Oddly enough, your situation is very similar to mine. First, let me start by saying that I am currently employed as a construction litigation paralegal in the State of Texas. I am a member of both my local and state paralegal divisions. I consider myself a highly dedicated paralegal. I say this because there are a handful of posters that LOVE to bash the profession but the more you find out about them, they a) aren't a paralegal; b) was never a paralegal; c) was a paralegal decades ago and know nothing about the profession now; or d) was once married to an attorney. At least, with me, you get my experience and knowledge as of now.

I changed professions 2 years ago. I was once-upon-a-time, a genetics major working as a cash office supervisor. I woke up one morning, found out my husband cheated on me, and I quickly became a single parent, with no college education, I had only a few years of retail experience because I was a stay at home mom for most of my marriage, and broke. I had to move back home, work full time, go to school full time and changed majors.

As far as education, go to an ABA approved program. Avoid all online programs and 1 year "certificates". I can tell you that in this firm and many attorneys that I know want a REAL associate's degree/bachelor's degree. These "certificates" are not worth the paper they are printed on. In my experience, more and more attorneys are finding out that "certificate" programs are not producing individuals with the right kind of skills. We hired an intern with a "certificate" and she was totally clueless. She handed us a resume with good grades and what seemed like good coursework, but when it came down to it, she had never really "worked". All her curriculum was online and open book. She was a bright individual, but her education was sub par. I just want people to know that this field is moving toward being more discriminatory of who they hire. Education is important and while I am sure there are many paralegals out there without one, I am sure that number is dwindling. More and more, states are moving to higher standards for their paralegals. California requires that you attend an ABA program and/or equivalent to even call yourself a paralegal. I understand your position. You don't want or have the time to do things twice.

Employment, enjoying employment...these are all subjective and no one can answer that for you. It depends on where you live, what kind of firm you want to work for, how much time you want to invest in your career. All I can tell you is that I found a job before I graduated as a paid intern and that I enjoy every day. I also put in a lot of volunteer work, and attend committee meetings, continuing education, etc. As for job advancement, there is really only lateral movement. Only large firms have job advancement to "paralegal managers". Once you are a paralegal, the only advancement I know of is from smaller firms to larger firms that yield more pay, more benefits, and sometimes more responsibility, but that isn't what I define as advancement. Maybe others with more experience in that area will reply.