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Which major should I go for to get my dream job?

I’m starting college in the fall and I’m going for a double major. My end goal is to help find sex trafficking victims online. I’m not interested or capable of doing field work. I’ll be going for computer sciences but I can’t decide if social work or criminal justice would be the right way to go. I’m not even sure if this kind of job exists but here’s hoping. #college #human-trafficking #job-search #college-major #computer-science #career

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John’s Answer

Hi Alora,

Cyber Security is the right path to go. It is the future now with AI developing. With the technology uprising you will be able to have a career and pursue your goal in preventing sex trafficking online. This career will teach you many skills. I don't think you will be able to get the skills you need in a major in social work or criminal justice. Of course you can always get a minor degree in Criminal Justice to have a grasp idea of how agencies have a process in combating sex trafficking online.

In this major, with the technology out there you will be able to create algorithm platform that could help law enforcement and agencies (ex. FBI) all over on tracking down sex trafficking online. What I mean about platforms is you would be able to create a system online that would look for clues, patterns about a person that is missing or being used for sex trafficking. There are career jobs that need people with Cyber Security skills. Of course if you decide to pursue this path their are certifications that could help you. Below are a list of URLs that would help you.

Good luck,

https://www.comptia.org/certifications - Security+ and others.
https://www.giac.org/
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Philip’s Answer

Hi Alora, being someone that is in the Technology field, I would certainly endorse a computer science path. I have observed that having a STEM degree opens many doors of opportunity for new college graduates. However, for the other part of your question, I would recommend you seek out organizations that do the work you mentioned, one such organization is: International Justice Mission (https://www.ijm.org/). After reviewing their content, then I would suggest reaching out to the organization for more information. There is something called an exploratory interview, where you could possibly meet with a recruiter in the organization to find out the specific requirements for a human trafficking investigator role. Regarding your college path, you could also consider doing a minor for the secondary interest area after getting more information about what that might be. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best for your future.

Philip recommends the following next steps:

Seek out more information from an organization that investigates and prosecutes human trafficking crimes.
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Malisa’s Answer

Hi Alora - What a deep subject and such a huge need (unfortunately) in the world right now. I would look at programs around cyber security in addition to law enforcement and criminal justice. Places like the FBI, CIA and other branches of government / law enforcement need the on-line tech & hacking skills to get into these crime rings and find the information required to stop them. Best of luck to you in this endeavor.
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Nick’s Answer

This kind of job absolutely exists! Off the top of my head, I'm aware that CCI in California (https://cci.calpoly.edu/human-trafficking-summit) does a lot of working using computer security principles to help end human trafficking, often working with law enforcement. My recommendation for this would be to start with focusing on your CS, as most places have a rather difficult introductory series for the topic. If you feel comfortable with those classes, then start branching into classes you find interesting. There is plenty of time to declare the second major, start by exploring what classes are interesting to you, and then find the program from there.
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Deb’s Answer

You could look into Risk Management at a Bank or Financial Institution as a career path. All banks have what they call Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-money Laundering departments where they work to identify and help stop money laundering which includes Human Trafficking. Just another option to keep in mind. Good luck!
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Wayne’s Answer

Good day Alora. If your main objective is helping agencies find sex trafficking victims online, computer science may be the best way to go as a major. I am not sure if you can get the technical skills that you would need from a major in social work or criminal justice. Of course you can always get a minor degree or take courses related to combating sex trafficking or social work.

You may be to find some ideas for related jobs at the URLs below.

https://www.indeed.com/q-Human-Trafficking-Program-jobs.html
https://unjobs.org/themes/trafficking
https://www.simplyhired.com/search?q=human+trafficking+outreach&job=iJwkwl0hqrh3BF9hYUr8cRvRISEj3rRBTsQcvvH4VidA_J2DtRWf9Q

All the best for the semester and good luck!
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Janna’s Answer

I'd also recommend looking into studying cybersecurity. This is more information on cybersecurity from the FBI https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber. This feed of study is growing in popularity and your skill set can easily transition into different industries and career paths.
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Susana’s Answer

This is a great cause Alora! I applaud you. Look into social engineering as means to stop the perpetrators in this field.
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Rafael’s Answer

that is a great field to be in! i applaud you for your interest in this field as well! computer science would definitely be a great start to learn the dynamics that is in that field to give you resources on what to use in the future!
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Paul’s Answer

Hey Alora - Understanding the work you want to be involved in, with the problem you'd like to solve. The question between the major's I'd ask is do you want to spend more of your time helping the victims or more time getting justice for them by punishing the criminals. If you want to spend more time with the victims I'd get a degree in social work, but if you'd like to punish the criminals I'd focus on criminal justice.

Hope this helps you.
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Jackie’s Answer

You should watch Don't F*ck with Cats!

And look for job postings that interest you and look at what the requirements are. Should help you get a clear picture of where to start.
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Nidhi’s Answer

If your goal is to ultimately benefit victims of sex trafficking then computer science would "one of the many" vehicles to get you there. In order to create an online portal or a website many resources are available. For that you could take up courses on website development and web services. Another option for you would be take up data science if you wish to run analytics on your target users and predict trends. This is a very interdisciplinary field which i think will be useful for your area of interest. Hope this helps.
Thank you comment icon Gurpreet here from CareerVillage.org! I just edited your response to reflect that you meant that this would benefit victims of sex trafficking and not the sex traffickers themselves Gurpreet Lally, Admin
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Tristan’s Answer

Hello Alora!

I understand the problem you want to solve, though this is still a broad area. There are varying needs such as:

1. Helping victims recover - could be social work or psychology
2. Punishing criminals - could be law or criminology
3. Online techniques to catch cybercrime - great focus in your Computer Science degree

For #3, you may want to explore jobs in "Trust & Safety". Tech companies such as Google and Facebook have this.

Good luck!
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Geoffrey’s Answer

Yes, I would agree the more science you can bring to your qualifications the better. As a former administrator for a state child protection agency about six years ago, the state was just beginning to understand and use data, AI, and other tools to help target human traffickers and those with the potential to abuse children. We also used it to help screen prospective investigators to hire.
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