What career change would you suggest for law enforcement?

[Vle045]

I am looking for some suggestions.   I have a Police Lieutenant who does not have a degree.  He’s a veteran, but has been out since 1999 so I think his education benefits expired.  He did attend college for maybe a year.   I am not sure.  But in order to change careers, he’d really have to make about the same salary.  I think in the $80,000 - $100,000 range.  So I was thinking maybe something in IT, like Cybersecurity.   He is a gamer and I think he is computer literate.  As a Lieutenant, he also has management experience.  I am thinking of coming up with a few suggested plans for him.  And if any sound reasonable, maybe he will do it.  His job is incredibly stressful and it is taking a toll on his life.

So far, I’m thinking that I’d start him off with everything he can do on Sophia and see what credits he already has.  I think he was majoring in Criminal Justice.  And maybe a couple of those IT certs on Coursera that are free now AND ACE credit.  At least that would be some free/cheap ways to get him closer to a degree and see if IT is the way to go.

And that’s about all I got for now.

So, folks that are more knowledgeable in either IT or things that a police Lieutenant might also be qualified for… please chime in an help me get the rest of the way to a suggested plan that I can give to him that would be reasonably priced and maybe someone quick to do.

[LevelUP]

A lot of people with a military or similar background make good managers. And you said he already has management experience.

So a business degree would be good, and he could do a business degree with a concentration in management of information systems to gain some computer knowledge.

[dfrecore]

The best place to start is getting his unofficial transcripts as well as his JST. That will show you how many credits he has. I know a guy in the military who didn't know that ACE/college credit was on his JST, he sent it to me, and instead of having 0 credits, he had 49cr. That is a huge difference - practically 2 full years of college with not much work on his part.

Obviously none of that is Gen Eds, but really, you need to know what you're starting with.

Also, I do not think entry-level IT, even cybersecurity, will be making anything close to $80k right off the bat. It's going to take a few years to get to that. So my vote is to do what you said and start with the cheap/free stuff and see what grabs him.

Then, I'm wondering if he can write papers (or is willing to), because a UMPI BLS Management + MIS concentrations sound like a good combo (so much more electives allowed for what is probably on the JST).

Second choice is a BPS from EC (33cr of Free Electives). Third is a BSBA/CIS from TESU.

[Vle045]

Thanks. I don’t even know what a JST is. I feel like if I can map out somewhat of a plan with links to do-able stuff, it would help get him started. At this point, he thinks it will be expensive and hard to do. So he doesn’t even look in to it.

[MichaelGates]

Joint Services Transcript (JST)
https://jst.doded.mil/jst/

[Vle045]

Thank you. I am going to ask him to get his transcript and JST so we can see where he stands and see if we can come up with something

[dfrecore]

Thanks. I don’t even know what a JST is. I feel like if I can map out somewhat of a plan with links to do-able stuff, it would help get him started. At this point, he thinks it will be expensive and hard to do. So he doesn’t even look in to it.

A JST is a military "transcript" that lists ACE credit on it for everything you've done in the military.  Depending on how many years he was in and what he did, he will definitely have SOME credits, but could have a lot.  Either way, he needs to know what he has.

[Vle045]

Thanks. I don’t even know what a JST is. I feel like if I can map out somewhat of a plan with links to do-able stuff, it would help get him started. At this point, he thinks it will be expensive and hard to do. So he doesn’t even look in to it.

A JST is a military "transcript" that lists ACE credit on it for everything you've done in the military.  Depending on how many years he was in and what he did, he will definitely have SOME credits, but could have a lot.  Either way, he needs to know what he has.

Thanks.  He was in for 4 years and was Military Police.  I don’t know if any credit would be part of that.

[rachel83az]

Should be. I think it's often for stuff like "weapons training" or "military leadership", but it depends. At the very least, they could be electives for just about any degree.

[bjcheung77]

@Vle045, it's perfect time for the person to get their transcripts from the community college and their JST, then send it into Pierpont for their BOG AAS, if they're into IT, they can follow the steps here. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC

As dfrecore mentioned, I would also select UMPI for their first choice, using this link to ladder up to a BAS MIS minor. Basically, Pierpont BOG AAS IT emphasis laddering up to an UMPI BAS MIS minor. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pi...egree_Plan