I am about to embark on a home learning course in criminology, I am 30ish, is this a good career move?

Question

Please give serious answers as this could be the start of a new career for me. The course will give me a level 3 diploma in criminolgy, will this help me start my career or will lots more study be required?

Answer 1

silence of the lambs... seriously.

Answer 2

It sounds to me like one of those careers that everyone wants to do. This means that it will be competitive.

You might find that people looking for newly-qualified trainees will prefer someone younger, while people who will consider older applicants will be doing so on the assumption that they will have years of relevant experience. Of course there are laws these days which say you can't discriminate on grounds of age, but I have no idea how you'd go about proving that this was why you were rejected.

Having said that, you are only going to be ten years older than a new graduate, not thirty. How much of a practical problem this will be for you depends on what you have been doing for the last ten years. If you have experience that can be easily transferred - e.g. project management, team-working, meeting deadlines, computer expertise - then that will solve maybe 80% of the problem.

If I were you I would do some research - check for two things:

1. What entry-level jobs are there for a criminologist - how many are there, how well do they pay, what qualifications do they require? I guess you would find this out from psychology/psychiatry magazines and similar. If the salary won't be enough for you to live on (and most of the time entry-level salaries are based on the assumption that you are single with no commitments, no mortgage and no debt other than a student loan) or the diploma won't be enough to get you in, then you have a problem. You can either take steps to get around it (saving up, taking more qualifications) or you will have to ask yourself whether this diploma would be better pursued simply as a hobby - or drop the idea altogether.

2. What do people do who want to be criminologists but don't get the jobs in 1? You know, like most people who want to be fighter pilots end up as ground crew... what do failed criminologists end up doing? Is it something you'd enjoy - is it any better than what you're doing now?

I don't think you should be signing yourself up for the time, trouble and money involved in this diploma until you have answered these basic questions. Even if you are interested in a subject, there's nothing like having to learn it in the depth and detail required to pass an exam in it to suck out 80% of the fun to be had in the learning. You should only do it if it's going to get you what you want. Otherwise you are better off just getting the textbooks out of the library and reading them for fun.

Answer 3

I too am in my thirties and also in the early stages of a home-study course. Nothing as indepth as criminology but nonetheless my last chance to make a new career for myself.

My advice to you is this. Look into how long it will take to complete the course and attain your diploma- is the duration of the course too long? Do you have the time to fit in the necessary hours of study alongside all other elements of your life/can you commit to it totally?

Also find out just how much of a foot in the door this diploma will give you. This will tell you if it is worth all your effort. If the answers to these questions are positive then go for it and the very best of luck to you.

Answer 4

At the moment i'm studying social science, which includes criminology next year.
The subjects i do at the moment are psychology, sociology, geography and philosophy. I wanted to go on to be a criminologist, like one of those people in CSI, but i've been told by lots of different people it'll never happen. I live in Scotland, and as there are very few serial killers ect here, there is no work for a criminologist. Apparantly, tho, in the US you have more chance of getting a job with criminology.

Personally, i would say it's a very interesting thing to study, but check out the job opportunities in your area for that kind of job, and make your decision based on that. There's no point studying something for years if you can't get a job at the end of it

Good Luck
Michelle x

Answer 5

Think well, you're not getting any younger and you can't do all the running around required for such a career, I'd advice you to try something else.

Answer 6

I supposeeducation of any form is a good move. I wish you all the best.

Answer 7

Well it depends what you plan on doing with this degree! Are you going to be a cop? What are your goals?

Answer 8

if u like the criminology field i think it is but if it is something else to do i would think about it