Working in Criminal Justice Field?

Question

I am currently going to school for Criminal Justice at the University of Phoenix. In the long run I want to become a probation officer. I know I can start working after I get my associates for the detention or the corrections department and when I get my bachelors I can try for Probation. But the downside is I have been a stay at home mom for a couple years. I do not have work experiance. With the day care costs it would cost me money to go to work with no degree. Do they hire people with no work history? We are also filling bankruptcy which I know they look down on. But we went through a hard 6 months and we got ourselves in a hole. I know there are no excuses. But I will take any suggestions :D Thank you

Answer 1

Im assuming you are talking about the University of Pheonix online. While this way of education is respected in today's world, a traditional classroom education is much more helpful because you interact with different kinds of people and you have the ability to interactively learn through your instructors and fellow students.
Don't get my wrong, I am not knocking your choice because I realize you are limited in your choosing because of your circumstance.
Now, once you get your associates, try to get a job then and continue to pursue your bachelors in CJ part-time while you are working. Does your husband work? Can he help watch the kids and pay for daycare?
The ticket is to get some experience while you are going to school. You win twice here because you can get some experience AND education to put on your resume.
Many places hire new people with no experience, they do this because it gives them the opportunity to mold the person into who they want to be instead of having to force transferees into changing old habits.
For work experience while your at school try; an internship at a local correctional facility, police department or federal agency. Get a part time job as a security guard or community service officer. In my area, many departments hire students who are pursuing their degree as community service officers, this position gives you great experience and looks wonderful if you want a job with that agency down the road.
Now with your financial situation, many departments do conduct a financial background but that really shouldnt be a problem for you if you are getting your degree and you will eventually earn a good living. they just want to make sure you arent delinquent on loans, credit cards, etc. If you are, you may want to take care of those debts ( I understand you are doing that by filing Bankruptcy). Make them aware of your efforts to resolve your financial situation, it will help in their investigation.
My main advice is to try to work during your schooling, you kill two birds with one stone and it shows that you are dedicated to your future in a career in criminal justice.
I had no experience after I graduated college with my Bachelors. I did an internship when I was in school and put myself through a law enforcement academy where I got the hands-on training I needed. This looked wonderful on my resume.
Good Luck to you, please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions or need any more help.

Answer 2

My advice, stay away from UoP. It is becoming more and more a degree mill (IMHO). APOL (the parent company) is being investigated by the SEC for several violations. There are better choices. Almost every state college has a CJ degree (or similar). DeVry is a better school in the for-profit region.

Most probation officers don't require a full associates or bachelor's degree. You typically need 60 semester units in some sort of criminal justice, CJ administration, psychology, or similar coursework. Having a BS always helps.

Yes, most correctional organizations hire people with little to no work history. Especially now due to the shortage of good candidates. Filing bankruptcy is an issue. You will probably need to have the bankruptcy discharged before they will consider you.

Answer 3

In today's society it is known that finances can be difficult. Additionally, the tremendous responsibility and dedication of raising a child(ren) takes a fulltime parent to raise them as they should (IMHO).

Prospective employers, especially those on a state level where probation officers are normally hired to, understand issues such as those you've addressed.

Hang in there and go for the gold!

Best wishes.

Answer 4

Talk to the correction facility you are interested in working at, and see what they have to say about your current situation. Different locations have different standards for hiring. They may even hire you now...Take their recommendations on what to do to get yourself in a good position to be hired. Without knowing their hiring standards no one is really going to be able to give you a good suggestion on where you need to go with your future goals.