In the modern world, students have a dizzying collection of career paths that were not available in the past generations. Every graduating student faces an overwhelming range of possibilities that lie before them after completion of their campus studies. The circumstances that come with the achievement can be stressful and baffling for students to decide on the right career path that suits their needs. Some students follow their parent’s advice while others select the careers that guarantee high pay. For me, I have the predicament of choosing what is best for me, between the one I have a passion for and that which pays well. There are many paths that I could select as my preferred career being a criminal justice major. The impact and the satisfaction in assisting other people to make better choices are what will determine my choice of career.
Police officers play a fundamental role in the system of criminal justice. Having been a cop before, I find this career not only narrowed to apprehending criminals but also sensitize the community on the need to stop crime through visible presence effort and community outreach. Police is a career marred by significant inherent dangers that involve putting the lives of the officers on the line, but for me, I see it as a unique opportunity to save an individual's life every day. Sometimes police officers find themselves in life-threatening situations such as providing necessary life support to victims of shooting before the arrival of paramedics or pulling a victim out of a car, but the mere presence may save lives which is of enormous importance. Additionally, a police officer’s job involves routine change on dimes through partaking other unique and exciting tasks such as patrol, investigations among others. This reasons and many others are the principal factors that will make me proud to take up this job.
Another area of specialization is correction management. This specialization involves helping the convicted criminals to assimilate back into the society and coach them on how to avoid crimes and comply with the court-mandated orders. The job of a probation officer has many challenges but offers excellent skills. The presence of regular crimes within the society is what assures job security alongside the protected union contracts that stipulates the rights of every employee. Additionally, in spite of the nature of this work that involves regular involvement with gangs and drug dealers, it stands as an exciting job that allows an individual to exploit and experience the adrenaline rush as they make their significant contribution to the community. This job also allows the officers to spend a considerable amount of time embroiled in undercover investigation trying to learn about the convicted criminals better and monitor their behavior trends.
Moreover, a common avenue that is open for me is to pursue the career of being a computer forensics investigator. Having a deep passion for technology, I have had a great interest in adding the study of the fast-changing and exciting field of computer crime alongside the study of criminal justice. This field involves the examination of computer crimes and the appropriate methods to prevent it. It includes monitoring the activities of criminals on the networks in conjunction with private firms and laws enforcement agencies to retrieve critical information from the storage devices. This career calls for patience and commitment to work for extended hours which is what fascinates me about this job. The ability to dismantle and rebuild an information system intrigues me, and I believe it is amongst my favorite choice of career.
A different area that I prefer working in is the Juvenile department as a Juvenile Justice Officer. This job involves working with the criminals below the age of 18 and helping them avoid imitating bad behaviors from the adults around them. Children can fall prey to people with malicious intentions, and with their immature minds, they can easily succumb to the manipulations. This job is more of counseling and mentoring of youth to become better people and providing them with professional guidance on so that they can change and become productive people in the society. What interest me with this job is that it require diligence and alertness while avoiding friendly interaction with the minors. This experience will help me improve my communication skills and make recommendations about services and punishments.
These are just a few are specialization amongst a wide range of variety. Criminal justice has always been my dream major, and I am glad I pursued a great course. This career has numerous benefits that will allow me to have a chance to transform the system and serve the community. Having completed this course, I have acquired valuable knowledge like that of handling pieces of evidence, collecting fingerprints, writing reports, sharpening my communication skills among others. Therefore, I am set to face the challenges that I might encounter in this career head on and of cause advance in this field.
