12th Mar 2010

What education path is better to follow to become a police officer in california?

  • hey guys thank you for your ideas in advance

    my main goal is to become a police officer/ law enforcement in california but im unsure which education path would better myself in the hiring process

    i was thinking getting a degree at evergreen valley in criminal justice and going to the police academy at the same time,because some say the police academy is a big head start?(but is 4500 out of my own money, but im not worried about the money if its for my education) and pays more?

    and some people say to get like a degree in english,or communication or psychology and forget about the police academy(which i think the police academy give me a big advanage) becasue they send you through the police academy when u get hired ?

    please help me with my decision


  • Going to the Police Academy is a huge commitment. I believe at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, all non-affiliates go during the week-end only. Although that sounds easy enough, there are a lot more hours spent preparing for those 2 days. Going through a regular academy usually requires 1 hour prep time before and 2 hours minimum after to prepare for the next day. Not to mention the physical aspect. If you are taking a full load in college, you are not going to have much time to study for your regular classes during the week.
    Paying for your academy as a non-affiliate is no guarantee of getting hired. You still have to pass the background, oral board, polygraph, psychological, and medical. It doesn't make sense to pay all that money out of your own pocket if you don't get hired. If you do get your post cert. and you don't get hired what will you do with it? It makes more sense to go to school, work on your degree in whatever field you want and apply with a local agency that you want to work for. Go through their hiring process and see if you make it through. The approx. hiring rate for all applicants from start to finish is 2.5%. If you get your degree in criminal justice, its a fine degree, but maybe just a bit narrow. Why not look into Psychology, Sociology or even Business. These are a bit more broad and can be used in your law enforcement career, as well as the civilian world. The same cannot be said about a criminal justice degree.
    The bottom line is a degree in criminal justice or having completed an academy is a great stepping stone to getting hired, but it is not a guarantee of getting hired. My suggestion is to focus on school, and get your degree. It looks better on your resume, shows that you can follow through with something, makes you more competative with the other applicants and will allow you to focus on the academy. Going through the academy is a great experience that will allow you to bond with your academy class mates. Its definitely something that you want to experience with those individuals you will be working with.







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