I always preface my answers with the following: I am currently employed as a construction litigation paralegal in the State of Texas. I am a member of my local and state bar paralegal associations and a committee member. I have an Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies from an ABA approved program. I am also the first line in hiring law clerks and interns in our firm. Anything I say is from my current experience in the State of Texas. Every state and every firm is different.

I say this because there exists a handful of posters that answer this question and a) is NOT a paralegal; b) hasn't been a paralegal for over 10 years; or c) was married to an attorney, knows an attorney, was once an attorney, etc.

With that said, do NOT waste your time and money on this "certificate". You are right to trust your first instinct. If it is too good to be true, it is.

I've notice many posters who ask this question is under the impression that becoming a paralegal is easy and requires very little effort. I enjoy answering this question because I would like you to approach this profession with the truths I have encountered. It is my experience that you will NOT be able to gain employment in this profession with anything less than an associate's degree. The paralegal field is very specialized. You need coursework in legal research, legal writing and the various areas of law. If you want to gain employment in this field, you need to attend an American Bar Association (ABA) approved program. Their website has all the ABA approved paralegal programs. It will be incredibly difficult for you to gain employment with anything less than that. I immediately put "paralegal institutes" and "online colleges" and unheard of programs to the bottom of the resume lists unless they have a bachelor's degree or previous experience to go with it. Education is important to many of the attorneys I know. If you are trying to find a quick career that doesn't stress education, then this probably isn't the career field you were led to believe.

How long it will take you to find employment is fully dependent on too many factors. No one here can accurately answer that for you. I found a job before I even graduated, but I was also top of my class. Your grades, the economy in your area, and how willing you are to intern for free to get experience are all factors.

How hard it is to get a job is again. Fully dependent on the area you live in, how the legal field is doing in that area and how good you are at selling your positive traits. There is no set timeline. If you have the proper education, join your local paralegal associations, network and really show a career minded (not a job minded) attitude, you increase your chances. Again, dependent on how hard you are willing to make it happen.

Starting salaries are again. 100% dependent on where you work. I make close to $36,000/year with two years experience. Last year's bonus was $3,500. I work in a three attorney firm in a small city. For this area, I make above average for the amount of experience I have. My peers who graduated the same time I did only make about $27,000/year. I have amazing benefits, but my peers do not. How much you get paid is really luck of the draw. I am blessed to work for attorneys that compensate me based on my skill and value me. There are many paralegals out there that work for international firms with decades of experience making close to six digits. There is salary growth out there, but it is my experience, most of us make less than $50,000 in small firms.

Should you go for it? I tell people that first, they have to be honest with themselves. If you are only considering this profession because some infomercial for a "paralegal certificate in one year" made you think you can walk into a profession and make lots of money, my answer has to be no. You have to have a love for the law, or you will be like many of the paralegal bashers on here that entered the career for the wrong reasons. The key to you enjoying this profession is knowing up front how professional you want to be treated. If you go into the career thinking you are nothing more than a secretary, then that is what you'll end up doing.

There are many paralegals out there that do nothing to enhance their careers and they are perfectly happy. I attend many seminars every year, I am responsible for continuing education just like an attorney, and I take lots of ethics classes. The good thing about this profession is you can put little effort into it, or a lot of effort.

I hope that helps you some. Good luck and I hope you take some of what I had to say into consideration. Do your research and really think about whether or not this is REALLY something you want to do. This isn't really a path that you can change your mind about. Once you've committed to that education, it is pretty much worthless outside the legal realm.

Please be careful WHO you get your answers from. For example, the State of Texas has not suffered financially in the Recession the way the rest of the country has. The State of Texas has not known the high unemployment rates the way the rest of the country has.

I am glad that you have decided to research this. Choosing a career is one of life's most important and difficult decisions. But knowing what your expectations are, and then comparing them to the realities will help you make educated decisions.

This IS too good to be true. Currently, two great factors in the demand for paralegals are: what area of the country you live in, and what area of law you plan to work in. Employers are in the driver's seat - AND there is an oversupply of talent in the vocational field of Law.

We simply already have way too many Legal Professionals. AND the legal profession is dramatically changing: it is in absolute CRISIS! Job searching in this vocational field has changed >>DRAMATICALLY<< in the last five years. And, every year, more and more people graduate from law school, but there are fewer and fewer jobs. Even the largest and most reputable law firms are experiencing unprecedented cutbacks. I don't expect the situation to improve in the coming years.....

Be aware of what you are proposing on getting yourself into. Please do more research first. Reminder: We are STILL in a World-wide Recession. Obviously, economic conditions affect the number of jobs available. Consider career paths that have available JOBS.<< Even in a Recovery, there are some jobs that just won't return - the field of Law won't make a comeback. Too many things have changed in this vocational field.

Warning> Jobs in the field of Law are drying up fast!! This no longer is a good field to invest time and/or money into. This is a SHRINKING, crumbling, and dying vocational field. Many, many reasons: We now have computers. So, many people today (mistakenly) think they can do their own legal work, thanks to the Internet and legal books. Also, there are a lot of companies out there making very efficient legal software for the field of Law. Today's graduating lawyers tend to be very computer savvy, so they just do the work themselves to save themselves the cost of overhead - they aren't hiring legal staff. Also, the "Public" buys this legal software/law books in order to get legal work done without the expense of an Attorney. Also, we simply already have way too many Legal Professionals - we just have an absolute glut!! ("Legal Professionals" includes, but is not limited to: Attorneys/Lawyers, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc) For example: Sites like legalzoom.com have taken away work that many small-time attorneys/lawyers would do/used to do.

The field of Law has a mystique that actually exceeds reality. The field of Law is a vastly overrated career - especially by television.<< There are many myths regarding the field of Law. Law is a more demanding profession than most people realize. It is not like what you see on TV.

Cost of law school to be lawyer, approx $150,000+. Be prepared to take on a LOT of debt, if becoming an attorney is your "true", ultimate goal!!!<<<

There are no jobs in this vocational field. I have watched as my family, coworkers, friends, acqaintances, etc. as they have been laid off left and right in this vocational field.

Regarding being a Paralegal and/or Legal Assistant: Employers (usually law firms) in the field of Law TODAY want employees with >>>BACHELORS<<< degrees from traditional (bricks and mortar) colleges/universities. Those "certificates" you see advertised aren't worth the paper they are printed on - they are generally SCAMS. (>>I found this out the hard way.) Also, the law school's program needs to be accredited by the American Bar Association - if it isn't, you are just wasting your time/money.

Even if you do finish law school, you won't be able to find a job when you are done. Since this vocational field is shrinking (at an alarming rate), many new attorneys/lawyers are, themselves, having to work "down" as Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, etc, etc, to simply try to keep some of their bills paid <<this would be your competition. And the competition is fierce in TODAY's job market!!

Now... the law schools know this, but they won't tell you the truth >that the job market/economy is just SATURATED with way too many Legal Professionals. Instead the schools will feed you a fairytale and will LIE to you. The root of the problem is we already have too many law schools. We are STILL in a Recession, and the schools are fighting for their own survival - they will tell students anything to get to the students' money. (Which is why they won't tell you the truth about the job market for the field of Law.) And these schools continue to recruit and churn out even more graduates.............Remember>>> law schools are BUSINESSES - their TOP concern is making money for themselves.

>>>>>THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT THING (and I can't stress this enough>>>): You ESPECIALLY have to beware of the BOGUS, INFLATED law school salary/job stats given out by >law schools< (AND by the U.S. Bureau of Labor)!!***<<<<<

If you don't believe me, then:

**Check out these websites:

http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Lawyer-i¦

http://informeddecisionmaking.blogspot.c¦

http://calicocat.com/2004/08/law-school-¦

http://lawschoolscam.blogspot.com

http://beingaparalegalsucks.blogspot.com¦

(A link to a website does not constitute endorsement.)

**do a SEARCH here on Yahoo Answers to see what other posters are saying about the current status of the field of Law. Call some local law firms - ask to speak to the Manager of Human Resources - ask them if they are hiring; ask them what they think about future job availability in the field of Law..................

**Talk to recent graduates. Ask them what success they are having finding employment opportunities. <<<<<

Read these books:

"CourtRoom 302" by Steve Bogira (ISBN 10: 0-679-75206-4);

"Ultimate Punishment" by Scott Turow (ISBN 0-374-12873-1; and

"So You Want to be a Lawyer?" by Marianne Calabrese and Susanne Calabrese (ISBN 0-88391-136-1).

If you want a JOB when you are done with your studies, consider and look into the fields of: >>>Healthcare<<<, Information Technology, Law ENFORCEMENT, environmentalism, emergency planning, accounting, education, entertainment, utilities, home-car-commercial-industrial repairs, vice industries, clergy, and/or debt collection. I spoke to a career counselor from Jobs and Family Services, and HE told me that these areas are where the jobs are, and future job opportunities/availability....and scholarships.

There are MANY issues of working in the vocational field of Law. My answer is an attempt to give you a realistic way of looking at this career, and I have told you things that most will not tell you about the profession - at first. Be careful, do your research, and have your eyes open wide.

Good luck.

(This is based on my current knowledge, information, belief, and life experiences. This was intended as personal opinion, and not intended to be used as legal advice. Please be careful and do your research.<<< You DID ask the question here on Y/A. I am just trying to help you.)