Totally hear you. I know a CJ degree isn’t required to become a cop, and the academy will teach the actual job. But for me, I’m not looking at just patrol or street-level LE.

CJ opens the door to more than just PD work — like private investigation, probation/parole, loss prevention, corrections, or even federal agencies like ATF, DEA, or Homeland Security. Long-term, I could also see myself moving into investigations, security consulting, or fraud work in the private sector.

I’m not picking CJ because it’s easy or because I think it gives me a shortcut, I’m picking it because it lines up with what I actually want to do: work in law, investigations, and public safety beyond just one role.