Are You The Right Kind Of Person For A Career In Criminal Justice?

Criminal justice is a big area that offers two main career paths. The first is law enforcement, which includes jobs in local, city and state police departments, private security companies and federal agencies. The second path runs through the court system, where you can be anything from a paralegal to a probation officer and, eventually, even a lawyer.

Law Enforcement
Law enforcement is a unique career that often attracts men and women who don’t want a typical office job. Some people see law enforcement as a kind of calling: it’s not unusual for a police officer to say that he’s got the job he’s wanted since he was a little kid.

A key to success in the field is to want to help people and improve the community. “I am a K-9 officer...Cesar is my K-9 and we enjoy getting drugs off the street or a DUI,” says Officer Brent McDowell, quoted on policerecruiter.com. “They say that with every DUI you get, you save the lives of four people. So if I can save four people by taking the drunk or the drug addict off the street, then I feel I am doing my job and I can sleep well when I can get home.” The job can offer certain types of satisfaction you won’t find in most businesses.

Police departments today are looking for officers who can treat everyone with dignity, regardless of their appearance, their ethnic background or their social station. Depending on whether you work in a quiet suburb or a major city, the job can, at times, be dangerous. Police officers need to be comfortable taking charge of a situation, show calm leadership, and be able to handle crisis situations without panicking.

Criminal Record Obstacles
To go from having a criminal justice degree to getting an actual law enforcement job, it’s also important that you be in good physical condition and, probably more than anything else, that you have a respect for the law. As a candidate for a police position, it’s important that you are not a user of illicit drugs or have any other criminal record. While having smoked a joint a few times in college probably won’t disqualify you from many police jobs, having been a drug dealer will almost certainly shut you out. Many departments will ask you to take a drug, medical and/or psychological fitness test before being hired, and you will be in a bad position if you refuse to take them.

Many police jobs actually have a relatively predicable 40 hour work week. It’s a career which, more than ever before, requires a good education for advancement.

The Court System
Many students use an associates degree in criminal justice to get a job as a paralegal, which they see mainly a first step toward not just working in the court system, but possibly going to law school. If you want to eventually become a criminal lawyer or even a judge, it’s key to develop good writing skills and study the law in depth. Law school is an expensive proposition and it’s tough to pass the bar exam in just about all states, but it can be a very lucrative career. There are, however, lots of jobs in the court system you can get without ever going to law school, and many of them are very stable, don’t require work beyond a 9-5 schedule, and pay well with good benefits. If you have a basic associate of applied science or associate of arts degree, you will be considered a good candidate to work as a court clerk, court reporter, legal aid worker, bailiff, or bail bondsman, to name a few. It’s a career path that can offer you many different opportunities if you’re the type of person who is interested by the workings of court system and you prefer administrative and case work to actually pursing criminals.

California Coast University With a rock-bottom cost of $150. per credit, a 126 total credit bachelor degree can be completed for less than just about any other school we can find. This 18-year old school offers 100% online courses to about 8,000 students from its headquarters in Santa Ana, CA. A number of cost reductions can be obtained through credit transfer, discounts or fee waivers. School offers:
- Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
- Master's Degree in Criminal Justice
- Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Psychology
Get information on California Coast University Criminal Justice Degrees Online

Liberty University The world's largest evangelical university has programs the cost $295 per credit if you go to school "full time" by taking at least 11 credits per term. Law enforcement personnel can get credit for their time on the job, and military experience can also count toward credit.
- Associate of Arts, Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice
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Penn Foster College Penn Foster's criminal justice programs cost just $1,430.00 per semester. In addtition, textbooks and other costs are included. The school does not offer bachelors degrees in criminal justice, but it certainly provides value in its associate degrees. The school has been operating for well over 30 years and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council.
- Associate Degree in Criminal Justice
Get information on Penn Foster