Institute for Career Research

Careers in Criminology Institute for Career Research

CHOOSING A CAREER IS EQUAL PARTS SELF-DISCOVERY AND second-guessing. This is a big decision, and not one to be taken lightly. What if you get it wrong the first time? That will not be a disaster. Most people adjust their careers over their working lifetimes and you may too. Besides, the fact that you are taking the time to read this report says that you are taking this question seriously. Everybody is drawn to certain careers for different reasons. Sometimes innate talent is the primary motivation for choosing a career path - artists and athletes often fit into this category. For others it is life experience, growing up around a particular industry or family business, or simply seizing the opportunities that are right in front of you. Still others turn their intellectual fascinations into careers, figuring that getting paid for something they might do for free is a pretty good deal. What fascinates you?Criminology is a multifaceted, interdisciplinary career field that draws from specialties across the social and behavioral sciences to examine all aspects of criminal behavior. This is a very big topic, reaching from studying the causes of criminal behavior in individuals to the consequences of that behavior on society. Sociology, psychology, philosophy, history, law and statistics all play a part in getting to the bottom of criminal behavior and finding ways to prevent it. Criminologists are the deep thinkers of the law-enforcement world. Criminology is also a wide-ranging career. Criminologists can be found working at universities, think tanks, police departments, and government agencies. There are even more criminology career paths that do not necessarily use "criminologist" in their name but require similar education and experience, including parole officers, private investigators, corrections officers, security consultants, and police officers, to name a few. You could find yourself holding several of these titles over the course of a long career in criminology. That is something to look forward to. Read this report carefully. In it you will find sections on how to gain some experience in criminology, what kind of education you should pursue, how much money you can expect to earn at various stages in your career and even sections on what you may like and dislike about a career in criminology. If you like what you read here be sure to check out the links on the last page of this report, where you will find even more useful information.