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08-26-2009, 05:59 PM #1
Considering the Military. Help needed.
Well as some of you know im 18 and a senior in high school. my original plan was to go to a community college and then become a police officer. i am now thinking about instead of college going into the military and becoming a military police officer but i have no idea the requirements and whatnot for the job. once you sign up for the army can you go straight to training for MP? also how long would i have this job before i was allowed to come home and get a job as a police officer in the states? I think this might be a better option than college because i want to eventually move up to the FBI and i think the experience in the military would put me ahead of some of the other applicants. also theres nothing better than defending the red white and blue. i would like any information or words of wisdom anyone could give me. thank you
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08-26-2009, 06:18 PM #2
I could be wrong but I thought people needed a 4yr college degree for the FBI.
Anyway if you plan to join the military do your homework. Research before you go into the recruitment office. Recruiters are like used cars salesmen so be careful. I had a great time while I was in the Army and I miss it sometimes. Each job or MOS has its own enlistment period. The recruiter will tell you how long you have to serve to be an MP. I'm sure you can find a lot more info on the net.
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08-26-2009, 06:48 PM #3
If you want to go into law enforcement, military experience is a great asset. I assume someone with military police experience can elaborate more on that end, but I've looked into federal law enforcement extensively.
If you are hoping for FBI, I wouldn't go to school for law enforcement. As Oxxon stated above you'll need a 4 year degree no matter if you have military service or not but you would be better off studying accounting, foreign languages, or computer science. Here is a portion of the FAQ on the fbi.gov website:
"9. Do certain degrees provide a more desirable educational background for the Special Agent position?
The FBI does not recommend particular courses or schools. Any degrees that develop research and analytical skills are desirable educational backgrounds. For example, a Law degree is a desirable asset because Special Agents are charged with investigating violations of federal laws of the United States; an Accounting degree is also desirable because Special Agents trace financial transactions and review/analyze complex accounting records in criminal investigations; an Engineering degree is desirable because Special Agents often have to critically analyze large amounts of information in order to plan the next steps in an investigation; etc."
If you have certain agencies you are interested in, be sure to check out their websites and hiring guidelines before making your decision about the military. If you were going to go local law enforcement first, military service would be a great benefit and you could presumably work as a LE officer while going to school for your degree.
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08-26-2009, 08:14 PM #4
I myself considered the military a little after high school but couldn't make the commitment and I am glad I never joined. I ended up going to the local tech college after taking a year off from school and majored in criminal justice. The competition in this field is brutal it's very common to have 140 applicants for a police department that is only hiring one person. Military experience is something great to have on a resume especially if you want to work in law enforcement but there is also a lot of down sides to the military.
I graduated with my associates degree in May and just got hired as a correctional officer at a local prison. It's not my dream job but it's a great step toward getting me where I want to be. I have started the hiring process at a little over a half dozen police departments and the farthest I have gotten with any of them is a eligibility list with one department. So I am on a list of people who have gotten by the interviews and are now waiting for an opening to open up for one of us to get hired. Other than that I haven't even made it to an interview.
As far as if you want to work for the FBI you would need your bachelors degree and that hiring process is even worse, don't except to get hired before you are 30 but it is still possible.
I would say if possible go for your bachelors degree in criminal justice and keep open minded about where to take a job. A lot of criminal justice graduates get frustrated with how difficult it is to get hired but don't worry about it as long as you a serious about getting hired you will get hired.
Like I said before military experience would be great in this field but most people I know that are/were in the military said that they would not have ever joined if they could do it all over again.
Hopefully this all makes sense I had a lot of thoughts going through my head when trying to write this and don't be afraid to PM me if you have any more questions.
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08-26-2009, 08:18 PM #5
You do need a 4 year degree to be an agent in any Federal Agency. If you wanna join the services, go Air Force. You are gonna be making the same amount of money out of the base pay. And you are going to be gone way less than the Army. If you like some action do Special Forces
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08-26-2009, 08:49 PM #6
yea you know i read that on their site about the 4 year college but it slipped my mind until you brought it up. and thanks for the advice on the recruiters
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08-26-2009, 08:51 PM #7
awesome thanks for that useful information. i already know some russian and german so thats a decent start. accounting as well i would have never thought about that without research.
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08-26-2009, 08:52 PM #8
thank you sir ill put that into consideration as well. i am in the beginning of my thought process but i have to make a decision quickly because if im applying to college i should do it before labor day.
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08-26-2009, 08:53 PM #9
this was all very useful and helpful. i appreciate the amount of thought you put in and i will probably be sending you a pm when i think of other things to ask. thanks very much.
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08-26-2009, 09:05 PM #10
I went a very similar route except I worked at a detention center rather than corrections (you have one tough job
). I made it through to the first interview but during the process they found that my degree (pre-law) wasn't accepted by the city. I was ticked at the time but it worked out as I discovered I didn't want to work in law enforcement (the 24/7 schedule). I did work w/ at lot guys who did become police officers and used the detention center to get experience.
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Originally Posted by Oxxon 
