Career Advice - Don't want the normal 2+2+2 path

I'm a junior at a T-10 university and have my banking SA coming up at a group that has great buyside placement. I've been thinking about what I want to do with my life long term, and feel that I don't really want to follow the golden "Path" that I was obsessed with when I was a freshman. I like the idea of being an investor and want to perhaps end up there long term. But I also want to do more schooling, whether that's Law/Medical school, and want to work in non-finance roles as well. I don't care about the most "efficient" path or "wasting years." Would it be possible to work in private equity or at a hedge fund down the line if I don't do this hyper accelarated recruiting process that everyone talks about? Can I take some time in my 20's to explore other stuff and not "ruin" my career in finance? Would love to hear from people that did banking, left to do other stuff, and came back to finance.

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First, and most importantly, if you don't actually want to be a lawyer, don't go to law school. You clearly don't want to be a lawyer if you are asking this question so don't go to law school. 

Now, to your actual question, private equity's most important contributors are littered with lawyers who have seen the light. Kohlberg and Roberts of KKR went to law school. Bonderman was practicing before the Supreme Court before he helped to start TPG. Bain Capital was founded by, amongst others, the lawyer Mit Romney. Joseph Rice, the Rice in Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice was a Sullivan lawyer. Silverlake's Glenn Hutchins went to law school. Orlando Bravo of Thoma Bravo went to law school. I can keep going, but you get the point.

Law to private equity, while still not a particularly "wide" path, is most definitely a well traversed one

 

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