any careers to go with this CJC degree?

[vxtip]

i got my bachelors degree in criminal justice a little over a year ago, got a job doing security, its been a rollercoaster of drama and corruption i never thought i'd have to experience. But i guess thats inevitable with the quality of people they hired and how i've seen the company run. I appreciate having a job, and things have really smoothed out so the work isnt too bad, although i guess thats subjective because most people are amazed ive lasted there so long, so maybe it is a terrible job. If it payed more i'd be ok i guess, but if i wasn't still living at home i would be living in poverty on these wages so i need something more. Anyway, i don't know what i was thinking all through college but it never really occurred to me the degree was sorta worthless, i just wanted to get "a" degree, because i've always been told having the degree is the important part...

Well now i've got the degree but they never told us much about what jobs were available, how to go by getting them or how to pursue the right path to move up to, and they sure as hell didn't mention that every single job that is looking for a college degree wants several years of related work experience to go with it...It kind of has me flustered, the only jobs seem to be corrections, policing, probation, course security/loss prevention, and some paralegal stuff. I'm interested in social work or counseling but my degree doesn't seem to be very useful for it, i've looked into paralegal jobs but they want experience or law degrees :/

Is there anything else, can anyone recommend different positions within organizations that are available? i mean there must be so many jobs that exist that if i never knew about it i'd never know to look for, i'm sure there are more interesting jobs out there. Furthermore, are there certifications, training or ways to get experience and actually have a competitive edge instead of just being 1 of 100,000 of guys in indiana with this degree. thanks for reading

 

[hornadylnl]

Please tell me you don't have massive student loan debt to go along with your degree.

 

[PatriotPride]

Please tell me you don't have massive student loan debt to go along with your degree.

Bingo.

 

[phrozen5100]

Furthermore, are there certifications, training or ways to get experience and actually have a competitive edge instead of just being 1 of 100,000 of guys in indiana with this degree. thanks for reading

Given the nature of your degree, if you're not already in good physical condition, it would pay to get there. Heck, this will help regardless.

You might also think of the military as an option. Having your college degree allows you to pursue the officer route. The civilian world is a crap shoot for criminal justice majors.

My $0.02.

 

[hornadylnl]

Not trying to kick you when your down. Of course they won't tell you those things. They're in the business of selling degrees. They encourage students to take on massive debt because it puts butts in seats. Once your career field is over saturated with bachelor degree holders, they'll be more than happy to sell you a masters degree. And the same for a doctorate.

I work in maintenance and would like to take some classes on plc programming. I will not go for a degree because I will not take the other classes required to get it. I can appreciate that 90%+ of stuff called art is garbage. I don't need a whole semester to figure that out. I was absolutey unimpressed with my trainee program through Ivy Tech so I'm not giving them my money.

 

[sepe]

Not trying to kick you when your down. Of course they won't tell you those things. They're in the business of selling degrees. They encourage students to take on massive debt because it puts butts in seats. Once your career field is over saturated with bachelor degree holders, they'll be more than happy to sell you a masters degree. And the same for a doctorate.

I work in maintenance and would like to take some classes on plc programming. I will not go for a degree because I will not take the other classes required to get it. I can appreciate that 90%+ of stuff called art is garbage. I don't need a whole semester to figure that out. I was absolutey unimpressed with my trainee program through Ivy Tech so I'm not giving them my money.

That isn't how it works. That semester is spent trying to get you to change your values/beliefs to conform with whatever the professor feels (or depending on the school, what the school values). If you went in to an art class thinking that most the stuff out there is garbage (which it is), you'll have professors argue, until they point they're visibly angry, trying to get you to change how you think/what you feel about a particular piece. It doesn't matter to them if you can be open minded, they just need to be told that their values/beliefs are worth something.

I'm going to be happy with my lack of student loans when I'm done with my B.S., I'll have under 5-grand in loans. As far as them not telling you what you could be or where jobs might be, most of that information is pretty easy to find and can be found through the schools. The advisors do want to sell the idea of advanced degrees as often as possible though.

 

[Hoosier9]

Well now i've got the degree but they never told us much about what jobs were available, how to go by getting them or how to pursue the right path to move up to, and they sure as hell didn't mention that every single job that is looking for a college degree wants several years of related work experience to go with it...It kind of has me flustered, the only jobs seem to be corrections, policing, probation, course security/loss prevention, and some paralegal stuff. I'm interested in social work or counseling but my degree doesn't seem to be very useful for it, i've looked into paralegal jobs but they want experience or law degrees :/

Maybe I'm reading something wrong, but are you actually complaining that the only jobs available are the exact jobs that a criminal justice degree is tailored for? If you are interested in social work, why didn't you get a degree in social work? I'm fairly certain that the entire idea of a criminal justice degree is to get a job in the criminal justice field, ie: corrections, policing, probation, etc.

If you truly want to get into social work, just know that there is a very high burnout rate, and the pay vs. the expected education level is ridiculous. Still, everyone has their own aptitudes and desires. If you truly want to do counseling, you might consider getting into corrections, to gain experience. You might start as a corrections officer, which requires no college, and then apply for a counselor position when one becomes available. At least in Indiana, the counselor position requires a bachelor's degree, but the requirement doesn't specify which type of degree.

Very, very few people get their dream job right after college. That's not the way it works. The economy is not the best in the world, and you'll be competing with people who have not only a degree, but have "been there, done that." You may have to work in a related field before getting your desired job in your exact field. Pay your dues, so to speak.

 

[sepe]

I didn't even noticed the complaint about the jobs that match his degree and him wanting to be in social work or do counseling. I was looking into doing probation work but decided it wasn't what I really wanted so I didn't waste much time working towards that degree. Social work would be much more interesting to me but even with an MSW, you better be willing to work a pretty demanding job for fairly low wages and a LOT of stress. You better be willing to deal with the worst pieces of scum (sex offenders, people cooking meth with children present while their lab got busted, you know...the fun stuff).

A couple questions, where did you go to school and are you willing to go back? You should be able to turn your degree into an MSW in 3-ish years (usually 2 years full-time or 2 years part-time with advanced standing or 3-4 years depending on the part-time program, that is for IUSSw, IUPUI/IUN/IUSB/IPFW/IUE). If you were willing to go back, you could turn your degree into something that could open up quite a few different career options (especially if you were willing to do a dual master's program).

 

[PistolBob]

Given the nature of your degree, if you're not already in good physical condition, it would pay to get there. Heck, this will help regardless.

You might also think of the military as an option. Having your college degree allows you to pursue the officer route. The civilian world is a crap shoot for criminal justice majors.

My $0.02.

Great advice.

 

[vxtip]

i'm a tall skinny relatively fit, i exercise with a stationary bike, i hadn't considered bulking up but it definitely wouldn't hurt.

I guess i am complaining about the only jobs in my field..not sure why i picked it, i think i thought their more out there. Originally I almost went for an art degree but i knew that was a worthless degree so CJC was my alternative to get a real career. In hindsight i should have done more research about different majors. I liked CJC and was good at it, but ya, i guess i'm really not that into the careers at my disposal >:/

i went to ballstate, when i asked a prof. for advice a few months after graduating and he recommended getting a masters degree...i took that as being kind of a de-facto, give the school more money response. I've knocked the idea around but would have to take out loans, im not overwhelmed in them but i do have several grand to pay back and i have no desire to add any more. So i'd say no im not really willing to go back yet. Military isn't something i'm open to anymore, this government, the way this country's goin, i've put a lot of thought into it and ive concluded it isn't for me.

I guess i really don't know what i want to do at this point, maybe im putting too much thought into it and should just keep my eyes open for other stuff and keep doing security.

 

[sepe]

If you honestly want to do social work, the only way you'll make a liveable wage is if you get your MSW. For a MSW, you can be accepted with any Bachelor's degree. IU doesn't use GRE scores. You've got to have a 3.0 GPA or be able to explain why it was lower (even a 2.9, depending on how competitive the incoming class is a 3.0 might need to be explained). If you're not wanting to add any more student loan debt and you don't like the careers a CJC degree offers, you'll be kind of stuck unless you can find an employer looking for someone with a piece of paper from a 4 year school from any major (there have been postings in the past that are looking for a 4 year degree...nothing specific, maybe things will turn around some and that'll happen again).

 

[Rookie]

You could always be a fluffer. Pretty sure it doesn't require a degree though...

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

If you honestly want to do social work, the only way you'll make a liveable wage is if you get your MSW. For a MSW,

"livable" meaning $30-35k gross. Doesn't sound all that bad...

Until you consider the bulk of your student loans you have to pay.


-J-

 

[sepe]

"livable" meaning $30-35k gross. Doesn't sound all that bad...

Until you consider the bulk of your student loans you have to pay.


-J-

In a perfect world, I'd be going out after finishing my Bachelor's in Business - Human Resource Management to work a handful of years to save up a decent amount of money. Then I'd go back to school for an MSW and I'd be happy making $28k to start (because of the part of the field I'd be wanting to concentrate in). With a couple years experience or working in certain settings the salary goes up a good amount but usually hits a ceiling.

At IUSB, the tuition costs alone (no technology or any other fees included) would be a little over $14k (if the cost of credit hours stays the same over the next 2-3 years (pretty sure they won't stay the same though). I don't really think the cost is all too high if social work is something that would be a meaningful career for the person. After all, nobody gets into social work for the $$$.