Hello all - I am new to this site. I am a 34 year old male in PA. I've had a successful but unsatisfactory 11 year career in business (the world of corporate big pharma). I've been unhappy for nearly 6 years...not just with my job but my career path entirely. I've always been interested in pursuing a degree in criminal justice. So at age 34, with a wife and 2 kids...I am in a position to do that. I am pursuing a BA in criminal justice with a concentration in management. However, in researching, I've noticed there are age restrictions in different areas I might be interested in pursuing. It may sound silly, but to people in the field or who may know, am I too old at 34 for many opportunities a criminal justice degree would open up? At this age, what area's would pretty much be a dead end at this point? I don't think 34 is too old to start a career in law enforcement...but how high could I go? What would my ceiling be? For example, I noticed for US Marshalls/DEA, you have to be under 36 at time of appointment. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm excited for this change but want to make sure I have a clear understanding, before diving in for 2 years, of what career options await me.
You're not too old You will be cutting it close for a federal job, but you can be a regular cop almost anywhere at your age. If you're considering a career change to something in CJ, then I recommend applying now to a local police department or enrolling in an academy and getting certified in your state. The CJ degree is worthwhile, but CJ is one of those fields you can enter without a degree. Just apply somewhere ASAP. Good luck!
Thanks! So with this degree...i'm limited to police work only? I was interested in that...but also wanted options to go higher and into other fields, such as federal positions, investigative/detective work, security, terrorism...are you saying I'd not be eligible for many of these types of positions. I need to continue at my current job while I pursue the CJ degree (financial reasons for my family). Once I graduate I was planning to leave my current career and pursue opportunities in CJ areas. Would I only be able to work my career as a police officer if I go this route? Thank you for your reply and information. I appreciate it! Just want to fully understand what will be available to me in 2 years once I have this CJ BA degree. Thanks again!
If you are interested in becoming a detective or working in federal positions, you may want to look into majors outside of CJ like Accounting, Finance, Computer Science/Technology, Psychology and such. FBI Jobs - The Federal Bureau of Investigation Jobs and Careers
only police work? Really? can you explain that more? So beyond police work...what does a CJ degree offer me? I did research and found many detective, security, investigative, law enforcement work (federal and non-federal) that would be achievable with a CJ degree. are you basically telling me that a BA degree in Criminal Justice pretty much opens up police work to me (perhaps moving up the ranks in that area) only? Which I can do without a degree in CJ. I appreciate the information...just trying to understand. There must be careers in which a CJ degree would greatly help? no?
The federal law enforcement retirement systems requires that an officer retire by a specific age -- and that's why there is an entry-level age cut-off. However, there are still federal law enforcement jobs that you can get beyond the cut-off age, but they won't get you the special federal LEO retirement. The important thing is to get a Bachelors degree, regardless of what it's in, unless you're going for a job that requires some sort of certification. For example, a Bachelors in education leads to certification to teach or a Bachelors or Masters in social work leads to a certification that allows a candidate to work in that field. However, if you're not going into a field that requires a professional certification, then it probably doesn't matter what your degree is in, although some degrees are definitely better than others for getting hired. As another example, if you want to be a forensic accountant, then you're going to have to have some kind of degree or specialization in accounting. Some CJ positions require a Bachelors degree, such as being a probation officer or a juvenile probation officer, but most CJ positions simply requires selling yourself, in conjunction with a good background. At the Bachelors level, I'm partial to a degree in business management because it's a utilitarian degree that is relevant to making the world go round, but a CJ degree or a history degree can be more rewarding.
Thank you for your response! You are helping me greatly and I appreciate it! I hold a Bachelors Degree...in Business Marketing. So you are saying - between that and my 12 years work experience...I could possibly find a federal job that would get me to where I want to be without going back to school at this time for a CJ degree? Would I only be qualified for entry-level positions or does my degree and 12 years work experience possibly qualify me for something higher up to start? I'm very interested...I am on the Federal link provided...reviewing jobs. I'd be interested in several...many in my current location. I'm just not sure how to get started. My degree is in Marketing...my work experience is in business, project management and technical support. For example...would it be possible for me to find a federal job in investigation, security (or other areas) where I would be able to use my present degree and work experience...and bypass the step of going back to school right now (knowing I may have to later on in a more specialized area)?
Based upon what you've written, you already possess (educationally) everything that you need to apply for a job in the federal system. Some federal positions will rate someone as a higher GS, based upon their educational level or their work experience. Just start applying and don't quit until you get some offers. If you specifically want a job in investigations -- you may need some prior experience to land that kind of a job, in addition to having completed some kind of investigator's training.
Others here - Bruce and friendorfoe off the top of my head - have much more CJ expertise than I do, but since you already have a BA, I think you should investigate online CJ masters programs or grad certificates. There are many CJ master's certificates that you could complete quickly and then go on to complete the whole degree later if you wish. To my knowledge, these CJ MA programs do not have prereqs other than an accredited (RA) Bachelors' degree. Many people have BA degrees in areas in which they do not work. You can start by looking at job postings for law-related positions.
That's good advice. Since you already have a degree you're qualified to apply for federal jobs. Still, those jobs are often hard to get. Every state also has a set of investigative agencies and usually has one general detective bureau. The federal jobs are nice but more difficult to break into. Often they take experienced applicants with a degree or inexperienced applicants with a special talent like accounting. There are probably wider federal entry points, however, like the Border Patrol. In my opinion, the fastest and most reliable way into law enforcement is to join a big department that will train and pay you at the same time. A lot of these agencies recruit like the Army, so if you have the basic qualifications you're in. Once you have a couple years of experience you're part of the club and have a lot more options and wisdom to know what type of work you will really like. I'm not sure about non law enforcement CJ jobs, however.
You have all the bachelor level education you need, assuming its from a properly accredited school. Enter a part time masters, get a job as a reserve with the local pd, and start applying for those dream jobs. Maybe even an accelerated MBA from western govornors.
Yes...my current job has nothing to do with my bachelors degree and never has in my entire career path. I guess I kinda thought in order to get on this criminal justice path...I could go for a degree in that and in 2 years be ready and "ahead of the game" to make my career change. But from what you all are telling me...for what I want to do, I don't need to do that. Which surprisely opens up that door right now for me...except I'm not sure I'm ready to take the necessary paycut it would take for me to make that change right now (I was planning on having 2 - 3 years to get myself financially ready for that). Not sure you would know this...but with my BA degree and 11 years work experience...what level would that allow me to apply for in the federal area? Does it depend on the field entirely? My background is in pharma, IT, business...would I be able to make a lateral move into area's like that right now...but in area's I have no related experience...I would have to start at the entry-level, correct? Not sure how much work experience plays into federal jobs. Hope I'm being clear in my question there. Thank you all for your input! Its been a thought provoking day.
Can you clarify "join a big department that will train and pay you at the same time". What are the "big departments" you are speaking of? State or federal? in what area?
I think your experience would be attractive to dea/border patrol/etc... You definitely don't need another bachelors. Start looking for the job. If any education seek a opiate bac cert or start a masters. Federal jobs are all difficult to land right now because of a glut in veterans preference eligible vets and overall federal budgeting issues.
Basically, I mean a large police department in a big city or county. Any agency of a few hundred or more must constantly hire and train new officers. The bigger agencies have their own police academy and pay you while you're in training. If you are willing to move you can certainly find a police job in the near future as long as you're able to pass the background check and other requirements. Many of the very large agencies (think of the cities that have NFL football teams) will provide special testing for out of town applicants to reduce your trips. In my case, when I got out of the Army, I applied to a lot of big cities and took the first one that gave me a job, which took a few months. That was before the Internet and email, so communications were slower. My guess is that it's faster now. The fact that you have a degree automatically makes you a good candidate and you should get quick responses if you apply.
Great- thank you for all the advice and help! I'm going to start doing that. I'm going to look into that opiate bac cert you mentioned...maybe a masters once I figure out my path. thanks again - you've all been a lot of help! Great advice on this site!
I would also add to others here that community corrections is also a great field to take a look at. Probation and parole are some good fields to keep in mind. Some states and counties have actually privatized some of these functions therefore explore options there too. I'm not sure if you've mentioned it or not but are you prior service military? If so, that will definitely help you in going the federal route. If not, getting into the federalsystem can be quite challenging without the right preferences or background.
First of all, congrats on starting on your new journey - making a career change is never an easy task at any age. It is always wise to research any changes before you make them, especially when you have others depending on you. Yes, age can sometimes restrict you as far as which areas or departments you may be able to work for. But that has a lot to do with how many other people are applying for the jobs you may apply for. With the recession still with us, a lot of organizations now have the luxury of being able to maybe get cheaper labor (a younger person). I am hoping once the economy returns to normal that they will go back to realizing that you get what you pay for. Nothing against youth - but some jobs need "maturity" - something that needs to be paid for. With the younger generation, they can afford to work for a lower wage. Career Counseling
