Education Across Borders

We (Nigerians) really really really like education. This informs why so many have studied and continue to study across borders at different levels of education in America Europe, Asia etc. This series of posts would look at the differences in legal education across borders and share experiences which hopefully may provide clarity for someone trying to make a choice.

The typical route is - first degree in Nigeria and then, immediately after, a masters in the first degree  discipline in either the US or the UK. This is however not the only option to chart a career path nor is it by any means necessarily the best option. For example, if your real goal is to live and work in a foreign country on the long term, while the above path may work, you'll suffer a competitive disadvantage right of the bat (if you are a lawyer). The most important question (if you are willing to ask these questions that early on) is what is your career/life goal. An easier way of framing this is, what is your 10 year plan. Whatever your answer to this question is should seriously influence your next decision.

There are a couple of common answers to the above which I have heard from students and young professionals over the years by far the most popular are - "A masters will help my career" and "I don't know".   Both are fair answers but neither answers the question. Over the next couple of posts on the topic, I'll ask questions  that are intended to be insightful and attempt answers that should be  a guide to students and young professionals.