graduate from the course you receive your certificate and are able to begin finding a job.
So, how do you find a great course so that you can become a paralegal quickly? There are great courses online as well as paralegal school in which you would attend. You want to find one that can fit around your schedule. If you work full time already, an online course that you are committed to finishing may be a great answer for you.
Before you sign up for one, you want to learn more about it. You should take a couple of different options and look into them further to ensure you are signing up for a paralegal course that will be great for you and is a good course. Some things that you can do to ensure this is to ask a lawyer. If you already know one, ask them what kind, of course, they prefer to see on a resume or if they recommend a specific course. If they love the people that have learned through a specific course, that may be a great option to go with. If you know any paralegals you can ask them how they became certified and if they liked the route they took. You can also ask them what they wish they learned more about in school. This will allow you to look for a course that is more specialized in that area.
It’s time to learn a little more about each course. Find out if there is any room in the next course. Find out when the next course is being offered (if this doesn’t work for your schedule or it’s a long time from now, you may want to cross them off your list). You also want to find out about how much it costs and if they have any payment plans. Although you shouldn’t make your entire decision based on money, this can also factor into the decision making process.
Once you understand which courses you would be interested in taking you can then call then and ask them any questions that you have. Make sure that you have the questions written down beforehand and also write down their answers so that it is easier for you to make your final decision. With all of this information, you should be on your way to signing up for a paralegal course and being on your way to a great career.
As you can see, there is a variety of ways to be able to become certified as a paralegal and start on an exciting path quickly. Choose a quick option works best for you and make sure that you do your homework before signing up for the course. Nothing is free and that’s one of the reasons why you don’t want to rush into anything. Also, you want a course that will teach you a lot so that you can be successful and not super overwhelmed when you are starting out as a paralegal.
We hope that you found great information throughout this article and understand your next step in having a great career as a paralegal.