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Long story short, in the years after graduating high school I tried CC twice to no avail. Looking back I wasn't ready and in hindsight and should have done a gap year. I then looked to EMT training to at least get a skillset under my belt per my mom's advice. COVID hit, and adding in some extenuating personal circumstances I took a longer break from the college path than intended, and will be 22 in June and still trying to figure things out while others are graduating. Then again, aside from those who did gap years or the military first COVID has also offset the conventional college timelines. My desired career is law enforcement.
I still want to get my degree, to have a fall back option and job security. Since I am a high functioning autistic(to clarify, my main issues growing up were social difficulties and hyperfixations both of which have gotten way better), my states' vocational rehab department can sponsor me for tuition and book costs(it was set up when I was a senior in HS actually). Most police positions don't strictly require a degree, but do prefer it and some do require some credits at least. So my options are:
A:I would to just do online classes on my own time and dime(have over 15K for unrelated reasons) while still working. I would hopefully apply in 2 years down the line and move out(still living at home) and would finish the rest of my degree during that.
B: Go with the vocational rehab path. However they require I go full time and they only support the minimum requirements for a specific career and the plan is based on that specific goal. So for example my second career choice(I really want to do policing, but this is the back up plan) is to be a special ed teacher, which at least requires a psychology degree and that's as much as they can support for example.. They said if I end up with a job that wasn't my original goal, that's ok although they would just not be able to say it was a fully successful case. If I paid my own well I wouldn't have to deal with all that. I know I need to consider all my options. Thoughts?
Well, you weren't specific about "law enforcement" but I'd think autism would be an automatic disqualifier for a beat cop. It should be, at any rate. If you can't pick up social interpersonal cues, how are you going to be able to manage people on the beat, in domestic disturbances, etc.? Police officers basically only have to interact with people when those people are in a bad condition and upset.
Based on my personal experiences - my advice would be to stick with something to show you have the ability to complete training. I'm not going to outright tell you that you can't do LE, however what is your backup if you can't? More than likely you'll need a degree (or certificate) if you want to work in the field (i.e. civilian LE admin support, dispatch). The most important thing (aside from background) in LE hiring is direction and follow-through.
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My youngest had a good job as a manager but to get any farther ahead would need a degree. He took evening online classes, and the degree program considered his work experience in lieu of some of the basic classes. He has been able to pay as he went, no need for student loans. It just took a toll on his personal life for a few years. Now he is a director, and with no tuition debt, has bought a house.
Well, you weren't specific about "law enforcement" but I'd think autism would be an automatic disqualifier for a beat cop. It should be, at any rate. If you can't pick up social interpersonal cues, how are you going to be able to manage people on the beat, in domestic disturbances, etc.? Police officers basically only have to interact with people when those people are in a bad condition and upset.
As I said, That has gotten way better. I communicate pretty normally now, even if I occasionally stumbe with certain things my say. Plus as an EMT I already deal with some gnarly stuff(trauma, dead bodies,etc) on a regular basis and if I can handle that why not a related field? Plus I have wondered about doing parks based LE, like conservation officers or rangers.
Based on my personal experiences - my advice would be to stick with something to show you have the ability to complete training. I'm not going to outright tell you that you can't do LE, however what is your backup if you can't? More than likely you'll need a degree (or certificate) if you want to work in the field (i.e. civilian LE admin support, dispatch). The most important thing (aside from background) in LE hiring is direction and follow-through.
OP, not sure if you'll be back after 2 months off this thread.... have you made any decisions? Here's my 2 cents: get a specialized degree in cyber security. Most 2-yr colleges offer the program now; it's a hot market and will be for a long time. Once you graduate, you can write your ticket to anywhere in the country, in law enforcement or the private sector...really there's too many options to list here.
My state offers many programs and avenues for success to individuals on the spectrum and/or facing other challenges. Lots of companies and police departments have paid internships in cyber security. It's worth looking into.
Balance what you want to do with cost benefit analysis. College is expensive but necessary for many jobs. There are plenty of jobs that don't need a 4 year degree that make a very good salary. Saves time and money.
Long story short, in the years after graduating high school I tried CC twice to no avail. Looking back I wasn't ready and in hindsight and should have done a gap year. I then looked to EMT training to at least get a skillset under my belt per my mom's advice. COVID hit, and adding in some extenuating personal circumstances I took a longer break from the college path than intended, and will be 22 in June and still trying to figure things out while others are graduating. Then again, aside from those who did gap years or the military first COVID has also offset the conventional college timelines. My desired career is law enforcement.
I still want to get my degree, to have a fall back option and job security. Since I am a high functioning autistic(to clarify, my main issues growing up were social difficulties and hyperfixations both of which have gotten way better), my states' vocational rehab department can sponsor me for tuition and book costs(it was set up when I was a senior in HS actually). Most police positions don't strictly require a degree, but do prefer it and some do require some credits at least. So my options are:
A:I would to just do online classes on my own time and dime(have over 15K for unrelated reasons) while still working. I would hopefully apply in 2 years down the line and move out(still living at home) and would finish the rest of my degree during that.
B: Go with the vocational rehab path. However they require I go full time and they only support the minimum requirements for a specific career and the plan is based on that specific goal. So for example my second career choice(I really want to do policing, but this is the back up plan) is to be a special ed teacher, which at least requires a psychology degree and that's as much as they can support for example.. They said if I end up with a job that wasn't my original goal, that's ok although they would just not be able to say it was a fully successful case. If I paid my own well I wouldn't have to deal with all that. I know I need to consider all my options. Thoughts?
Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, to be honest I do not know which way I would go. I wonder what you choose.
Long story short, in the years after graduating high school I tried CC twice to no avail. Looking back I wasn't ready and in hindsight and should have done a gap year. I then looked to EMT training to at least get a skillset under my belt per my mom's advice. COVID hit, and adding in some extenuating personal circumstances I took a longer break from the college path than intended, and will be 22 in June and still trying to figure things out while others are graduating. I understand that studying in college will not be easy and there will be no need to prepare a lot of academic papers and there will be almost no free time. But at school, thanks to papers owl reviews https://papersowl.com/essay-writing-service-review , I was able to get perfect papers that reviewed the latest scientific research and gave the most up-to-date statistics for my work. It helped me a lot in my studies and gave me more free time. Then again, aside from those who did gap years or the military first COVID has also offset the conventional college timelines. My desired career is law enforcement.
I still want to get my degree, to have a fall back option and job security. Since I am a high functioning autistic(to clarify, my main issues growing up were social difficulties and hyperfixations both of which have gotten way better), my states' vocational rehab department can sponsor me for tuition and book costs(it was set up when I was a senior in HS actually). Most police positions don't strictly require a degree, but do prefer it and some do require some credits at least. So my options are:
A:I would to just do online classes on my own time and dime(have over 15K for unrelated reasons) while still working. I would hopefully apply in 2 years down the line and move out(still living at home) and would finish the rest of my degree during that.
B: Go with the vocational rehab path. However they require I go full time and they only support the minimum requirements for a specific career and the plan is based on that specific goal. So for example my second career choice(I really want to do policing, but this is the back up plan) is to be a special ed teacher, which at least requires a psychology degree and that's as much as they can support for example.. They said if I end up with a job that wasn't my original goal, that's ok although they would just not be able to say it was a fully successful case. If I paid my own well I wouldn't have to deal with all that. I know I need to consider all my options. Thoughts?
I was still thinking about your post, my neighbor was also in a similar situation and we discussed with him how he would continue his studies. He leans more towards option B because he thinks it would be better for his career. But the question is very ambiguous.
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