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Hello, officers! So, I've been lurking around these forums for a bit because I've been getting several hunches about going into law enforcement even though my current direction in my life so far (not very far, actually) leans towards landing me a cushy job in the tech industry. People suggest that I speak to a few cops, and since I don't know any in real life and don't feel like just randomly waltzing into a department when they may have more important things to do, I thought I'd get some input here.
I'll start off with my background: I'm at a well-known university finishing off my computer science degree. I have lots of connections, software development experience from freelance work, and leadership experience serving positions in some major on-campus organizations. I'm currently 20 years old, and my main priority is to finish my degree. Once that happens, if I continue the route, I either go for a graduate degree or hopefully land a cushy job in the tech industry. However, there are a few indications that indicate that I should go into law enforcement:
- Career tests I've taken say that while my skills are strongest in technology, my interests are much better suited for law enforcement / security, and my skills are supposedly also quite strong (but not as strong) in that area.
- Compared to other people in my major, I have far more interest in dealing with society.
- I always wanted a job which includes a huge work area and a lot of travelling around. Driving a truck sounds fun, but the money is way too low.
- I want a job where I can help make the world a better place, even if it's in a minimal way.
Some things that indicate that law enforcement might be for me are:
- I'm generally a situationally-aware person. I tend to know every random thing that's going on around me even if it may seem insignificant. By the time I meet people that my friends know, I usually already have a rough dossier of them in my head based on info obtained through talking to my friends and stuff they post online.
- People say that I remain unusually calm and have command presence in tough situations. However, they're always annoyed how I am never completely off-guard in any relaxed situation.
- I use cardinal directions to navigate, and it's easier for me to find an address by saying "2200 block of N Main St" instead of "turn left off the freeway, go three blocks, and look next to the gas station."
Then, there are a few things that push the other direction:
- I have lots of friends who are defense attorneys or in law school to become one, even though I often don't agree with their viewpoints. On the contrary, I don't have any friends who are in law enforcement.
- At six times, I think I may have experimented with weed a little too many times. Reason why I went over the general guideline of "five" is because I wanted to make sure what the "high" is and how it differs if I take it in different forms and different dosages. After getting extremely stoned on my sixth try, that's when I made the conclusion that weed is not for me, legal or not, and completely stopped. What I did walk away with was an understanding on the state of mind of a person who is high.
- None of my friends or family support me in looking at law enforcement. They think I'd get shot. I tend to disagree with that seeing that most cops make it home alive.
Then, there are a couple things that may be interpreted either way:
- While I respect cops and are thankful that they keep the community safe, I distrust cops. My viewpoint is that with a few rare exceptions, if I'm approached by a cop, s/he is suspecting me of committing a crime (however minor it may be, including taillights).
- I'm an extremely geeky person. Not sure if this is good or bad.
In terms of criminal record, I actually have a clear record, although I do have one "infraction" (traffic-level) ticket that was later dismissed in court. Considering the fact that it's documented, I'm not going to post on a public forum whether or not I actually did the stuff on there. Your personal judgment on the matter is most likely correct though.
As for substance usage, I'm clean with the exception of caffeine. I just really like being on "overdrive" all the time so I can be situationally aware all the time. I've experimented with weed (as detailed above) and alcohol, but I just really disliked the effects. As for other stimulants: I haven't tried them; there's no reason to when caffeine does the job with little side effect and comes in a million forms, all of which are cheap, delicious, and easily (and legally) obtained.
For me, it appears that the main appeal of a law enforcement is that if I work long hours, I can make just as much as I do in the tech industry, each day is unique, and I get to apply both technical and social skills.
I'd just like to get some comments on what you think and what my next steps should be.
I'll start off with my background: I'm at a well-known university finishing off my computer science degree. I have lots of connections, software development experience from freelance work, and leadership experience serving positions in some major on-campus organizations. I'm currently 20 years old, and my main priority is to finish my degree. Once that happens, if I continue the route, I either go for a graduate degree or hopefully land a cushy job in the tech industry. However, there are a few indications that indicate that I should go into law enforcement:
- Career tests I've taken say that while my skills are strongest in technology, my interests are much better suited for law enforcement / security, and my skills are supposedly also quite strong (but not as strong) in that area.
- Compared to other people in my major, I have far more interest in dealing with society.
- I always wanted a job which includes a huge work area and a lot of travelling around. Driving a truck sounds fun, but the money is way too low.
- I want a job where I can help make the world a better place, even if it's in a minimal way.
Some things that indicate that law enforcement might be for me are:
- I'm generally a situationally-aware person. I tend to know every random thing that's going on around me even if it may seem insignificant. By the time I meet people that my friends know, I usually already have a rough dossier of them in my head based on info obtained through talking to my friends and stuff they post online.
- People say that I remain unusually calm and have command presence in tough situations. However, they're always annoyed how I am never completely off-guard in any relaxed situation.
- I use cardinal directions to navigate, and it's easier for me to find an address by saying "2200 block of N Main St" instead of "turn left off the freeway, go three blocks, and look next to the gas station."
Then, there are a few things that push the other direction:
- I have lots of friends who are defense attorneys or in law school to become one, even though I often don't agree with their viewpoints. On the contrary, I don't have any friends who are in law enforcement.
- At six times, I think I may have experimented with weed a little too many times. Reason why I went over the general guideline of "five" is because I wanted to make sure what the "high" is and how it differs if I take it in different forms and different dosages. After getting extremely stoned on my sixth try, that's when I made the conclusion that weed is not for me, legal or not, and completely stopped. What I did walk away with was an understanding on the state of mind of a person who is high.
- None of my friends or family support me in looking at law enforcement. They think I'd get shot. I tend to disagree with that seeing that most cops make it home alive.
Then, there are a couple things that may be interpreted either way:
- While I respect cops and are thankful that they keep the community safe, I distrust cops. My viewpoint is that with a few rare exceptions, if I'm approached by a cop, s/he is suspecting me of committing a crime (however minor it may be, including taillights).
- I'm an extremely geeky person. Not sure if this is good or bad.
In terms of criminal record, I actually have a clear record, although I do have one "infraction" (traffic-level) ticket that was later dismissed in court. Considering the fact that it's documented, I'm not going to post on a public forum whether or not I actually did the stuff on there. Your personal judgment on the matter is most likely correct though.
As for substance usage, I'm clean with the exception of caffeine. I just really like being on "overdrive" all the time so I can be situationally aware all the time. I've experimented with weed (as detailed above) and alcohol, but I just really disliked the effects. As for other stimulants: I haven't tried them; there's no reason to when caffeine does the job with little side effect and comes in a million forms, all of which are cheap, delicious, and easily (and legally) obtained.
For me, it appears that the main appeal of a law enforcement is that if I work long hours, I can make just as much as I do in the tech industry, each day is unique, and I get to apply both technical and social skills.
I'd just like to get some comments on what you think and what my next steps should be.
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