Entering into law enforcement after college?

[ealahweemah72]

I am going to take a year to decide what I want to do since I don't want to make any rash decisions. My degree is not pertinent to law enforcement, but I am above and beyond on all the other credentials to apply locally.

Am I basically screwed out of any advancement opportunities because I don't have a degree in lets, say in criminal justice or something similar.

[amdt57]

Having a degree in something other than criminal justice is not damaging to your career. They will teach you what you need to know in the academy.

Having a degree in something such as management, business, or sociology can actually be more beneficial when it comes to advancement.

[chozai65]

Absolutely not.
My very large department:
Very few who, before they are the police, have the so called police degrees; criminal justice, justice studies, criminlistics, or police science, actually make rank.
Once they are cops many do go for such degrees. Why? The department pays for 1 class a semester, from some of the graduate work at some schools you actually learn something useful about management of police, the course work is easy with cj and it looks good to the public.
For 30 years before I retired 5 years ago I can tell you that none, not one, of the top bosses had any such degree before they became the police.
My academy class of 135 had 3 that had cj degrees. Before our 5 year reunion 2 of the 3 were fired and the one left never got beyond patrol officer in a district.


No department hiring board cares what you degree is in. They care that you met the requirements and how you did on the different entrance tests