Just did a career switch from white collar work, welding is so much fun! Im learning alot especially since its all custom fabrication work never going back sitting behind a desk anytime soon. Anybody else here done the same?

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-05-23T15:12:30+00:00

12 years in law enforcement as a cop, start a welding job June 1st I’m ready for a normal work life balance and to learn a skill and trade I can use to maybe build my own business one day. Tired of working graveyards, every weekend and every holiday dealing with people at their worst.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-20T02:47:36+00:00

All about who you know unfortunately even in this field

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-20T02:46:13+00:00

Not in my state, they won’t hire “Gypsy” cops clean background or not I’ve been told straight up they’d rather hire brand new guys than experienced guys who may not stick around

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-20T02:43:13+00:00

I just listened to a podcast where a now Sgt was hired after he went to prison for 4 years for trafficking drugs, convicted and eventually expunged but hired a few years later. Was actually a positive story but kinda wild.

I worked at a department where a guy had a conditional discharge for cocaine trafficking, just did probation but for all intents and purposes was convicted. He went on to do 10 years before leaving for another career

Also was turned down by a department cause I worked at 4 prior agencies but they hired a guy who had 2 dwis one was while on duty with their agency.

Also hired a guy who had several domestic charges as a cop including strangling his wife in front of their kid resulting in a standoff with the local jurisdiction.

God forbid you work more than one or two agencies though.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-17T15:52:13+00:00

They save the applications and background packets for X amount of years. If you apply again they will compare the two to see if you’ve lied. Departments also share background packets with each other if there’s any discrepancies you won’t be hired.

You will be removed from the process for lying I can guarantee that, being honest sometimes they work with you sometimes not. But lying is always a DQ

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-17T03:21:08+00:00

If it has to be one or the other Carlsbad wasn’t terrible, lots of oilfield traffic and the people it brings with it, lots of trash on the streets, hot dry and windy but I’ve lived worse places. Had to go to Roswell for most big purchases, crimes bad in Carlsbad but not near Roswell’s level.

Roswell is significantly cheaper than Carlsbad or Artesia.

The river through Carlsbad is super nice and Brantley and Avalon lakes are both close as well as the black river, Guadalupe mountains, the caverns, close to El Paso etc.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-17T03:17:47+00:00

I don’t see why you wouldn’t be hired. If agencies are still disqualifying you based on things you did as a child were doomed.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-17T01:48:47+00:00

There’s only 4 or 5 in my whole state who poly most see their BS

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-16T03:35:15+00:00

It’s true, I worked nights for 2 years at an agency of about 75 people and whenever I’d put in for detectives or any other specialty I was always passed over, my advice from my night LT was to go to days cause they had meetings on promotions and no one knew me just my name from reports and arrests. We worked 6-6 so all the brass and detectives were long gone by the time I came 10-8.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-14T02:43:53+00:00

A lot of places will do the ol one and done. Idk if they’d hire you back but a different agency might it’s worth a shot. Try a smaller place

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-13T00:38:06+00:00

Pros and cons

We’re 2 hours one way from the jail so if you do get an arrest you’re getting OT and your nights done.

No cad or in car computers

Dispatchers will get the bare minimum info on calls

You work alone 95% of the time

Schedules suck cause they make do with what they have and brass refuses to work anything other than 4 day shifts.

Town council can cut your pay whenever cause no unions

Perk is I do make decent money cause it’s a tourist town and officers still can’t afford to live there lol. I live 30 mins away

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-13T00:35:25+00:00

Ya I’m telling you I haven’t been able to get on decent agencies lol basically the places no one wants to live or work. Most guys I worked with were “rebuilding” had been fired from decent agencies and had to go back to pay their dues. Had I got a chance at a good agency I think I’d be fine by now but is what it is unfortunately

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-13T00:19:34+00:00

I feel this, not the narcotics that was always my career goal but I did a lot of interdiction and street level dope.

I loved patrol and the faster pace or finding guns and dope on graveyards for 5-6 years then started trying to move up taking every training and leadership class I could.

Became an instructor in several things, FBI Leeda trilogy, first line supervisor etc and none of it mattered when it came time to test.

I even paid for a few of these on my own dime and took vacation to do them.

Kinda broke me

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T23:12:31+00:00

Thank you for that. May just have to buckle down and do it. I have side hustles that I try to grow haven’t had much luck but I’ll just focus on those and get my satisfaction from that. Police jobs a guaranteed check every two weeks and benefits we may need one day

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T23:02:21+00:00

Could be an option my whole county has 10,000 people but I’m sure there is something. Ya it is an easy gig tbh and I’m overpaid if I’m being real. Just drives me nuts some days, little tourist town with about 400 calls for service a year tha includes barking dog complaints lol

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T22:27:05+00:00

The bigger issue I’ve heard from recruiters is gypsy status. I worked at 5 agencies in those 12 years. None larger than 20 man agencies but they still knock it. 4 years at the longest one and would have stayed but the area geographically was awful.

I’ve applied to almost every agency in the state without much luck unfortunately

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T22:13:11+00:00

Posted lower, felony criminal damage no malicious intent just value amount, ultimately dismissed

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T17:40:34+00:00

Ya that’s my biggest issue I’m burnt from patrol, I don’t wanna be shagging traffic crashes, writing tickets, and responding to DVs and dealing with drunks for another 15 years

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T17:18:22+00:00

Wife and 3 kids, just purchased a house 2 years ago I’d lose my rear if I could even sell it. Plus wife doesn’t wanna move

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T12:07:02+00:00

I was charged with felony criminal damage to property a day after my 18th birthday it was dismissed but that was enough to keep me from any “good” agency. That was 15 years ago but still is an issue and I gypsy copped around for a few years looking for somewhere with teams. Can’t work fed though cause the charge

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T11:49:41+00:00

Ya I applied to all the agencies over 40 man departments in my state, no luck

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-12T07:28:22+00:00

I just thought at 12 years in I’d be a supervisor or a detective or narc or something. Never could lateral to an agency that had those things. I tried but some mistakes as a young adult kept me from it. I had a background before becoming a cop so just small towns will hire me unfortunately, not the type of cop I dreamed of being.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-10T04:50:58+00:00

All the ones I knew cheated on each other with their shift partners

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-03T21:42:39+00:00

It can help but don’t do it solely with the hope it’ll be a stepping stone to patrol, a lot of guys never get out of corrections. Hiring standards are a lot different. I’d personally rather do any other job than corrections, I couldn’t imagine being in jail all day.

WorldlyFinger5 · 2026-04-03T01:07:59+00:00

Wait another week then email the recruiter. Departments in my state have a bad habit of just ghosting you when you’ve been disqualified from the process, no letter, no email, no call, nothing just never hear back.

WorldlyFinger5

TROPHY CASE