Texas DPS Trooper Question

[apenax11]

Hello, everybody I just wanted to say this is my first time posting on the forums and like many of you I have been lured here by the desire to become a state trooper.

First off, I wanted to state that I will graduate in May with a Bachelors in Social Studies Composite (History Teacher). Thus I'm assuming that takes care of the education requirement. Secondly, I have thinking about becoming a state trooper for a long while now because I think it is a great way to be the "good guy" essentially and do some good in the world.

The Dilemma:

I am not sure if becoming a state trooper is what I really want or if it is just some pipe dream. I often hear people say that being an LEO is different than what the public perceives them. Thus I am left with the question whether becoming a state trooper will be right for me or not.

Before I go on any further I would like to state that some of my other options include joining the military (Not sure what branch yet) or becoming a high school history teacher. Thus I am at a great "crossroad" of my life due to the fact that I am not sure which route I will take. I may not be one hundred percent sure on what to right now, but I do know that I want a career and not just a "job." I feel like I want to make a difference in this world and becoming a state trooper seems only natural.

Being a LEO is always going to be dangerous and I might have the wrong idea of what it is like to serve and protect. Thus I am thinking about scheduling a ride-along with a state trooper to see what it is like.

Thus, I ask the readers what advice do you have to offer?

Thanks I appreciate y'all taking the time to read this post.

[Safety Steve]

Being in LEO is not half as dangerous as being in the classroom these days!


Schedule the ride along and PM me questions you might have.



Be Safe.

[apenax11]

In an update to the last post I just wanted to say that I did in fact go for a ride along earlier today.

To recap:

Not much happened just a couple of routine traffic stops, it was after all during the day.

The Trooper was very informative and helpful (although she was somewhat biased towards the Army lol she said it would be a good place to start since she served as well)

I scheduled another ride along this weekend with an officer that does something called interjection or something like that (I apologize if I spelled it wrong) in what they promised to be a bit more "fun"

I'll post an update after my next ride along to let y'all know how it went.

[armyvet7]

Well apenax11 I just made it through the trooper process and I to wanted to be a LEO when I was younger. I joined the Army first and did 7 years before I got out recently because of the changes within felt more like baby sitting now and this is just my opinion. Being in the military and getting deployed is just a dangerous as LEO operations, and going to walmart nowadays is dangerous...lol. I also did a ride along with various Department and out of all of them I really enjoyed the Highway patrol better. Hope this helps