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LOL. You're really bitter about getting a degree in CJ. The best thing to do is to get into shape and apply at law enforcement agencies at all levels of government. Corrections might pay you a little extra for having a degree in just about anything and so will fire departments. I have no suggestions beyond that. It seems like everything else requires 10+ years of experience. You've probably seen my other suggestions in other threads: social services including Child/Adult Protective Services, insurance fraud investigation, and parole/probation.
Half of my degree was CJ. I'm being considered for a promotion that doesn't pay much more or even enough to keep me around. I'm still applying to a few jobs a week. Check with your state requirements. You might qualify to sit for the private investigator test.
Just about everything everyone said in that thread could be said about any degree. You learn valuable stuff in every degree program. However, the majority of police departments pay an educational incentive for any degree. No one in that thread said that a CJ degree helped them land a job outside of law enforcement (or even in law enforcement) for which you don't even need a degree in CJ in most cases.
By the way, one of the guys in that thread defending his CJ degree has said before that his MBA from a for-profit has done more for him than his CJ degree from a non-profit. The guy even tried to talk me out of a career in law enforcement explaining how terrible it was for him. He had to get an MBA to get out of law enforcement (a very important lesson to learn here). Of course, he could have gone on to complete an MBA after majoring in English, Psychology, Philosophy, and countless other degree programs. So, if CJ is not worthless for all of the reasons mentioned in that thread, then no degree is worthless.
As far as the anecdotal evidence for law school, of course at least a few people with CJ degrees will get in. However, CJ majors are the lowest scorers on the LSAT and most law schools are filled with political science and economics majors.
Thanks L210 for providing that link to my thread on degreeinfo. Can you also provide a link to the research that shows CJ majors scoring lower on the LSAT?
a guy I know had the CJ degree and he is still working random jobs as a bouncer or security (talk about $12 an hour, night shifts) because he cant find a job -- more than 6 years out of school! of course its only one sample, but there is no smoke without fire.
Thanks L210 for providing that link to my thread on degreeinfo. Can you also provide a link to the research that shows CJ majors scoring lower on the LSAT?
Of course, there is probably selection bias. CJ is known as an easy major, so it's probably chosen more often by students who aren't capable of completing a harder major. On the other hand, an easy major is not going to help develop the analytical skills needed to score well on the LSAT.
Generally speaking for most of us, I think a business degree is more marketable to a potential employer than a typical criminal justice degree, with few exceptions of working in government (state, local or federal).
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