major in CJ, minor in spanish?

[jovahutc]

So im in real deep here with the college situation. I've been attending for over three years, and I'm still trying to make up my mind about what I want to do with my life. My current major is in business, and I'm not liking any of the classes I'm taking. I just can't seem to force myself to care about any of it. If I did struggle and attempt to get a degree in business then I can't even see myself happy in the future. Just waking up every morning to go to a 9 - 5 desk job, or stuck somewhere in retail. Just the thought of that terrors me.

I've been thinking a lot lately and I think I'm going to major in criminal justice and maybe minor in spanish instead. There I think the material will be a lot more interesting, and when I look to the future I don't see myself being stuck in the office, but rather out and about. Law enforcement has always been a field in which I could always imagine myself working in, and I've always wanted to get involved in federal work where I'd get to travel and work on assignments and see the world while doing so.

It's like the biggest decision of my life because I'm not quite sure about anything, but I'm just going off of the way I feel. I know what I'm doing right now isn't working, so I need to make a change.

Advice?

[Citicop]

Read this carefully, as it cannot be overstated:

POLICE DEPARTMENTS DO NOT CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU MAJOR IN.

A degree in business is exactly the same to a police department as a degree in Criminal Justice.

If you are already three years in, get the business degree and then apply for police departments after you graduate if you want to be a cop.

-Citicop.

[jovahutc]

Yeah citicop I get what you're saying. The thing is I've been struggling so much I've been failing classes so even though I've been attending for three years I've got just about 2 years of the general ed requirements complete. The reason I've been failing is because I'm trying to force myself to take these classes that I couldn't care less about in the business field. So If I switch now, there won't be much of a turnover and I will actually learn about things that interest me, which is the plan.

[Citicop]

Yeah citicop I get what you're saying. The thing is I've been struggling so much I've been failing classes so even though I've been attending for three years I've got just about 2 years of the general ed requirements complete. The reason I've been failing is because I'm trying to force myself to take these classes that I couldn't care less about in the business field. So If I switch now, there won't be much of a turnover and I will actually learn about things that interest me, which is the plan.

This is the one situation in which I recommend a CJ degree. If you know that there is nothing else that will hold your interest enough to slag through to a degree, then go for it.

It's no better in a police department than the others, but it's no worse either. Study anything you like if it means keeping your grades up and finishing the degree. You'll be glad you did.

Good Luck-

Citicop.

[mythoss]

If you have an interest in Spanish why not major in that? That could be an advantage for you if you decide to pursue LE. Either way, just get good grades and get ANY degree.

[Drummadude]

Jova, I've heard plenty of different answers. I was recently admitted to two universities under psychology, but before I do anything, I already want to switch!
I was initially told by many officers, in person and online, that it would not be the best idea to major in criminal justice. The reasoning is that if one does not get into law enforcement, criminal justice may not help much in other careers. I took psychology my last semester of high school - it's interesting but not exactly what I imagined.

After I applied, I found one university which has a public safety management degree, which is a branch of criminal justice. It just sounds like my type of thing, as I was browsing the courses required. I'm the kid who worked football and basketball games as a police explorer instead of going with friends, but I LOVED EVERY MINUTE!

I haven't been to college yet, but my personal opinion is to do what you are most interested in. I know for a fact that most police departments in my area don't even list a college education as a requirement, so there is no way a criminal justice degree would trump a business degree. or vice versa... both are better than just a high school diploma.