Quote Quoting davidmcbeth3
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I would suggest going to college for a degree that has good career opportunities ; why go to college and pay 250K to be a police officer when a degree is not a requirement? I would forgo a career in law enforcement if you have the opportunity to get a college degree. Why go to college, get a degree in something related to police work only to find out that your conviction is a hill you cannot climb. Then that's 250K down the drain.
A college degree will serve multiple purposes: It can overcome a past that contains some stupid mistakes, it can provide for career advancement and financial incentives while in law enforcement, and can also open doors to additional opportunities outside of law enforcement (teaching, consulting, academy instructor, etc.). It can be of great benefit in a career where a good number of one's peers will not have that. In my state, college is required for promotion to sergeant - at least to the equivalent level of an AA/AS degree - and moving higher will generally require a BA/BS or greater.

My recommendation is NOT to get that degree in "Criminal Justice," however, as most any police applicant with a degree will have that particular one. I typically recommend that youngsters go for something that also has applicability outside of law enforcement as well as within. Sociology, Psychology, Public Administration, Education, Criminology (a science), various Law, Communications, or Political degrees as well. As one who has culled backgrounds for many years, I can tell you that when an applicant lists a degree OTHER than "Criminology," he or she stands out. I also recommend that they try to learn at least one additional language sufficiently well to qualify as a translator ... but, this can be difficult.