CSC88
01-26-2009, 07:15 AM
After a lot of thought and almost being pulled into the Navy by friends, I came to the realization that I'd like nothing more than to pursue a career as a Law Enforcement Officer. I also just came to realize that becoming a LEO is much, much harder than joining the armed forces. This will be the most difficult thing I've ever taken on, but if I succeed will change my life like I believe no other job could.
I've signed up to these boards seeking a bit of guidance from anyone with the knowledge to help me. It's a bit of a read, but I've tried to summarize my life according to the fields on my local PD's employment application.
I AM Eligible:
My local department seems in need of officers right now. There are several billboards around town and a special website has been created to show the prerequisites to application and features an "Am I Eligible?" quiz. I've taken the quiz and I do meet the minimum standards for employment. That's a start!
Education:
Though I always tested well I was a very poor student most years, and eventually dropped out of high school at age 17. This was for no reason other than pure laziness and stupidity on my part. When I turned 18 I immediately joined the work force to try and salvage a little bit of my dignity. I've been employed ever since. (with one gap of only a month or two)
My local department doesn't require a high school diploma, only a GED. I know that not having a diploma may hurt me... I am scheduled to take my GED test within a month and will have completed this before I apply to the department.
Another thing that worries me is that I'm not enrolled nor did I ever attend a college or university. It's not a requirement for this department but I know it would help me greatly. I simply can't afford college at this point in my life.
Background:
I have no criminal background to speak of, including misdemeanors. As far as drugs, I've never once in my life so much as smoked a cigarette. I do however have two fairly recent speeding tickets. (about 1 year ago?) They were payed and I haven't been stopped once since then.
Employment:
I started working at the age of 14 bagging groceries. My first "real" job was as a Maintenance Technician for a community center at age 18. I worked there for about 4 months and quit without notice to pursue a career in Mortgages. I'm sure that leaving a job without notice will look bad against me, and my only excuse is that I wasn't given any notice by my new employer. Not to make excuses, but that was the reason.
Unfortunately, nothing ever became of the mortgage job and after about a month or so of unemployment, I started a close-to-minimum wage job in retail for a major drug store. I have since been promoted within that job and have been there for almost 26 months now. My performance has been exemplary, with zero written warnings or any disciplinary actions taken against me.
Financial:
For my young age, I think I'm in a good position financially. I've had a credit card for almost 2 years and have payed off the balance every month without fault. I monitor my credit online and while I haven't taken a look at it recently, my scores were good enough to land me a loan on my car. My auto loan is my only source of debt, (about $6,800 remaining) and all payments have been made on time. No repossessions. My credit history is as solid as it could be for my age.
Physical:
I'm in what I consider to be great physical shape. I'm 5'11 165lbs and I spend about 3-4 nights a week in the gym. Since seriously considering a career in law enforcement, I've stepped up my workout quite a bit, especially my running and sprinting. I don't usually eat junk food and will only occasionally drink a soda if I'm out to dinner. I don't believe I'd have any problems with this part of the evaluation, but I'm still playing it safe and staying in the gym.
I think that about covers it. I tried to be as thorough as possible. If you read this far, thank you for your time and if you have any questions, please just ask. :D
Cliffs:
- 21 years old
- dropout with GED
- no college
+ no criminal record
- 2 speeding tickets
+ no drugs, ever
- left a job without notice
+ same employer for the last 26 months
+ great physical shape
I've signed up to these boards seeking a bit of guidance from anyone with the knowledge to help me. It's a bit of a read, but I've tried to summarize my life according to the fields on my local PD's employment application.
I AM Eligible:
My local department seems in need of officers right now. There are several billboards around town and a special website has been created to show the prerequisites to application and features an "Am I Eligible?" quiz. I've taken the quiz and I do meet the minimum standards for employment. That's a start!
Education:
Though I always tested well I was a very poor student most years, and eventually dropped out of high school at age 17. This was for no reason other than pure laziness and stupidity on my part. When I turned 18 I immediately joined the work force to try and salvage a little bit of my dignity. I've been employed ever since. (with one gap of only a month or two)
My local department doesn't require a high school diploma, only a GED. I know that not having a diploma may hurt me... I am scheduled to take my GED test within a month and will have completed this before I apply to the department.
Another thing that worries me is that I'm not enrolled nor did I ever attend a college or university. It's not a requirement for this department but I know it would help me greatly. I simply can't afford college at this point in my life.
Background:
I have no criminal background to speak of, including misdemeanors. As far as drugs, I've never once in my life so much as smoked a cigarette. I do however have two fairly recent speeding tickets. (about 1 year ago?) They were payed and I haven't been stopped once since then.
Employment:
I started working at the age of 14 bagging groceries. My first "real" job was as a Maintenance Technician for a community center at age 18. I worked there for about 4 months and quit without notice to pursue a career in Mortgages. I'm sure that leaving a job without notice will look bad against me, and my only excuse is that I wasn't given any notice by my new employer. Not to make excuses, but that was the reason.
Unfortunately, nothing ever became of the mortgage job and after about a month or so of unemployment, I started a close-to-minimum wage job in retail for a major drug store. I have since been promoted within that job and have been there for almost 26 months now. My performance has been exemplary, with zero written warnings or any disciplinary actions taken against me.
Financial:
For my young age, I think I'm in a good position financially. I've had a credit card for almost 2 years and have payed off the balance every month without fault. I monitor my credit online and while I haven't taken a look at it recently, my scores were good enough to land me a loan on my car. My auto loan is my only source of debt, (about $6,800 remaining) and all payments have been made on time. No repossessions. My credit history is as solid as it could be for my age.
Physical:
I'm in what I consider to be great physical shape. I'm 5'11 165lbs and I spend about 3-4 nights a week in the gym. Since seriously considering a career in law enforcement, I've stepped up my workout quite a bit, especially my running and sprinting. I don't usually eat junk food and will only occasionally drink a soda if I'm out to dinner. I don't believe I'd have any problems with this part of the evaluation, but I'm still playing it safe and staying in the gym.
I think that about covers it. I tried to be as thorough as possible. If you read this far, thank you for your time and if you have any questions, please just ask. :D
Cliffs:
- 21 years old
- dropout with GED
- no college
+ no criminal record
- 2 speeding tickets
+ no drugs, ever
- left a job without notice
+ same employer for the last 26 months
+ great physical shape