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    Searching for job

    Hello all,

    I returned to college after 18 years in retail Loss Prevention (retail security) to earn my B.S. in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration. One semester from graduation I was DXd with M.S.. I've been looking for a job in my new field for over a year now and have found nothing. I've had no luck trying to get assistance from my alma matter nor the local MS Society.

    I realize the economy and unemployment rates are out of control, but someone must have some suggestions. While I won't be able to become a sworn law enforcement officer, I still have the education and experience for the field. Any current or former cops out there?
    Dx'd 08/2010 RRMS
    Rebif, Copaxone, Gilenya, Tecfidera
    "Fall down 7 times, get up 8"

    #2
    Government Employment

    I work for my state government, in Environmental Protection, but we have access to all statewide job listings. Your state and the federal government are always hiring!

    I recommend you take the proper Civil Service Exams and applications for your area. With your education there are many jobs available to you and in my personal experience your rights concerning your medical issues and protecting your job are adhered to very well at least at the state government level in employment.

    Comment


      #3
      criminal justice degree

      I do not know about the job market where you are but some people with criminal justice degrees end up working in corrections... juvenile probation officer, probation officer etc. Also many do become police officers or sheriffs. These probably would not work due to the physical required for the jobs.

      You may get ahead by taking IT courses for some kind of computer security... these are business classes and some are offered on line. A lot of the governmental jobs now, want some kind of computer security training... some people get this in the military or a police department and then move on to jobs in the private sector.

      A lot of states and various municipalities have hiring freezes. Some that don't have not given employees raises in over 3 years. You could have better benefits than some other places though. All this depends on the jobs involved and your physical location.

      Also some people can get some public jobs with the judicial system... you should look into that, also.

      You need to figure out which jobs you can apply for and not have the "I can't pass the physical" problem. I could not pass the physical for any of these jobs mentioned either... and I don't have MS. My husband does.

      I never wanted to work in corrections or law enforcement. I wanted to be a paralegal. It never worked out for me. There are not that many of those jobs where I am and the pay is not so great either. All you read about is that paralegals and sometimes legal assistants are good jobs. Plus for someone with MS, it could be difficult due to the stress involved... it depends on all kinds of factors. It could be too stressful for many people... even without a disability.

      mctripat

      Comment


        #4
        Thanks for the reply and suggestions! I've considered looking into paralegal; my wife's been one for 25+ years. One of my problems is that I already have a huge school loan to repay from my last degree. Sometimes I think I'm just screwed.



        Originally posted by mctripat View Post
        I do not know about the job market where you are but some people with criminal justice degrees end up working in corrections... juvenile probation officer, probation officer etc. Also many do become police officers or sheriffs. These probably would not work due to the physical required for the jobs.

        You may get ahead by taking IT courses for some kind of computer security... these are business classes and some are offered on line. A lot of the governmental jobs now, want some kind of computer security training... some people get this in the military or a police department and then move on to jobs in the private sector.

        A lot of states and various municipalities have hiring freezes. Some that don't have not given employees raises in over 3 years. You could have better benefits than some other places though. All this depends on the jobs involved and your physical location.

        Also some people can get some public jobs with the judicial system... you should look into that, also.

        You need to figure out which jobs you can apply for and not have the "I can't pass the physical" problem. I could not pass the physical for any of these jobs mentioned either... and I don't have MS. My husband does.

        I never wanted to work in corrections or law enforcement. I wanted to be a paralegal. It never worked out for me. There are not that many of those jobs where I am and the pay is not so great either. All you read about is that paralegals and sometimes legal assistants are good jobs. Plus for someone with MS, it could be difficult due to the stress involved... it depends on all kinds of factors. It could be too stressful for many people... even without a disability.

        mctripat
        Dx'd 08/2010 RRMS
        Rebif, Copaxone, Gilenya, Tecfidera
        "Fall down 7 times, get up 8"

        Comment


          #5
          you will find a job

          I do not think you are screwed. You might be able to find a job in something to do with security at a government contractor.. you can look up all of the top ones on line. I do not know how many of these have jobs in your area.

          You will need to get some kind of security clearance for all of these jobs though. Some people do not want the government to poke around in their business or have other reasons they may not be able to get a clearance. They look at your past going back to age 21, if they want to.. so stupid things people did then may cause problems now. It doesn't mean you can't get the clearance just that your explanation has to be acceptable.

          How involved this is depends on what agency you are under: DOJ, DOE etc. and how high your clearance is. Also many of these places do not do their own investigations .. they subcontract them out to private businesses.

          I would try that because you would be covered by the ADA after a year as all of these places have over 50 employees.. and some have HR departments that have publicity about hiring disabled persons.

          Does your college have any career assistance? You could also go to your state vocational rehab... I don't know if that will help. Where I live they mostly contract with the federal government and do investigations for people applying for SS disability and SSI. My experience in my state was horrible: DVR did very little to help me try and find a job.. then I had an accident and could not work for a year, so I gave up on them.

          Some people can meet people through people they know on Facebook even all over the world... and/or connect with people from your high school... which can lead to using Linked In. You try to contact someone you know of or someone you might have something in common with besides them working at a place you would like to. Are there any alumni groups from your college?

          You would have to do more research to understand how to use Facebook and Linked In. I am no expert.

          If you got a degree on line that could be a big problem as I don't see how they can give you much job placement assistance unless you have a degree where you did an internship.. or are in a few select fields. The federal government just got after a lot of on line schools/colleges/universities because veterans are using educational benefits to get training and/or a degrees and then can't find jobs. This mostly involved on line training/schooling.

          mctripat

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