I work in the criminal justice sector. The institutions, the various professions, and the processes are undergoing many new developments, which give people like me a real chance to make a difference to the lives of the people in this country. So that's why I jumped at the chance to further my career whilst studying criminal justice online and continuing in my job.
Without the resources of online study I don't know if I could have managed as much at work as I would have done if I'd had to give up more time to travel to a college. With online study much of the time you can choose your own e-learning schedule. This fits neatly around your job and other commitments.
Because the criminal justice system is being modernised and reformed, I really appreciated that my criminal justice online degree study has a real impact on what I am doing in my job right now.
The process of delivering justice can often be a complex one. There are a vast number of different roles in the criminal justice system. Studying for an online degree in criminal justice means that not only will my present role be benefited by the skills and knowledge gained, but will also help me look at progressing either within my existing department or even getting a new job completely.
There is a wide range of opportunities in the criminal justice system, but you really need to take the initiative to work out what roles will suit you the most. You need to ask yourself: will I get what I want from this job? Do I have the necessary skills and experience to do it to the best of my ability? If not can I think about perhaps taking a course that will help to do this?
From my experience studying online, where basically everything you need is delivered in an easy to access and easy to use 'Virtual Learning Environment', you can achieve a lot more than you would if you'd had to take time off work to attend a conventional college.
Everything about your studies, from one to one discussions with your tutor via web video messaging, to discussions with your student colleagues on the college message boards, is geared around improving your skills and knowledge of the profession you are in. Essentially, online colleges understand a lot more about the demands of work, and the relevance of the your studies to your job, and how you want to see your role progress.
Online study really fits in with the schedules of criminal justice system professionals. It's great to be communicating with my fellow online students, because it raises my awareness of the diverse range of professional roles in the sector.
I'm now looking more at studying criminology online as part of my criminal justice degree, and with my work benefiting day to day from the convenience and flexibility of web based studying, I feel confident about my future.
Author Info:
Sarah Maple studies towards a criminology and criminal justice degree and writes about online criminal justice
