Yesterday, I received an email from a United States Marine, who will be leaving active duty in the near future, and is interested in a career in policing. He intends to continue his college education (he already has an Associate of Arts degree) to pursue a bachelor's degree, and was seeking my advice on the best majors for his career aspirations. Here's what I suggested:
Good to hear from you, and thank you for your service to the United States. I would strongly advise that you pursue your bachelor's degree and take full advantage of your GI bill benefits. If you can do that before seeking full-time employment, you should do so. Having finished my own BS and MA while working full time, it's a load I certainly wish I could have avoided!
If the financials don't work, the key is to put the nose to the grindstone and make sure you are getting at least a few credit hours under your belt every single semester, and at least one of the summer sessions.
My personal opinion is that the field of study matters little. I switched my major to criminal justice as a senior, only so I could take advantage of Federal funding opportunities. Otherwise, I would have been an English major. One of the best police officers I ever hired, Vicki Bourg, had a BA in Restaurant Administration.
I always advise young people to study what interests them, what they would find to be the least tedious. You're more mature, and in your case I would also add this: "What course of study will require the least number of credit hours to complete my degree?"
A Marine with a BA in Synchronized Swimming and some real-world experience still has a mighty strong set of credentials, in my book!
Best wishes,
Tom CasadyDirector of Public Safety
5 comments:
lame
Thank you, Marine.
And Director, please consider more direct recruiting efforts aimed toward veterans.
Really???
I would have advised the young man that no matter what degree he earns, there is a very good chance that getting a job will require some experience in the field of choice. While it may be a "load", getting an entry level job in the field of interest, or some field that has similar duties and responsibilities, while earning that degree would go a long way toward finding a better job in that field once the degree is in hand. Except for some of the technical fields, a degree doesn't compare to experience to most employers. I earned my AA, BA, and MA all while working full time, and had a 4.0 GPA all through college, but when I got laid off due to the recession back in '08, no one cared about my degree no matter what job I sought. Experience was all that mattered to most, and at my age, I didn't really want to continue in construction or machining (where I had experience), which is why I got a degree in organizational management in the first place. I ended up settling for part time work teaching, and I would not have needed my degree for the jobs I took.
From what I know and have seen and experienced, this is excellent advice. Semper Fi to the Future candidate
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