Paramedic/Police Officer Certification (not college): Worth it?

Question

Is it possible to land a decent paying job in Houston, Tx or it's subsidiaries with only a Paramedics or Police Officer (I think it's called TKLEOS) certification? When I say decent, I mean around $30,000- $35,000 a year. I am unsure as to whether or not the certification is meaningless without the traditional 60 credit hours required if you want to work with the city.

Answer 1

TCLEOSE certification alone will usually not work in the metro areas, like Houston. Many agencies are now requireing 60 hours at a minimum. The City of Houston PD website outlines everything you need to qualify to become a police officer. Basically, the ones requiring some college pay more than the ones that do not.

I am with the Law Enforcement for Texas Parks and Wildlife(no, not a game warden, but a park police officer, and yes, we are TCLEOSE certified as well). They are requiring four year degrees at this point, and are starting at just short of $36K a year.

You just have to look into the departments you are looking at. Some don't even require TCLEOSE certification, and will put you through the academy as a police cadet. Many of the smaller towns, that don't necessarily require college do require you to already be certified.

For most departments, if you are a veteran, they will waive the college requirement. But, any advancement up the chain of command is dependant on completing at least you B.A. If you want to stay on patrol your whole career, than you could get by with the minimum.

Answer 2

I believe any certification is better than nothing, especially in law enforcement. If your applying for a law enforcement job and you have some type of certification along with the academy training, your more likely to get hired than someone who just has academy training under his/her name.

Answer 3

There is a HUGE difference between police and paramedic....uh....the simplest way to put it is that the police pepperspray, night stick, or shoot people....paramedics save lives....like the people who were night sticked or shot.....the training doesn't overlap...completely different.

Answer 4

you are going to have to be dedicated to helping others for such lousy pay, and you will have to take refresher courses all the time in order to keep your certificate.