Hi,

 

I'm based in the U.S, and if you're not familiar with elections of Sheriff departments basically, there was an election going on in my county for Sheriff. Since I'm a very large supporter in law enforcement, and hope to follow a career path in corrections, and law enforcement down the road, I decided to send a letter to the Sheriff. In the letter, I thanked him for his service, and explained why myself and the community appreciates his hard work, and how his office inspires me to better myself and become a great officer. Long story short, he replied and we got to meet in person, he was very grateful for my letter and we spoke for a good 20 minutes about law enforcement. He than requested when I turn 18, to apply for a position in corrections at the county jail (Basically offering the position), as he was very impressed with how I conducted myself at my current age (17).

 

With me turning of age in the next 4 months, I'm looking for some advise from some fellow officers, or people regarding getting a Criminal Justice degree still. I originally planned to get my CJ degree to secure a job in corrections, but now that I've been offered, and the Sheriff knows me by heart, I'm not sure If I should follow down that path. I don't live in a large community, so It's not required to have a degree to be a LEO, but even though not needed, I feel like I should still get my degree, to insure It's easier to pass exams and tests in the police academy once I choose to switch from CO to LEO.

 

EDIT: The only problem that I currently see about doing both, is that, working and schooling would be hard, especially since CO's work around 12 hour shifts. Do you think It would be possible, or worth it to get the degree, even with working, or should I just wait until I climb up the ladder to be shifted from a CO to the patrol division?

 

tr;lr - Offered a job in corrections, should I still get my degree in criminal justice, even though It isn't needed.

 

 

Edited November 11, 20169 yr by iCaleb

 

Spoiler

23 minutes ago, iCaleb said:

Hi,

 

I'm based in the U.S, and if you're not familiar with elections of Sheriff departments basically, there was an election going on in my county for Sheriff. Since I'm a very large supporter in law enforcement, and hope to follow a career path in corrections, and law enforcement down the road, I decided to send a letter to the Sheriff. In the letter, I thanked him for his service, and explained why myself and the community appreciates his hard work, and how his office inspires me to better myself and become a great officer. Long story short, he replied and we got to meet in person, he was very grateful for my letter and we spoke for a good 20 minutes about law enforcement. He than requested when I turn 18, to apply for a position in corrections at the county jail (Basically offering the position), as he was very impressed with how I conducted myself at my current age (17).

 

With me turning of age in the next 4 months, I'm looking for some advise from some fellow officers, or people regarding getting a Criminal Justice degree still. I originally planned to get my CJ degree to secure a job in corrections, but now that I've been offered, and the Sheriff knows me by heart, I'm not sure If I should follow down that path. I don't live in a large community, so It's not required to have a degree to be a LEO, but even though not needed, I feel like I should still get my degree, to insure It's easier to pass exams and tests in the police academy once I choose to switch from CO to LEO.

 

EDIT: The only problem that I currently see about doing both, is that, working and schooling would be hard, especially since CO's work around 12 hour shifts. Do you think It would be possible, or worth it to get the degree, even with working, or should I just wait until I climb up the ladder to be shifted from a CO to the patrol division?

 

tr;lr - Offered a job in corrections, should I still get my degree in criminal justice, even though It isn't needed.

 

 

 

 

A degree will typically help you in all circumstances, the issue is the cost.  Spending $100,000 on a 4yr degree is a waste, unless you're going into engineering or a high-paying career field.

I would recommend weighing both sides -- look into programs like my school has: a 4+1 CJ masters program that provides you full certification as a police officer in your state while also providing you with a masters degree.  But also look into the pros of the other side too, just know that in case something happens you'll be back where you are today.

My final piece of advice, and the most important, is-

Talk to some people with expertise in this; not a forum for a video game; while we may be able to provide some insight, a school guidance counselor as well as admissions from any local colleges/universities might be able to help you formulate your own answer!

 

Good luck!

If you're going for Criminal Justice, don't go to a university for it. You can go to a state school, community college, etc. and get the same results. The degree doesn't hold weight whether you get it from Harvard or a state school, and you'll save a lot of money. Most people don't recommend getting a Criminal Justice degree, since they basically teach you that in the academy. However, having any degree of any sort, does help you in the application process and will increase your chances of getting hired.

 

I'm currently a Criminal Justice student, and I go to a community college for it. I'm still on edge about whether I'll transfer to a state school, or not. 

Amen to what both of the previous posters said. 

 

I'll add that having a degree opens many more opportunities for you down the road. In your small town it may not matter, but someday you might want to move somewhere else. Maybe you'll meet a partner who wants to move to a bigger city, or maybe you'll exhaust the opportunities for career advancement in a small department and want to move to a state agency or go into a more specialized role. Getting a degree has consistently been shown to be one of the best investments you can make. People with degrees consistently achieve higher positions, make more money, and have greater career satisfaction. You don't need to go to a $100k university. Community college is a great place to start. The trend will continue to be towards requiring degrees for higher positions in law enforcement at more and more agencies. You're young, get the education while it's relatively easy to get financial aid and find time for it. 

Thanks for the feedback everyone; It's been very useful. I hope that I'm able to proceed into a degree in CJ, or psychology may be a interest as well. Once I get employment locked down, I hope I can work towards getting my degree, with being able to work around my scheduled hours. As posted above, I plan to enroll in a community college near my location, rather than attend a university.