I don't have much to add except good on yer for following your dreams, but I will say this: two years as a legal secretary got me head, shoulders and probably waist above my classmates in the first year of law school. And, I think, in my first couple of years after graduation as well.
Granted that law school is much more about language than any other professional school, but I think a year or two of work in an allied or supporting field has got to be an enormous benefit for any professional entering school or starting a career.