3 answers
Ana
Student
3
Questions
Asked
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what are some pros and cons for a criminal justice career?
I want to know the negative and positive of this career to help me decide and see if i can learn about similar branches
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3 answers
Pilar Torres
Law Enforcement Manager
9
Answers
San Mateo, California
Updated
Pilar’s Answer
Hello Ana,
There are multiple careers in the criminal justice field. Law enforcement (police, sheriff, FBI and corrections), probations/parole officers (state/federal), and courts (prosecutor/defense attorney). Varies by location and job.
Some agencies have ride-a-long programs, cadet programs (jobs for college student during summer), and paid and un-paid internships (district attorney's office).
Law enforcement pros:
-Great benefits (pension/time-off)
-Can make a difference in someone's life
-Can be very rewarding
-Opportunity for advancement
-Can be very exciting (investigations/traffic/tactical)
Law enforcement cons:
-Highly scrutinized
-Shift work (all hours)
-Can feel under-appreciated
-Distain for the uniform
-Can be very dangerous
Talk to the persons in law enforcement in your area. Ask them questions, they will be honest be with you.
There are multiple careers in the criminal justice field. Law enforcement (police, sheriff, FBI and corrections), probations/parole officers (state/federal), and courts (prosecutor/defense attorney). Varies by location and job.
Some agencies have ride-a-long programs, cadet programs (jobs for college student during summer), and paid and un-paid internships (district attorney's office).
Law enforcement pros:
-Great benefits (pension/time-off)
-Can make a difference in someone's life
-Can be very rewarding
-Opportunity for advancement
-Can be very exciting (investigations/traffic/tactical)
Law enforcement cons:
-Highly scrutinized
-Shift work (all hours)
-Can feel under-appreciated
-Distain for the uniform
-Can be very dangerous
Talk to the persons in law enforcement in your area. Ask them questions, they will be honest be with you.
Deborah Rocco
Criminal Investigator (retired)
1
Answer
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Updated
Deborah’s Answer
Hi Ana C.,
I was a Special Agent (criminal investigator) with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for over 33 years.
Some of the pros of being a NCIS career:
International travel
Supporting the U.S. Navy and USMC
Great co-workers
The ability to work a wide variety of criminal investigations
Great pay and benefits
Some of the negatives:
Long hours, to include working nights and weekends
A lot of report writing
Highly scrutinized
Can be dangerous
Some people don't like having to move every few years (but I enjoyed moving and lived in Virginia, Hawaii, Italy, and Massachusetts)
I was a Special Agent (criminal investigator) with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for over 33 years.
Some of the pros of being a NCIS career:
International travel
Supporting the U.S. Navy and USMC
Great co-workers
The ability to work a wide variety of criminal investigations
Great pay and benefits
Some of the negatives:
Long hours, to include working nights and weekends
A lot of report writing
Highly scrutinized
Can be dangerous
Some people don't like having to move every few years (but I enjoyed moving and lived in Virginia, Hawaii, Italy, and Massachusetts)
Nathan Simpson
Full time student part time work
31
Answers
West Milton, Ohio
Updated
Nathan’s Answer
Hello Ana, I am in cyber security investigations, a part of criminal justice. I originally wanted to take criminal justice in the beginning but I decided not to. I think some great pros to criminal justice is really learning the law, I found it very interesting. In my opinion a con to becoming what I am assuming is a detective you want to become, you have to be a police officer first. Thats what really threw me off of criminal justice. But if thats something you are interested in doing, go for it!