I dropped an year to get into a T-1 NLU and somehow actually did. All the lucrative packages shown to us in CLAT Prep now seem like a pyramid scheme-esque scam where they leave out the detail of you having to work like a slave and dealing with the most rabid, toxic people you have met in your life. After doing two T-1 internships I hate everything about the Corporate Life. The worst part is I am a first generation lawyer and I do not have it in me to wait 15 years of struggling in Litigation to actually earn money that can sustain me. I do not want to go for masters because they are extremely expensive. I honestly like nothing about my field and do not understand how I can change careers at this point.

I've heard that there are some really 'non-toxic' firms out there. If it's a negative energy swaying you away then you can definitely try working in a supportive environment.
Switching careers is the most extreme option possible, you should be damn sure that you could never work this out. I hope you find your peace with law, best of luck!

Have you stopped to consider that maybe law isn't the problem, but the work environment of T-1 firms is what's bothering you? That maybe you don't actually find corporate law interesting enough?

I'd say give it some time, intern at boutique firms, try different areas of law (like IPR, ADR, Competition Law, Environmental Law etc. etc... yk the list is endless). Also, work at different roles- maybe you'd end up liking research or academia more than core practice? You'll never know until you try.

To make you feel a little better, I come from a non-NLU, above average private law school. Graduated this year. Had 4 offers and 2 confirmed assessment internships. Joined a boutique firm just a week after my final exams. Thought that was it, that I had my career sorted, I'd grow exponentially in the coming years. But life had other plans and I had to quit in barely 5 months. I realized practicing law wasn't a sustainable option for me. Thankfully, I had tried my hand at academic research and writing in law school and I know my love for research. So I decided not to concentrate on what I couldn't do anymore, but on what I can do and like doing. There's always a second chance, and thereafter a third chance, and a fourth one as well. You can choose to give yourself as many chances as you like before you finally stumble upon what you truly love doing. It's okay to not like what the majority is after.

Toxic people are everywhere. People aren't necessarily sector specific.

You can try to pivot with the civil services or an MBA, but whatever you choose, do build your mental fortitude. Survival of the fittest applies.

I'm a litigator, so will obviously recommend the Bar as a worthwhile endeavour which will eventually make you the master of your destiny. Its not so much the years it takes to get there, but the years, decades (and possibly generations) of reward that make it worth the wait.

I mean. Yeah maybe it isnt. Law isn't for everyone. There are toxic folks in every industry. Its part of training yourself in professionalism to know how to handle them. corporate life is not for everyone. I knew i hated it the second I saw it. Litigation is not for everyone either. It wasnt for me. You dont have to do a masters from abroad, you can do one here, but its worth wondering if you would do it because you actually like the law or simply because its a thing to do.

Figure out what you do like. Then go do it. Who is holding you back?