If you are considering earning a criminal justice degree, you may have some preconceived notions about the type of job for which you’ll be qualified after graduation. Many students who start in a criminal justice degree program assume that their career track will be limited to working as a police officer or a corrections officer. While those are two of the most popular and common criminal justice jobs, there are many other career paths you could choose to pursue.
A WIDE VARIETY OF CAREER OPTIONS
Here are a few of the most common career options available to you after graduation, including some jobs you may not have considered:
- Police Officer: Communities across the country rely on police officers to keep the peace. Police officers are needed in cities and towns of all sizes, and help prevent crime, provide valuable community outreach services, and apprehend criminals.
- State Trooper: Where police officers protect and serve their communities, state troopers are responsible for making sure state and federal laws are adhered to by motorists traveling on state and interstate roadways.
- Private Security: Companies of all sizes and across a variety of industries regularly hire private security contractors. Having a criminal justice degree can help you obtain employment as a private security guard.
- Corrections Systems: When you work in a correctional facility, you could be a corrections officer, a corrections supervisor or manager, or work in prison administration. You’ll help guard and rehabilitate prisoners serving time after being convicted of crimes.
- Probation Officer: As a probation officer, you will work closely with people who have been released from correctional facilities, helping them get back on their feet so they can rejoin society after serving time.
- Private Investigator or Private Detective: Many criminal justice degree program graduates find satisfaction working as private investigators, helping individual clients locate people, money, running background checks and more.
- Federal Investigator: For students who decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree after earning their associate degree in criminal justice, there are many exciting potential jobs including working for the FBI or other federal intelligence agencies. Federal agents may help prevent and solve crimes related to terrorism, corruption, cybercrime, money laundering, violent crime and much more.
- Crime Scene Investigator: Crime scene investigators help the police review crime scenes, uncover evidence and reconstruct events to help the police apprehend and convict the perpetrators of the crimes.
- Fraud Investigators: Another option is working for an insurance company, bank or other organization in an internal audit or fraud investigation role. Fraud investigators apply their criminal justice knowledge and skills to identify incidents of fraud so the injured party can recover damages.
- Forensic Science Professional: In this role, you might work in a lab, hospital, courtroom or anywhere else where you can apply your knowledge of forensics to help ensure justice is served.
- Computer Forensics Professional: Criminal justice degree holders can also work as technology specialists, extracting and reconstructing data to help solve crimes.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent: Another option is to work as an immigrations and customs enforcement agent, helping enforce U.S. laws about who and what can lawfully be in the country. These professionals work for a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
- Drug Enforcement Agent: These professionals help enforce our nation’s controlled substance laws, investigating suspected drug traffickers, and seeking to arrest and hold criminals accountable for violating the law.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CAREERS START WITH A SOLID EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Regardless of what type of criminal justice job you ultimately want to obtain, you’ll need a solid foundation in criminal justice theory, forensic techniques, the criminal justice infrastructure, constitutional, criminal and procedural law, ethics and more. These elements are the building blocks for a long, successful criminal justice career, and should be core components in any educational degree program you consider.
Where will your criminal justice career path take you? To learn more about earning an Associate of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Generations College, contact us today.