What field is exciting, offers a broad array of career opportunities and is evolving rapidly? If you answered criminal justice, you're correct. If you’re considering a criminal justice career, here are 4 things you should know about the field.
1. It's not all CSI
Some people hear the words criminal justice and think CSI. Although a job in a crime lab is one option for a graduate with a degree in criminal justice, it's far from the only one. In fact, the criminal justice field is among the most diverse career paths available and it's largely about helping people. Graduates with a criminal justice degree may find work in police departments, courts, airports, military bases, correctional facilities or even research institutions! From bodyguards to witness protection agents, detectives to drug enforcement agents, career opportunities in the criminal justice field are broad and inclusive.
2. From communication to critical thinking, you'll need a wide array of skills
Criminal justice isn't just about the law. In fact, it includes things like public speaking, ethical decision-making, multitasking and critical thinking. Unlike other specialized fields, like the hard sciences or languages, a criminal justice education doesn't have a single standardized test or explicit skill set. At its best, a criminal justice education equips you to solve problems and be able to step back and understand the way the pieces fit together.
3. It's changing along with the world around us
Factors like globalization, increased concerns of terrorist attacks, and even technological advances in tracking and preventing shoplifting and online crime continue to open up the field in new directions. In today's world, you can make a difference in your community in more ways than ever!
4. It may be different than you expect—but in a good way!
Still don't know what career a typical criminal justice student goes on to pursue? That's because there is no typical student—and no typical criminal justice job. If you're expecting high-speed chases and intense jailhouse scenes, you may not find what you're looking for unless you pursue a job in the highway patrol or high-security correctional facilities. But if you're open to a career that plays to your strengths, allows you to serve others and opens up opportunities everywhere you look, an education in criminal justice might just be for you.
