5 Reasons to Choose a Career in Criminal Justice

People choose to enter the criminal justice field for any number of reasons. Many want to make a difference and give back to the community. Others want an exciting career with lots of opportunities for advancement and new experiences every day. Still others are drawn to the great pay and benefits most criminal justice professionals earn.

A degree in criminal justice such as the one offered at Gwynedd Mercy will prepare you to enter a field that still offers excellent job security, despite the vagaries of the economy, and it’s one that’s intellectually challenging, too. You’ll enjoy the chance to help others, while collecting health and retirement benefits your friends will envy. Your opportunities in the criminal justice field will be far from limited; you might be surprised at the extent and variety of opportunities available to you.

1. Job Stability

Not many people these days benefit from the level of job security you’ll enjoy as a criminal justice professional. Crime never takes a holiday, so if you enter a criminal justice field, you’ll always have a job. Best of all, your career won’t be as vulnerable to the ups and downs of the private sector, because you’ll be a public servant.

2. Intellectual Stimulation

If you think that you don’t have to be too smart to enjoy a career in criminal justice, think again. Whether you’re a law enforcement officer or enter some other branch of the criminal justice field, you’ll need to be about to think fast to keep up with the challenges criminals throw your way.

Criminal justice professionals need strong problem solving skills, and in most cases, they must earn a master’s degree in a criminal justice field to advance beyond an entry-level position.

3. You’ll Have the Chance to Help Others

You may not think of criminal justice as a helping profession, but that’s exactly what it is. You’ll be helping law-abiding members of your community by protecting them from criminal activity, but that’s not the only way you’ll be able to lend a hand. You’ll have access to a range of different opportunities to help others and give back to your community, whether it’s working to rehabilitate convicted criminals and help them become productive members of society, supervising the progress of a convicted criminal on parole or probation, or advocating for victims.

4. Great Health and Retirement Benefits

Law enforcement officers and others in the criminal justice system tend to enjoy the kind of health and retirement benefits that other young people today can only dream of. As a public servant, you’ll benefit from some of the best health insurance benefits available to workers today, especially if you manage to land a job with the federal government. Additional benefits available to criminal justice professionals include life insurance, training and tuition assistance, paid holidays, sick leave, and for federal workers, an Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program (ASLRP).

50 percent of their salary, and qualify for retirement after only about 20 years of service on average. That makes law enforcement a great career choice if you hope to retire early. Of course, if you don’t want to retire early, you can translate your skills into a second career, or continue in the criminal justice field.

5. Criminal Justice Offers a Seemingly Endless Variety of Career Options

When you think of a career in criminal justice, you probably think of a career in law enforcement or maybe as a federal agent. But the criminal justice field offers a surprisingly wide range of career options. In addition to working as a law enforcement officer or federal agent, you could take a private-sector job in security or as a private investigator. If you like writing, you could enjoy a long career as a court reporter, writing down everything that is said in court during a trial.

Other options include crime scene investigator, forensic accountant, prison psychologist, and even social worker. You’ll always have a chance to advance in your career, or transition to a related field if you want a change.

Should you enter the criminal justice field? If you want an exciting, but stable, career with great benefits and lots of opportunities, the answer is yes. Start exploring your options for a career in criminal justice today, and find out what a career in this field can do for you.