I believe it is really a question of priorities, and commitment.

I have only been a prosecutor a few years. I get by financially but there are a lot of sacrifices my self and my family has to make. Our apartment is too small, we don�t have the money to fully furnish the little space we do have. Sometimes we want to go out to dinner and find we just have to wait till the next check. There is some stress in trying to figure out were we are going to pay for diapers in a year or two. Sure there are times when I think about doing something else, that is easier.

But then there are those days. The jury comes back �Guilty,� a defendant takes the plea he swore a month or two earlier he would never take, you think there is a small chance a young offender may have learned his lesson and maybe just maybe he won�t come back. On those days you can�t imagine leaving.

What does my wife get out of it? I come home just a little bit earlier then I did in civil practice. Most importantly I come home at peace with myself. I am truly a happier person now. I love my job, and it has made my life better.

If you want to drive a fancy car, live in a great place, go out to fancy places. This is probably not a good job for you.

If you want job satisfaction, and a chance to do real �JUSTICE� every once in a wile, you could not make a finer choice.

Knowing that you are making a difference in your communitiy - priceless.

Lisa Peterson -
20+ years at this (started at $15,000); until the CA supplement, new DPS troopers made more than I did!!

We've all covered the topic of why we love being prosecutors pretty well.

My suggestion on money: I believe if you clerk for the courts, there is a state program to pay your student loan payments while so employed. Anyone know more? You could do that for a while, get the loan balances down, and learn some law while you're at it.

G