Susana Moraga ⋅ Hayward , CA California State University East Bay ⋅ 20 years experience

Jeffery,

There are very few jobs that request specific degrees, your experience is what most employers want. A four year degree may help, look at the job descriptions for jobs you may want, what do they ask for?

If you contact a Homeland Security recruiter, found on their job postings, they will be happy to provide you with specific information.

Definitely talking with people in the career fields you are interested in by doing informational interviews to get a real world perspective is a smart thing to do.

It is possible to use professional associations without joining them, you can access a lot of information by just researching their websites and local chapters. In addition, they usually have Linkedin Groups which are free to join and once in a group you can access other group members profiles to see their background and career tracks.

You can also post this type of query and when people respond, you will have friendly people who you can contact to do those informational interviews.

Always remember, educational institutions are in the business of selling education, it's best to get unbiased information.

Best of luck,

Walt Overfield ⋅ Virginia Beach , VA United Healthcare ⋅ 15 years experience

Jeffery,
Time for some research. Start with a simple Google search for "Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Careers". You may see http://www.careerprofiles.info/law-enforcement-careers.html or many other sites with lots of information about all the career choices in this line of work. Check out the details about working conditions, pay, advancement opportunities, educational requirements and everything else that is important to you. When you find several potential career opportunities that seem right for you, try to meet people who already have these jobs in your community and see if your information and expectations are accurate. Check out their educational accomplishments and their ideas about the future of this line of work. To find local people, look for professional associations that these people might join, For example, if Sheriff is you preferred line of work, look at the National Sheriffs' Association. Professional associations also have resources for networking, career planning, education, training, networking, job leads, and much more.
You can also meet with a career counselor at your school to better focus your education on specific career paths that meet your needs.
To try out free college classes for other careers that you want to explore, Google "Free Online College Classes" and check out all the colleges that let you try college classes before you commit to a career path. You can also use this resource to get a different point of view for the classes you are already taking to ensure you get a great education,
You have the tough job of picking exactly what you want. In order to be happy, most of your needs need to be met. Only you know that list and the correct order of needs.
Start with research about your needs and career opportunities that have a good chance of meeting your needs. Network with people that have careers in your preferred line of work to see if your assumptions are accurate. Assume that you can do anything if you really want to but you don't have enough time to do everything. You need to choose what is best for you and take total control of the process. Learn from every failure. Everyone fails and most improve because of their failure.
Good Luck!
I know you will be successful.
Walt

Jeffery Sandstrum ⋅ Fort George G Meade , MD U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 11 years served

Thanks everyone for you're input. Still working in that degree. Flirting with the idea of law school upon retirement..

Jeffery Sandstrum ⋅ Fort George G Meade , MD U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 11 years served

Thanks everyone for you're input. Still working in that degree. Flirting with the idea of law school upon retirement..