People quitting academy?

[allen_gamble]

We had a guy quit one the 2nd day because he was afraid of heights. Couldn't handle the obstacle course. It was a shame too because I wouldn't have ever even thought about having to climb high things in this job.

I don't like heights either, but it's not a crippling fear. I don't freeze up. I guess that's the difference and why he quit and I didn't.

[Tony88]

Many people quit the academy for different reasons. A lot of people also quit when they hear where they are going to work.

[Che]

Worried about the academy? What about the next 20, 25 or 30 years?

It is not an easy job and lots to learn on many levels. Nothing is black & white on the gray areas really suck the life out of you. Stay strong

[Baker22]

It's all a mind game. Graduation is 5 weeks away for me and I'm excited to hit the streets. 28 of 33 weeks and we have lost 11 people. Started with 58 and down to 47 Everything from academics, injury and off the job issues. People doing stupid things on the weekends got them fired.

[Tony88]

We had people failing out,but not quitting. Score under a 80 twice on any written test thru out the academy and you were gone.no retest or exceptions.

Really? That's harsh.

[jdthor]

If you dont know the material and cant learn it,Other jobs out there. Our standards were higher than most.

[ef87c]

It took me over a year to get hired with my first agency, and I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I wasn't in shape, I was a heavy smoker, and when I got to the academy I got injured on the third day and resigned later that week. yes it sucked and i felt like a quitter and all the mental anguish that comes with that

But I didn't stop there. I healed up, got in shape and over the next year and a half I applied to every agency I could think of that was hiring in my region. You know what, my hard work paid off. I did very well in the academy and I got through a very tough fto program. Now looking back at that time I am kinda glad (in a messed up way) that I had to learn "the hard way." it caused me to focus on what i really wanted to do for my career and i cant think of a better job than being a cop.

In my academy we had something like 120 recruits start. a few dropped out for better job offers, one got kicked out for cheating, another for telling a lie, two got injured and had to be recycled, three couldn't pass firearms quals, one failed evoc, and two really couldn't handle the academy structure and resigned the first month. In the end I think we had 108 graduate.

keep your eye on the prize!

[braz989]

I am on my second week of 16 at the academy and let me say, I have more respect than EVER for anyone who has gone through this process. I absolutely cannot even walk up the stairs after the brutal PT we had today for our "welcome to the gym" day. Oh, we were welcomed alright. I can barely stand on my legs at the moment and I would consider myself to be in fairly great shape.

One day at a time.

[LivinOnEdge]

This may be a long post, as I have thought about this a few times during the day and many thoughts came to mind. I thought about quitting myself at one time, but I just couldn't. I was a bit older going in to the academy, and had more "life lessons" under my belt. Before you really get involved in LE, or in military, you see a glamorized view of it. Labels get thrown around like "hero" and "protector" and "courageous". Labels that speak to what we feel makes us men. And we want that. So we go after it. But about half way through, it starts sinking in.

Those labels come with price tags.

You find yourself being told that the job is 99% thankless, long, cold, lonely nights. Where is the hero stuff? You find out you have to respond to dead people and horrible tragedy that you can't do anything about. Where is the protector stuff? You are told you have to work traffic control, or years in a jail, or both - where is the courage in that? You start realizing there is more to it.

Then, you get the final piece of information.

Someday you will be face to face with a man that wants to kill you, and he is going to try. He doesn't know you, he doesn't want to know you, he doesn't care about you. He has immense hatred for the uniform you wear and the site of it sends him in to a blind rage. You find out that you will eventually get the skills to recognize this person - but when you do - you still have to stand up to him. In order to get those labels you secretly wanted to wear on your heart - you will have to win against evil. Not video game evil. Not spiritual evil fought with prayer alone. But real, live, evil.

Some people get scared away. Some people are drawn closer.

God calls on some, not all, to be warriors for the weak.

and those are my thoughts for today.

I know this is a bit late for a response, but after reading this, my only thought was, "Amen Brother"

[Thisguy331]

I don't post here much but it have a similar story....

Half way through the academy I suffered a significant injury and had to resign because of it... hardest thing i ever had to do knowing that my dream was not going to happen at this time after the many years of doing the "right things" to get there.

Out of the job and the emotions of sitting at home and healing while my classmates achieved their dreams really hurts almost more than the injury I sustained.

They graduate next month and I'll be there to watch them get their badge because they earned it.

I'll be back however because going through something like that your mind changes. For some it's the end for others who have gone through what I have it makes you want it more than ever.


Please excuse the errors, I'm typing this from my phone but thought I should share.