4 Reasons Veterans Should Pursue Degree in Criminal Justice

I have a degree in Police Administration and I am going to give you 4 reasons not to get a degree in Criminal Justice.

1. Nobody cares that you got a degree in CJ in the policing world. It will not help you to become a cop any more than any other degree. More then likely, it will hinder your ability to get hired and if it does not it, will hinder your ability to move out of patrol. Political Science or Computer Science are great areas to study if you are wanting to work as a detective.
2. Count out being hired on a federal agency with a CJ degree. You are applying with 2000 other people that all have CJ degrees. The guy with a Accounting degree is going to stand out. Somebody has to be able to look at the books of criminals. The guy with a biology degree understands the science of crime scenes. A math degree you can work the complex math problems of accidents and forensics.
3. Guess what you can do with a CJ degree when you are a cop and you decide the hours suck, the pay is awful, and you are sick of getting back stabbed all the time? Nothing! You have a degree in policing. Now you have to go get a Masters in something else to actually be marketable in any other job.
4. Last, but not least, there are things that you can't learn in a book about being a cop. As an FTO I had a very bright police officer that was not aggressive. He did not have command presence. You got to be able to take charge or somebody gets hurt. Long story short, he freaks out and freezes with 2 guys that have brass knuckles an knives on them. If I had not stepped in they would have hurt him.

You need to have a degree to become a police officer, you just don't need a Criminal Justice Degree.

My son served in Afghanistan on a FOB on the South East region. Upon his return he perused his dream and became a Police Officer. Since he joined several years ago he has made the S.W.A.T. team and is a FTO. When he had his badge pinning with several other new officers you could tell the only one who served in the line up due to his stance. Law enforcement is a great way for a veteran to go due to the training and discipline learned while in the service.