How do I get a job in the field I am studying for?

Why is it supposed to be difficult to get a job in Louisiana in the Criminal Justice field?

• I am studying Criminal Justice (online) and was told "good luck" by someone when I told them what I was going to college for.  He said "good luck" because, he claims, that it's hard to find a job in Louisiana (where I live) in the criminal justice field.  What's the point in studying it if I can't get a job afterwards?

• Answer:

  I don't know that it's supposed to be difficult to find a criminal justice-related position in Louisiana, but times are tough all over in terms of employment. Like many other fields, government programs are being squeezed by budget cuts and other measures to reduce costs. Unfortunately, for many criminal justice organizations, the main driver of costs is personnel expenses. In a community corrections organization, for example, as much as 80% of costs can be related to salary, benefits, and other costs of maintaining the workforce. That's less true of prisons, which also have a lot of additional cost drivers, such as facility maintenance, inmate medical care, and transportation. In any event, it can be challenging to find a quality position in the criminal justice field, but it's not impossible. A lot of the general job-seeking advice, such as networking, informational interviewing, and staying current on trends and needs in your field, would apply. In addition, though, it may also be important for you to consider volunteering with human services agencies (homeless shelters, group homes, school programs), working at entry-level positions with private vendors (monitoring companies, technology companies, etc.) who provide direct services to the types of agencies you might eventually want to work for, or even volunteering as a reserve officer for a local police or sheriff's department. According to the http://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm#tab-7some law enforcement occupations are expected to grow at a slower than average pace (detectives, correctional officers, etc.)  However, the outlook for http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/probation-officers-and-correctional-treatment-specialists.htm is better. Those positions are expected to grow at an average rate through 2020. Those are also the positions that require more education (typically a bachelor's degree, at a minimum). So, there's every reason to continue your education if you want to be eligible for the fastest growing job class in the criminal justice sector. Also, to the extent that you can gain experience while completing your degree, you'll be that much more ahead of the game when it comes time to actually apply for positions you're interested in working as a career. So, I wouldn't give up hope. There are jobs out there, they just take some effort to find and work into. I wish you the best in your studies and with your job search. Bob