It depends. I’m currently studying law and think it is an excellent degree, and if you like the prospect of earning more than $200,000 a year, and don’t mind long hours, I’d tell you to go for it and study law.

If you enjoy being a student, enjoy learning and teaching and aren’t obsessed with earning a lot of money, but just enjoying what you do, I would also suggest to you that being an academic is for you. Working at a University, and lecturing in particular, can be a very rewarding job that you may enjoy.

In terms of job flexibility, a lot of lawyers work in the private sector, earning large incomes and working long hours. However, if you like to know you will be home by 5/6 every night, you can also work as a lawyer in the public sector and still earn a nice six figure salary (100k), and know you will be home everynight to have dinner with your family.

On a final note, many people do dual-degrees. That is, their first love may be journalism, but they also study a law degree because law degrees open up many, many job opportunities. If you have a passion for the law, I would say to you that it can be an EXTREMELY rewarding career, financially and “mentally”. You could always complete the degree and later become a law academic at a university.

P.S. I’m an Australian, however the above comments apply to you in the U.K. all the same.