does paralegal certificate really value over $13,000?

I'm accepted by NYU paralegal study program this spring semester, but the high tuition fee let me feel lost. Do people really need get paralegal certificate and then get a paralegal job? I do know that some employers do not require the certificate but BA degree and experience. I need your suggestion and the fact...I'm really appreciated.

I can't say I'd recommend that you go, but you should make your own decision.

The job market for paralegals is, and has been, terrible. Paralegals have lost their jobs. Paralegal work has been farmed out. Clients are becoming more strict by the day as to what they'll pay for. The jobs are simply not there.

You will be up against a lot of experienced paralegals for a job. I'm not saying you won't get one if you attend that program. I'm saying you should have your expectations in line and reasonable if you plan on attending.

Read this forum and the other forums here. And tune out everything the program tells you about jobs, as it's all bunk.

Parafreegal in Chicago, Illinois said: I can't say I'd recommend that you go, but you should make your own decision.

The job market for paralegals is, and has been, terrible. Paralegals have lost their jobs. Paralegal work has been farmed out. Clients are becoming more strict by the day as to what they'll pay for. The jobs are simply not there.

You will be up against a lot of experienced paralegals for a job. I'm not saying you won't get one if you attend that program. I'm saying you should have your expectations in line and reasonable if you plan on attending.

Read this forum and the other forums here. And tune out everything the program tells you about jobs, as it's all bunk.

Thank you for your reply. I defered the program to next semester. What you said is what I was considering. I try to find a job first and now I'm working on Notary public license exam. According to my search, many paralegal jobs require a lot of experience. It's not so good to pay over $14000 to go to school for a license.

You have a much better chance at finding work as a notary, especially if it's a mobile notary service where you go to your clients. 14k for a paralegal program is way too much money :O

I had a hard time starting out after getting my Paralegal Certificate. It took me two years to find a permanent gig (the economy was coming out of a rough patch at the time) after I got my certificate. I was able to start out doing temp/contract work, which was somewhat steady during those two years. It was still never enough experience to land me a job here. I had to relocate to get my first permanent Paralegal job.

When I wanted to leave that job and relocate back home, I couldn't get a permanent job either. I left that job voluntarily for family reasons, returned home and was lucky to land a temp gig a few weeks later. They hired me permanently three months later.

When things started to get bad with that employer (lost business, layoffs, etc.), I started looking for a new Paralegal job. I couldn't land one. I ultimately had to leave that job, and here I am, unable as yet to land another permanent or even temp job. Even the temp work has apparently dried up.

There are a few jobs out there now and again, but the competition for them is fierce. The only thing growing in this field is the number of job candidates.

At some point, word has to get to applicants to Paralegal programs that it isn't a job sector that's growing. Even after any washout results, there will still be too many people in this field competing for a paltry amount of Paralegal jobs.