Heading To College... need help

[i700plus]

Next fall I am planning on heading to college to pursue my degree in Criminal Justice. The college I am planning on going to is ITT Tech because of the location. One of the downfalls is that for a Bachelors Degree it cost almost $70,000 including tuition, books, and any other fees plus I have heard some horror stories about people saying its a waste of money to attend this college and the teachers are a joke... If someone could please help guide me in the right direction so that I possibly dont make a 70 grand mistake... BTW I live in wisconsin and was planning on attending the Green Bay campus.

[pkagel]

Yea, how about going to community college instead and getting your general ed credits for alot cheaper.

[gotthblues]

Yea, how about going to community college instead and getting your general ed credits for alot cheaper.

cause the fancy paper is cooler

[ctt]

I didn't know that an ITT Tech degree was any fancier than a local community college. Either way, just doing your general education credits at a community college and then transferring to a more well known school will still get you a fancy piece of paper.

Technical schools, from the people that I know who have attended them seem to focus more on doing than understanding. This applies mostly to the difference between a computer science degree and a computer systems/programming degree. I'm not sure how that applies to a CJ degree though. For $17,000 a year in tuition/fees you should be going somewhere that you are confident you are going to get what you are wanting.

It seems that people discourage getting a CJ degree if you're shooting for a LE career because there aren't many things other than a LE career you can use it for, because there are lots of things that can take you out of a LE career, and it is usually not required for a LE job.

[CLB2112]

I would put a Community college higher up in standing then ITT tech. I used to work at a tech school in Orlando, so I will admit I have a pretty jaded about tech schools. (the place was a joke)

[PhilipCal]

Need help

I can't really say anything about ITT one way or the other, except to say $70,000 seems a little steep. Take a look at your community college, or some other institution. I've gotta believe you can get a better deal.

[K9 Police]

I went to a Big Ten school and my school loans were no where near $70,000. Recheck your sources. IF ITT Tech is going to charge you that much, I would strongly suggest saying "no" and spend that money at a university where it would be more worth it.

K9

[ZackDarnell]

It seems that people discourage getting a CJ degree if you're shooting for a LE career because there aren't many things other than a LE career you can use it for, because there are lots of things that can take you out of a LE career, and it is usually not required for a LE job.

It seems that 90% of the members of this board frown upon a Criminal Justice degree. Think long term. What if the police career never works out for you? What will you do with your criminal justice degree? Absolutely nothing, unless you prefer working as a security guard at McDonalds. (---- This is what I've heard rehearsed all over the internet and in local police circles.

[Trinium]

Go to a community college for a degree. Here the community colleges have a degree they offer: Administration of Justice (AJ). This degree is exclusive for LE and Corrections. Thats what I got.

I took some CJ classes in my 4 year but the info taught in those classes was just BS. Not former or active LEOs teaching, but stupid professors who usually dont know their head from their ***.

Good Luck

[Ozzie]

Heading To College...need help

I'm on my 2nd year at a great Community College and I'm majoring in Forensics and I love it. But I have to agree with alot of others, a CJ degree will not get you very far if you fail to get hired at a department. Maybe a Forensics degree wont either but I've had CJ classes, 4 to be exact.It's my personal opinion that you do not need a CJ degree or any college degree to be a police officer. But any degree at all does help. It's interesting to see what people really go to college for, two of my Forensics instructors did not major (I don't think) in CJ or Forensics and they have previously worked at P.D's and in crime labs, so take it for what it's worth.

[Stewie]

I

[criticalthinker]

$70,000? I thought maybe you were becoming a doctor or something... I answer this question because I am a full time college student and also pursuing a career in law enforcement. I would start off at a community college and get your general education credits out of the way. English, Math, Humanities and Social Sciences...etc. I would focus my AS or BS in something more general such as management or business administration. Maybe even an associates in General Studies. This way, it would give you adequate time to ensure that a career in LE is for you. If it is, then you can always pursue a Masters in Criminal Justice or something of that nature. Besides, a community college is way cheaper and the credit usually transfer to a 4 year univesity. You may want to find out from different colleges if ITT's credits will transfer in case you quit their program or run out of money for tuition. This way, you didn't waste your time or your money. Just my opinion.

- Critical Thinker