I work as a motorcycle courier in a large-ish rural town. I love it. I love motorcycles and I love the simplicity of the job. The contrast between filtering my bike through the traffic, being 100 percent alert and aware of 100 percent of everything I need to know in order to get my bike from A to B, and the essence of the job, which is really just taking objects from one place to another, quite suits my personality.
I would regard my job as a 'proper job' because I find it fulfilling. But I'm studying criminal justice online. Not as a hobby, or a passing interest type thing, but because I'm serious about getting a job in the sector, at least when I feel the time is right to do so.
I suppose I started out being a courier because it was an excuse to ride my motorcycle all day! I'm not bored of the job, but I need to make more use of what I can do! I need to be getting totally immersed in a career. I'm sure I can still ride my bike to work in the meantime!
When I enrolled on the course I really wasn't that sure what to expect. I'd heard a lot of references to e-learning and the 'Virtual Learning Environment' and common sense pretty much explained itself to me. But actually going through the e-learning process and using the Virtual Learning Environment has been tremendously helpful in my studies, and made me realise just why online study has increased in popularity.
Why criminal justice though? Well, the criminal justice system interests me. I think it's one of those environments where there will always be new ideas, controversy, debate, and hopefully solutions for a better society. There is a range of professional roles in the criminal justice system, and although I'm exactly sure which particular job to aim for, the online criminal justice degree is allowing me to discover the aspects, which I feel the most drawn to.
I'm now studying criminology online as part of my online BA degree, and am finding that the flexible nature of my job fits in well with the flexible nature of my online degree in criminal justice. I find the Zen like mundanity of the long haul deliveries across the countryside the perfect time to wind down after a morning's studying online. Criminal justice studies requires a lot of thought and concentration, and my job compliments that perfectly.
Another great aspect of learning online is that you get so much from the teaching staff, which is surprising given that you'd probably think that online study meant talking to a bunch of robots! These guys either have considerable professional experience or are still working in the sector.
It's not just learning guidance but also some pretty handy careers advice. I often wonder if I'm actually getting more from the tutors through email and messaging than I ever could have by actually going to a college!
Author Info:
Sarah Maple studies towards a criminology and criminal justice degree and writes about online criminal justice.
