也许你已经知道了, but the "cool" criminal justice jobs that you see on TV 和 in films are largely a fantasy. 有 very, very few people whose sole job it is to investigate serial killers. 同样，媒体对侦探和联邦探员实际工作的形象(以及他们的着装)也会受到影响!)是严重的误导。. 让我们制定一些基本原则:

1. 刑事司法系统中的大多数职业都要求个人从基层做起，然后逐步晋升到调查或监督职位. This means that most jobs will require work experience as a patrol officer, 缓刑、假释官, 或惩教人员. In some cases, military experience can count as field experience, but not always. 几乎所有的侦探, 便衣警察, 和 special agents began their careers as patrol officers. While the federal government does not have "patrol" officers, 大多数联邦执法人员以前都有一些州执法或军事经验.
2. By far the most competitive jobs in law enforcement are those in the federal government. Remember that the vast majority of crime in this country is a 状态/local matter, not federal. 因此, most people who work in the criminal justice system work for local 和 状态 agencies. 当联邦机构有职位空缺时, 他们经常会收到大量申请者的申请，这些申请者拥有学士或硕士学位，并有多年在州或地方工作的经验. A graduate degree may make you more competitive for federal law enforcement, but many students' "dream" jobs require previous law enforcement experience. 同样，几乎每个人都是从底层开始的.
3. 刑事司法领域的许多工作——尤其是一些更“令人兴奋”的工作——需要刑事司法以外的专业学位或背景. 在过去的几年里，联邦调查局主要对招聘会计师感兴趣, 律师, 和 those individuals with computer expertise. 类似的, 法医和纵火调查几乎总是需要化学或其他科学相关领域的背景. 与表现出精神疾病或精神问题的罪犯打交道通常需要心理学的博天堂官方网站生学习. These are very specialized jobs that require unique skills 和 knowledge. 学生 interested in those careers (or others such as food, 职业, or environmental safety 和 enforcement) should consider degrees in those areas, 双学位, 或者博天堂官方网站生学习.

尽管之前的评论, 拥有刑事司法本科学位的人实际上可以从事刑事司法领域的许多职业! 虽然不是所有的城市, 县, 和 状态 police agencies require that you have an undergraduate degree, there is an increasing trend of law enforcement agencies seeking applicants with college degrees. 作为青少年或成年人的缓刑/假释官是我们学生的另一个常见职业选择，通常需要学士学位. 在县内也有职位, 状态, 以及联邦机构, 并不是所有的都是典型的监狱环境. 最后, 在人类服务领域有各种各样的工作，比如与青少年或有风险的家庭一起工作.

While the above positions are directly related to the criminal justice system, there are other agencies that deal with issues related to human services, 公司操作, 国内外政策, 以及各种各样的法规和法律. Many of these jobs will require you to work near the 状态 capital or Washington, D.C. where most agencies' headquarters are located. Examples of these include working for a legislative agency, 在国务院工作, 或者是人类服务机构. 最后, there are jobs in the private security 和 investigation fields. 这些工作范围从追查工人赔偿欺诈到在提供公司安全的公司工作. The knowledge 和 experiences required of these will depend on the specifics of the position.

Every year several of our students go on to graduate school or law school. These can be rewarding experiences both professionally 和 personally. 然而，这些都是时间、金钱和精力密集的努力，应该彻底考虑. 刑事司法博天堂官方网站生学位, 公共管理, 业务, 和 psychology can benefit criminal justice professions. 如前所述, 取决于具体的职业, simply having a graduate degree will not guarantee obtaining your ideal job. 它可以, 然而, 提高你职业发展的机会——尽管你可能仍然需要从底层做起.

Law school is another area of interest for many of our students. 与CJ学生的普遍看法相反, most people who go to law school do not work in the field of criminal law after graduation. Most undergraduates who graduate from law school practice in areas such as public interest law, 版权, 公民权利, 公司法, 等.，你也许会感兴趣.

你毕业后最终决定做什么可能是考虑许多因素的结果. 我们不能告诉你该怎么做，但我们可以给你一些建议，帮助你自己做决定. 下面的列表可以帮助你思考你会发现什么类型的职业最有价值.

1. How comfortable would you be carrying a firearm? 这是一个重要的问题. 如果你对枪支感到不舒服，并且不相信你可以用它来对付另一个人, 即使情况需要这样做, then you should avoid jobs that will require this. This includes policing (patrol 和 detectives), 一些州的假释, 以及几个联邦执法机构.
2. How comfortable would you be working with offenders? 惩教事业(缓刑), 假释, 刑事司法系统中的机构和咨询/心理学工作需要每天与罪犯互动, 他们中的许多人都犯下了严重的罪行. 这与警察的工作不同，警察通常很少与罪犯互动，通常只是短暂的接触.
3. 薪水有多重要? This is a tough question to answer 和 will likely require balancing other considerations (e.g. how much you enjoy what you do, benefits, hours, 等.). Careers in criminal justice tend to pay reasonably well. 然而, you will not become wealthy working in the criminal justice system. 如果年薪六位数对你来说很重要的话, you should change majors or attend law school 和 focus on areas other than the criminal law. 警察的薪水竞争越来越激烈，许多大型警察部门的薪水在3万美元以上(有些超过4万美元)，再加上加班的可能性. 不管流行文化告诉我们什么, this is a substantial sum of money - 和 is more than many criminal 律师 和 Ph.D.的收入! Probation 和 假释 officers tend to start at the mid to upper $20K per year. Careers working with juveniles are usually some of the lower paying jobs, though they clearly have the potential to be rewarding in a number of other ways.
4. 个人价值观和身份认同. 这指的是所有学生在做出影响自己和他人生活的重大决定时应该考虑的一些问题. Remember that most people change jobs 和 or careers during their lifetime. 没有理由说你大学毕业后的第一份工作一定要一直干到退休! 有, 然而, 你可以考虑一些基本的问题来决定你是否会对一份特定的工作感到满意. 当人们的工作与自己的信念一致并得到强化时，他们往往会感到最快乐, 值, 目标, 和原则. 什么对你来说是重要的? 你是什么类型的人? Would you feel more comfortable in a law enforcing role, 咨询师的角色, 或者两者的结合? Do you like to work with others or would you rather rely on your skills 和 abilities? 你想要什么样的生活? What type of job would you find rewarding - protecting people, 帮助别人, being in a position of authority 和 responsibility, being intellectually or physically challenged? 没有唯一的答案，很可能没有一份工作能完全符合你的期望. 也许这是一个淘汰的过程，如果你不开心，你可以换工作或职业.

记住，你不是一个人在寻找. 有 a number of resources that describe particular jobs related to criminal justice. Perhaps the greatest resource you have is the faculty. Plan on sitting down with a faculty advisor on a regular basis to discuss your plans, 问问题, 在你的搜索中收集信息.