People often have a diminutive view of criminal justice, but it is one of the widest and most varied fields out there. Criminal justice remains a practical degree with many benefits for degree holders. Here are a few reasons why everyone should consider getting a criminal justice degree.
Career Options
One common mistake people make is assuming that your only job options with a criminal justice degree are becoming a police officer or lawyer. It is true that many people move on to law school after earning a criminal justice degree, and it is a common degree for those seeking to work in the police. However, these aren’t your only options. You could be well paid as a probation officer oror private investigator.
Take specialized courses, and you could work as a forensics technician or fraud investigator. You could find work as a game warden or security guard. Or work as an investigator for defense contractors seeking to verify people’s backgrounds and loyalties. If you combine the criminal justice education with psychology, you’re qualified to counsel crime victims.
The Ability to Work Anywhere
Wherever there are people, there are people getting into trouble and in need of help. If you have a degree in criminal justice, you will be able to find a job in the county courthouse or small town police department in any part of the country. That’s aside from finding work for any company that needs to hire professional investigators for background checks or the jails that are often located in rural areas.
If you work in a suburban or urban environment, you’re able to find work in social services, nonprofits, large companies and law firms. Note that you can get a masters in criminal justice online, so your ability to work anywhere doesn’t require you to locate somewhere specifically to earn this degree.
A side benefit of working in criminal justice is that you can find jobs ranging from the lab to the office to the field.
Combination with Any Skillset
We already addressed the fact that if you are interested in science and lab work as well as criminal justice, you can train to become a forensics technician. If you have computer skills, you could learn the skills necessary to work in computer forensics. Now you’re taking on tasks from tracking down illegal traffic on the dark web to determining who hacked the company network to steal information, whether it is an external hacker or internal leaker. Specialties like this pay even more than the average criminal justice bachelor’s degree. An online masters in criminal justice puts you on the fast track to promotion in a law firm’s back office, police department or civil service. You’ll finally have a job and make money doing what you love!
Conclusion
A degree in criminal justice gives you far more job opportunities than going to law school or becoming a police officer. You’ll be able to find a job in any area and environment you’d like and any part of the country and combine your degree with other skillsets to work in more lucrative specializations.
