Kind of nervous about the academy

[evenodds20]

well i just got hired at my local dept. my goals were to pass the physical, then pass the civil service exam, and then get hired. now that ive reached my goals, ive been slapped in the face with the reality that im going to have to leave my wife and 10 month old boy for 10 weeks to go to the academy. well, ill be able to come home on the weekends but im also worried that might have trouble with comprehending everything the school is going to teach. i guess its just the way i am. i worry when i dont know what to expect. im thinking about telling the capt. that i think im making a mistake and withdraw my app before they spend the money on me for the academy. i know its only 10 weeks but im already getting home sick. did anyone else feel this way when they went through the academy? im going to miss my sons first birthday, holloween, and thanksgiving. like i said, im scared that i will let people down that are counting on me to succeed. that pressure along with my pre homesick-ness is making my head spin. how was the academy for yall? did yall have time in the evening to study? do they make you stay at the academy or are you aloud to leave and come back before lights out? did yall have a hard time sleeping away from home?

[manahmanah]

Relax, it's only 10 weeks. My academy was almost 6 months long. If you decide to not go through with it, it'll still look bad because the agency has already spent a ton of $$ on you. You say you're scared you are going to let people down that are counting on you. Don't you think they'd be MORE let down if you quit before even starting?

How old are you and where are you from if you don't mind me asking?

PS

I see this is your first post. Try introducing yourself in the RAP SHEET section.:D Good luck with the academy.

[1depd]

The first thing you must do is RELAX AND BREATHE. You're scared. That's good, it keeps you sharp and on your toes. It'll also drive you to study your butt off.

You're going to a 10 week academy, but you get to come home on the weekends. Yes you will miss you son's birthday, but really at one year old he doesn't know what's going on and won't remember that his party was on Saturday not on his actual birthday. In order to have my son's friends come to his party we have to have it the weekend before his actual birthday, because he was born near Thanksgiving and most people leave for the holiday.

Most academies I know of are closed on holidays. If you live close you will probably be allowed to go home on those days, similar to the weekends. I think your looking at the big chunk of time in it's entirety not in weeks, which would make it much easier. Your actually only gone five days at a time then you get to go home for two. Depending on academy policies you might be able to sleep in your own bed three nights of the week and be back in school on Monday morning. You'll only not be home three days out of the week if you can sleep at home Sunday night. If you have to sleep at the academy Sunday night you'll not be home 4 days a week, not the best, but still better than being in a foxhole in Iraq for six months or a year.

[bell4fan]

This kind of stuff somewhat ticks me off. You KNEW the academy was 10 weeks w/ weekends off when you started and went through the process. And now that your hired, and took the spot of someone who was probably equally qualified and didnt care about being away for a few days, you dont want to go. You also need to put stuff in perspective. There are 10's of thousands of service men and women who are currently away from their families, and have been for months on end.

Im in the same boat as you. Except I have a 6 month academy comin up, 300 miles from my house, that is also live in w/ weekends off.I'll prolly come home once a month. I'll miss my son's 1st b-day, miss my 3 y/o daughter like crazy every day i'm gone, oh yeah, and the wife(lol), but Im doin it. 6 months in the grand scheme of life is nothing. And 10 weeks, is a breeze.

Like I said, Man up an do it. It WILL go by fast. Good luck to you, keep your head up, and trust me, after 10 short weeks, you'll be glad you did it.

[Roger Dat]

You'll miss plenty of birthdays, holidays, baseball games etc as a result of this job but if you really want his job you'll do whats necessary. 10 weeks is just over 2 months. Suck it up.

[bell4fan]

After thinking about it I think you probably should go ahead and quit. Your already home sick and havent even left yet, and when you leave, it will get worse for the first couple weeks. And since you are already doubting yourself, you probably would quit the academy anyways. So do your department a favor and quit now, that way they have time to call up an alternate that is ready to go.

[Roger Dat]

Easy there bell. I would be very surprised if after a week or two in the academy you didnt at least have the fleeting thought of what the hell am I doing here. The guy just needs a little encouragement to get back into the right frame of mind. going into LE is life changing. Give the guy a little slack.

[retdetsgt]

Might help if you used the shift key to capitalize correctly. Sorry to be picky, but if you turn in a paper like that, stand back and prepare for a butt chewing.

One of the most important skills an officer can have is the ability to write professionally. People who never meet you will be reading your reports and making judgments about what kind of cop you are by your writing ability.

Save the juvenile writing styles for MySpace, Facebook or whatever, but when you're communicating with adults, write like an adult.;)

[bell4fan]

I agree I'll have the thoughts. Not gonna argue there. But Im not already questioning my decision now. I was just thinking your mentally defeated before hand, you may lose out.

Had a couple DPS guys(just that I know about) from this academy quit for this same reason. One of got home sick on the 3rd day and quit, the other never returned after the first weekend. Both told me home sickness/ family was the reason. Sad way to go out IMO.

evenodds--- You really need to soul search. You applied because you wanted to be a cop, knowing what it would take. dont let cold feet ruin a career that you have worked hard to get. ALOT of people want to be a cop, few even get the chance to start an academy. Don't blow a great opportunity because of nerves. But at the same time, do not go in mentally defeated. Tell your wife that no matter what, you will be home on the weekends and to support you. And when you call home, tell her that no matter how bad the day was, tell you it was a great day and everything is fine. Support on the home front can make or break ya.

[Roger Dat]

Bell THAT was a good post. give him a reality check and let him re evaluate. Preaching to him to quit doesnt do him well. Also when your having a rough go at any point you would want an LE brother to help you through that rough time right? You dont want that guy saying to put ur stuff in a suitcase and go home. Something to keep in mind as we offer each other advice here.

[noelchabanel]

Bell THAT was a good post. give him a reality check and let him re evaluate. Preaching to him to quit doesnt do him well. Also when your having a rough go at any point you would want an LE brother to help you through that rough time right? You dont want that guy saying to put ur stuff in a suitcase and go home. Something to keep in mind as we offer each other advice here.

Have to spread the rep first. Nice post.

[counihan]

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a 10 week police academy! :eek:

What area is this, if you don't mind me asking? Excuse me if I missed it while reading...