I need some help with education.

[mcknis]

To the members of REAL POLICE:

I realize you all get "school" questions a lot but I have not been able to find any dealing specifically with this.

I am attending college right now in high school for business management at a technical college. When I first enrolled in college I was into law enforcement (and I still am) and I was told to take as many criminal justice courses as possible. After my first year in college, I went with my explorer post to the National Conference in Atlanta and I asked many cops (federal mainly, state and local) what degree they suggested I get.

The only degrees I heard to get was business related, or accounting. After hearing that, I went home and I immediately changed my major to business management. I am currently enrolled in Accounting 1 and I enjoy it until it came time to crunching numbers. My father wanted to know first hand what the local cops were saying, as far as degrees go, and what we got from the locals was criminal justice. We also went to the highway patrol station and talked to the post commander and he told me to major in anything but make sure you have fun doing it. He said a criminal justice degree is okay but something else can get you farther especially if you get out of LE. My college has a transfer option with an alliance school where I can get my CJ here and I can get a BS in Business Management there.

The next week I went to my college and changed back to criminal justice. Did I do the right thing in all of your eyes? I am feeling kind of stupid about making that decision and I need some advice so I can know if I did the right thing or should I go back to the business management degree.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

God Bless,

Scott M. McKnight

[scott715us]

From expereince, education, and RP posts, I would say to major in something else, but minor in CJ if you are going into the field of LE. With my CJ degree, I felt I had a better grasp on case law when I entered the field than officers who didn't have any college. From what I have learned talking with upper staff and federal folks, it will benefit you greater to have a different major. CJ will help before you enter LE, but I think a minor in it would suffice. ;)

[Piggy]

It's hard to decide what you want to do this soon, but that will also help in your decision. For example, if your goal is to be a Chief of Police or Supervsior, you may want to consider a degree in Public Administration, or even Business Administration.

If you are looking at Federal Law Enforcement, IRS and FBI like accounting degrees. FBI also likes computer degrees as well as foreign language degrees.

[retdetsgt]

Personally, I'd get something that would be useful in some other field other than LE. If you get in it and decide you don't like it, you have something to fall back on. I got my degrees in sociology, but I was already a cop and knew that's what I was going to do for the remainder. CJ is pretty worthless outside LE.

I agree that Public Admin is a good one if you have any plans for upward mobility. It will be useful there. And you could get a job as a high level bureaucrat in other areas of government if being a cop doesn't pan out.