Ready to ditch the IT field, what can you tell me about studying the criminal justice field?

Question

not quite sure what to pursue. i'm interested in length of schooling, certifications, jobs available under criminal justice studies, pros, cons, and all that good stuff. to all with well thought out answers, thanks for your time.

Answer 1

Ok, I am a criminal justice major and I will tell you this much. There are alot of career options, but you have to go to school to get your Bachelor's Degree in order to really open up this career field. If you don't wanna go the BS degree route, there are other options. If you are interested in becoming a police officer, all you need is to be in good physical shape, and have a highschool diploma, plus Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)(Police need POST training, and in most larger areas, you get hired first, then that police dept. actually pays for the training-smaller police departments require you to obtain post training on your own, which you can do through some community colleges) or you can become a correctional officer. In my state (California) correctional officers make big bucks, and all you need to do is pass the tests (written, physical, Psychological), do the academy (4mos), have a good criminal background, and a high school diploma. No higher education is required. If of course you have a degree, it only helps increase your pay. Plus, you can become a counselor with the state, with only a Associates degree, and 5 years as a Correctional Officer (or go straight in with a Bachelors). Counselors make even more than COs-Starting pay for them is somewhere around 75k.-80k. There are also federal correctional officers, etc. I am graduating with my Associate's degree (Administration of Justice/Criminal Justice) this semester, and I have been looking into careers as well. You have to remember that in most career fields in Criminal Justice, you have to be in fairly good physical shape. If you aren't, I suggest taking some chemistry, etc, and try and get a job in the more scientific fields of CJ (Such as Forensics). I am looking into jobs that help children in crisis, as that is another job, where a CJ degree is helpful (I am taking additional courses in Psychology).

As for other job ideas-besides police officers, and correctional officers-you can be a Private Investigator, Crime Scene Technician, Border Patrol, work in Security or for the FBI, Loss Prevention, Surveillance, Sheriff Deputy, or you can be a Probation Officer and work with either adults or juveniles, etc., really the options are endless. There are MANY job opportunities in CJ, its a fast growing field, because there will always be criminals! (sad but true) Just do your research. Email me and I can provide you with some more ideas! I provided you with some links so that you can research the pay scales across the country. I would go to the local website of the county you plan on working in, and see what the education requirements are for those careers (because it varies across the country). There is also a link that provides some more career ideas. I know how overwhelming it can be, as I said I am a CJ major myself (and the daughter of law enforcement officers)!!! Good luck to you.

Answer 2

It's amazing. That is the very reason why I keep my felony conviction, just to prove everyone wrong. It's been a hassle, sure. I've had to take extra steps to get what I want. But a FELONY is not an automatic denial of everything. In a state in which a Permit To Purchase is required (meaning a background check), I was able to buy a handgun AND get a CCW. I've passed a Top Secret security clearance AND have worked in the White House and the Pentagon. It's not the felony that is the issue, but what the felony was for. That it's there in the first place IS going to make it extra difficult, as explanations will be required. But not an automatic dismissal.

Answer 3

Criminal justice is hard mental and physical hard. Long hours low pay, not much reward. Have family members and friends in different branches. I would spend some time at the library on the computer and going to job sits and talking with people in the field. good luck

Answer 4

That will be just like 'falling from the frying pan into the fire' !
...Wherever one is, the 'other shore seems always greener' : But when you actually reach there, it would appear equally barren, of not even worse.
A practical approach would be to use whatever education and experience you already have in the IT field, to diversify into a different but allied field - such as computer graphics, for an example.
Best of Luck, dear.

Answer 5

My grandson and 6 of his friends took criminal justice. They all love it. You need to learn laws, how to shoot a gun, attend 4 yrs of college. Have a clear back ground, they check way back to when you were a child. My grandson for example had to work in WAshington DC for 6 mos. there he worked with the FBI at college, he worked with the US Marshalls, He was a deputy sheriff in Virginia, a town policeman in 3 towns in NY. And is now a sheriff in NY. He played, baseball, basketball and some football in college,was a member of a sority, and got excellent grades. He graduated college with honors and says he barely ever studied. It is not all that hard.There are alot of jobs in this line all over the states. One he refuses to do is border police. He says he just won't do it.

Answer 6

www.soc.tcu.edu/CJ.html - 6k - Cached - More from this site
www.worldcampus.psu.edu/BachelorinCriminalJustice.shtml -
www.wannalearn.com/Online_Course/Criminal_Justice.html -
www.amu.apus.edu/criminal-justice -
massasoit.mass.edu/acad_depts/.../criminal_just/crim_justice.cfm
www.degreecriminaljustice.net -
www.gradschools.com/programs/criminal_justice.html -
arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/ab/criminaljusticeadmin.htm -
realpolice.net/criminal-justice-degree-benefits.shtml -
www.uwec.edu/career/Students/Major/criminal_justice.htm