By USDR
One of the main things you need to do when finishing up your education in criminal justice is to choose a career track. Students graduating with a concentration in criminal justice and law enforcement in California have a few unique career paths that are not available in other parts of the nation. For instance, online criminal justice degrees in California can lead to jobs in Border Control, careers in immigration, parks and recreation, or the penal system. You can become a bailiff at one of the many California courthouses or serve as an officer of the law in California. If you know what type of career you want to get into after graduating with a degree in criminal justice in the state of California, the classes you take can aid you in landing a position just days after you walk across the stage.
Working as a Park Ranger
California has many national parks and thousands of acres of state controlled land open to the public. Park Rangers not only help visitors to navigate to the right areas; they are the first to come on site during emergencies and to enforce various laws. As a park ranger, you may be equipped with a service weapon that you need to be professionally trained and certified to use. Encounters with dangerous animals and natural disasters are a part of every park ranger’s job description.
Becoming a Police Officer in California
The state of California is vast so police officers are constantly being trained to meet the needs of the public. You may want to become a police officer in Los Angeles, where there is no shortage of neighborhoods to patrols and emergencies to attend to. In Northern California, you might have the option of joining a special team that deals with immigration, drug offenders, or work in conjunction with child protection services. If you are open to accepting a position in law enforcement that is outside of your immediate area, you can almost certainly become a police officer in California as soon as you get your criminal justice degree.
What to Expect If You Become a Parole Officer
Because California has millions of residents, there are also many prisons, rehabilitation centers, and halfway houses where offenders are working on reintegrating back into society. Your role as a probation officer is to keep track of all persons who have been released from jail and prison but are under probation restrictions. You’ll need to maintain current addresses and phone numbers for their homes and places of employment, and you will need to stay in contact with law enforcement officials so that the general public can stay safe.
Sometimes college students choose majors that don’t have a lot of job demand. Thankfully, criminal justice students have many different jobs in various areas of the law that they can focus on. You can go into the military after pursuing a degree in criminal justice and go into service at a higher rank and pay grade. Work as a civilian and you may still end up enjoying a very exciting career.