LEO career advice

[Tym87]

I was enlisted and got my bachelors degree in CJ while in the military, and I worked in LE while in the military. While I applied with several local agencies and got a couple offers, I ultimately went the federal LE route. Whichever side of LE you go with, I have always found having both the military and education boxes checked has served me well. I've know far more prior enlisted people in my LE career, but I've worked with many prior officers as well. For whatever reason though, I find many of the prior officers tend to gravitate towards the FBI as far as the federal side goes, at least based on my observations. Regarding what you major in, I say just go with what you can stomach studying for several years without quitting. However, if you happen to have a propensity for accounting, computers, engineering, or something else unrelated but that could possibly lead to another career if LE doesn't work out, then by all means pick up a degree that has some additional usefulness. For me though, I just wanted to finish a degree, any degree, and CJ actually interested me, so that's what I went with.

That's pretty solid advice. I'm going to see where the chips fall on this one. If I'm selected for OCS I'll attend but if not I'll readjust fire. Either way I'll keep working on the MBA.

[CannonballRun]

Tym87: With all that said, if I could go back in time I'd try to go the ROTC or OCS route and do my time as an officer in the military. Just seems to look a little better on the resume from my observations, but on the other hand I've fared quite well and landed a highly sought after position with a three letter agency. So there are obviously many paths to the same destination in life, and I had a great time being young, dumb, and and enlisted, which was my alternate version of the college experience (still involved plenty of alcohol and stupidity). Can't go wrong with an MBA or other advanced degree in my opinion as long as you aren't going to drown in debt, particularly if you decide on the fed LE route (some agencies seem to like advanced degrees).

J-Madd: Sometimes I wish I'd of majored in something like engineering or computer science that was applicable to another career in case LE didn't work out, but in the end I just couldn't study something I disliked for four years that I knew I wanted nothing to do with. I've found that many careers don't require a particular degree and the ones that do, like engineering, law, accounting, and medicine, do not interest me at all. Gotta go with what you enjoy I figured and it'd all work out eventually.

[Tym87]

Tym87: With all that said, if I could go back in time I'd try to go the ROTC or OCS route and do my time as an officer in the military. Just seems to look a little better on the resume from my observations, but on the other hand I've fared quite well and landed a highly sought after position with a three letter agency. So there are obviously many paths to the same destination in life, and I had a great time being young, dumb, and and enlisted, which was my alternate version of the college experience (still involved plenty of alcohol and stupidity). Can't go wrong with an MBA or other advanced degree in my opinion as long as you aren't going to drown in debt, particularly if you decide on the fed LE route (some agencies seem to like advanced degrees).

Thanks CannonBall, there shouldn't be any added debt because of tuition assistance so I figure I'll use it since it's free. I talked to a Nevada detective at a training event I was at recently and he was saying the MBA is the go to advanced degree at his agency for career progression too. At the very least I am learning a discipline I never studied before.