Q: I think I want to go to law school, but I’m not interested in corporate law. Yet, I’ll run up a lot of bills in law school, and public-interest law pays less than half of what I could earn in corporate law. I have excellent sales, public speaking and writing skills, and now work for a great law firm. Is law for me? – Paul

A: Dale: I once interviewed Gerry Spence – one of the lawyers often seen on TV (the one known for his leather jackets with fringe) – who insisted with passion, “There are not too many lawyers; there are too few people working for justice.”

Kate: Law schools have recognized the problem, and many of them are finding ways to help those who want to get into public-interest law. There are programs where student loans are gradually forgiven if the graduate remains in public-interest employment.

Dale: And there are nonprofits with related plans, such as one where annual bonuses go to paying off student loans. That program was started by an attorney who left a great job as corporate counsel to represent abused children. She told me that her starting annual salary in the nonprofit sector was $20,000 less than her first corporate job out of law school. But her comment on that sacrifice might inspire you, Paul. She said that she leaves work every day “feeling clean.”

Kate: You also might be inspired to know that doing good and doing well need not be mutually exclusive. One client started a not-for-profit school in an inner city and raised money from many foundations. She’s a single mom, making a sizable income (more than $200,000) and living well. Like you, she had sales and leadership skills, and used them to raise money for a cause she cared about.

Dale: Which makes you wonder if you really need law school. If you have the skills and the heart, maybe you don’t need the legalistic mindset, and you certainly don’t need the debt.

Q: I’ve been in the workforce for 11 years. I worked for a company for five years, then my wife and I moved across state to be closer to family. Since then, I have not been able to settle myself into a position for more than eight months. I’ve been a firefighter, insurance adjuster, service manager in an equipment dealership and a service technician in a poultry company. I’ve increased my salary with each job and left on my own terms; however, my wife says that job-hopping is not the answer. I try to explain that I know the job for me is out there; I just have to keep searching. I have a degree in animal science and would love to work in agricultural sales, but with my work history and no experience in sales, the chances of getting hired are limited. How can I settle down? – Cornell

A: Kate: Your wife is right: You don’t need a job; you need a career. You already have a dream, but you’re just hoping to luck into something you love. Chances are, it ain’t gonna happen. The job with a poultry company was on the right track – on paper, at least. If you are still with that company, you could move into sales.

Dale: On the other hand, you have been gathering experience and making contacts. Take your experience and let it propel you forward. I’m guessing there’s a company that sells to poultry farms that would give you a shot at sales. Or a farm equipment company. If you can’t get a break into sales, take it in two steps, as Kate suggests – service manager with an agricultural firm, then sales. Take that restless energy and bounce it forward into a career. “Hopping” is bad, but “bouncing” is one of life’s great skills.