What can you do with a criminal justice degree?
Tired of fighting the urge to run screaming from the room during a boring inter-office meeting? Do you long for the days when you can call the day your own, or at least manage it the way you think it should be run productively? So think outside the box. What is it that sparks your interest? Solve puzzles, talk to people, maybe work with a team of like-minded people? Do you have a robust constitution (at least internally), are you willing to work long hours with little feedback, and interested in helping to solve the crime? Does putting good before evil excite you? Do you find the blood, suspense, lies, and murder intriguing? Do you like an orderly world, safe from chaos? Then a career in criminal justice might be the right job for you. And once you’ve made the decision to pursue a criminal justice degree, the sky’s the limit. You can use your criminal justice degree as a stepping stone to numerous lucrative careers. You have just opened the door to a host of local, county, state and federal job opportunities. How far you decide to travel in your career path is up to you. Maybe you want to become a police officer or a correctional officer or a deputy sheriff? Maybe a paralegal or a judge?
Enrolling in an accredited criminal justice program is your first step. There will be basic course requirements that you will need to meet and once these are out of the way then choosing your experience course should be simple. Establish a firm foundation on which to build your career beginning with a Bachelor of Criminal Justice.
Are you interested in becoming a police officer, dedicated to maintaining law and order, the front line and the public person of the fight against crime? Start with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Know yourself and what you are capable of. It takes a special person who can receive the rigorous training, education and dedication required of a police officer. Earning a criminal justice degree will train, educate, and open your eyes to crime investigation and prevention, how to professionally treat people when they are often at their worst, and gain the satisfaction of serving the public welfare. Getting through all the rigorous training will test your mettle and nervousness. But, once finished, you will face a life of satisfaction in protection and service.
How about a career as a prison officer, keeping the bad guys in and the good guys out? You’ll be keeping an eye on the inmates, helping to keep the facility safe, transporting the inmates when needed, and hopefully influencing the bad guys to change their wayward ways by being a good role model. This type of work can never be considered easy or routine, but in itself it can be rewarding with the knowledge of a job well done and the satisfaction of knowing that the wider community is protected.
Perhaps you are interested in becoming a judge, ruling from the court on important social, economic, moral and constitutional issues? Many students use their criminal justice degrees as a stepping stone to earning a Juris Doctor degree for a career as a judge. Judges can be appointed or elected. The important political and social connections that you establish during your undergraduate studies in criminal justice will go a long way toward helping you achieve your desired goal as a reputable judge.
There are so many reasons why a criminal justice degree can be of great benefit to you, depending on what you want out of life. Do you want a humming existence or career that is challenging, constantly changing, and demands the highest integrity from those who serve the public good? Do you want to be part of a team that assists and shelters, capable of working in the lonely hours of the night on secondary roads or on the heated asphalt of the city? Are you ready to see the ugliness in life and still hope for your fellow man? Regardless of what you decide to do with your criminal justice degree, rest assured that your choice of careers is of a higher calling as you are not only serving yourself with a rewarding career, but also humanity. You choose wisely when choosing a criminal justice degree as the foundation on which to build your career.