Getting my foot in the door!?

Question

I have always been interested in doing something with Criminal Law....crime scene investigator, parole officer, probation officer, undercover narcotics..etc... Would they accept high school education only for certain positions or would you have to at least have a Associates degree? Also would it have to be an associates degree in Criminal Justice or does it really matter as long as you have some college?

Answer 1

You can work in law enforcement without a degree, but you will make less money doing the same job as someone with better credentials.  Look for listings that say "Non-certified".  You may want to familiarize yourself with your local laws at the library before you apply, then you will sound like you know your stuff.  Lastly, consider taking a short class for a smaller certification.  You may be able to get something in criminal justice in as little as 8 weeks.  Try those work at home courses, they are pretty cheap too.

Answer 2

It is best to get at least an Associates degree.  During that time do ride alongs and other civilian police programs.  Spend time talking with the recruiters of your local departments and prospective departments.  This will help your chances once you actually enter the hiring process.  If they get to know you and like you, you'll be better off when you apply to their department.  Good luck!

Answer 3

The requirements depend on the area in which you would want to work.  Different jurisdictions have different requirements for employment.  That said of course if you can get the degree, go for it since you will be competing against people who have associates degrees and more.

Anything to do with CSI type work often requires you to work in a lab or technical field.  As such you typically need a background in science or must have been a police officer for several years if they do it on their own.  There very well may be a requirement for post secondary education should you apply later on.

Undercover narcotics are positions within the police department in which you need to apply for after you have experience as a patrol officer.  Unless you want to work for the DEA or similar in which I believe you may be required to have a degree.  I've included a link to their recruitment page should you want to look at it yourself.

Your question isn't as easy to answer since you've listed several very different careers.  Do you NEED a degree, no not always.  Criminal Justice degrees are a dime a dozen a lot of people have them and while they are not useless the organization you are going to work for will train you regardless of what type of degree you have.  If it were up to me, I would get a degree in something i'm also interested in such as business, administration, public policy, anything that has a wide range of uses for other jobs as well.  It's helps if you bring something else to the table other than law enforcement related studies and if you ever decide to pursue a different career you can.  Having a Criminal Justice degree closes a lot of doors for people who don't end up ever getting into that field of work.  You won't convince a major corporation you would be ideal in marketing with a criminal justice background.  However, if you have a degree in Marketing you can sell it to a law enforcement agency in selling a new service, promoting a crime initiative or even recruiting other people.

Good luck.