Few questions, Criminology, Reapplying next year.

Today, I was talking to one of my friends, and she was like "I don't want to be funny Stacey but isn't Criminology one of those subjects that is hard to use to find a job?"

Now, i'm a bit confused. For those of you who do Criminology, or at least know about it, agree with this? I was under the impression that Criminology can set you in the direction of things like the police force, prison service etc. Now i'm a little worried :s-smilie:

I know it depends on how much you make yourself employable to get a job, but still, is my life now on one big downer because I picked this course? I thought it would be good :frown:

Also, another question, say I choose to reapply to UCAS next year, is it harder to get accepted in terms of references etc. Personal statement and references and things like that would have to be new wouldn't they?

Reply 1

username94219

I do Criminology and Sociology and that statement your friend said is rubbish! ANY discipline it can be hard to get a job in . . . .I have hopes that it'll lead me into a job that is somewhat related to my degree, if not similar. :smile:

Ignore your friend and you study what you want to study . . .

Reply 2

mathmagician

Mickey mouse will be around your house soon, he wants his degree back.

Reply 3

username94219

mathmagician

Mickey mouse will be around your house soon, he wants his degree back.

I take it with your ''magic'' skills you'll find him then? :rolleyes:

. .

Reply 4

redorange

Different subjects have varying employment prospects, but three years is a long time to study. This is made more enjoyable by far if you opt for a subject that you are interested in. You are more likely to be successful too.

With regards to the reference, it will need to be edited because some aspects will no longer be relevent, if you are a post-qualification applicant. You can still ask your school or college to provide a reference. The main thing is to make productive use of a gap year, if you decide to take one. You can use it to get a job, travel or gain voluntary experience. Good luck with your application.

Reply 5

stripy_socks07

i study criminology with law. if it's something you are going to enjoy doing then go for it, there's plenty of things you can do with it! police, prison force as you mentioned. i finish this year and am going to go on and do my 2 year msc is social work as i want to be a criminal justice social worker (scotland) x

oh yeah...i also know someone who graduated last year with a degree in criminology and he is now working in the procurator fiscal's office and loving it

Reply 6

igoms

It always looked like a fascinating subject, and I've read a few books on the topic. But I'm afraid I may have to agree with your friend. I'm studying Law and even then we were discouraged from picking Criminology as one of our Honours subjects because it holds zero vocational merit. And that was just an optional extra subject, I can't imagine doing a whole degree in it will do you much favours.

But of course it all depends on what you want to do with it.

I can't help thinking about the Scene from Clerks II where Randall is discussing the college course they wasted time on and one of them was criminology. "Criminology! Who the fu** are we studying to be, Batman?"

Reply 7

DaniLou17

dont scare me !!!
i thought criminology was supposed to be good for prison/police etc aswell!!!

Reply 8

Maker

DancinBallerina

Ignore your friend and you study what you want to study . . .

Not all disciplines are equally hard to get jobs in. Nursing is pretty easy to get a job after graduation but English is a lot harder.

If your main reason to get a degree is for a job, then you need to find something you want to study and also can get you a job as well.

Why not try to find the employment rates for the disciplines you are interested in. I would think it criminology would not have good employment prospects as its mostly in the public sector and they will be cut back due to the economic problems.

Reply 9

username94219

Maker

. . Currently in my 3rd year on the verge of graduating . . .I think the main part of your post is aimed @ the OP, not me . . .

Well yes jobs like nursing aren't that hard to get jobs in but degrees like Geography, History . . .and plenty more are hard to get jobs in especially in this current climate.

Reply 10

username94219

DaniLou17

dont scare me !!!
i thought criminology was supposed to be good for prison/police etc aswell!!!

You don't necessarily need a degree for the police, or prison service . . .nor Probation . .

A friend of mine who is a police officer, studied Psychology . . he applied for the police his degree gave him no extra footing whatsoever. Everyone is on a level footing when applying for any position within the police service. Previous experience like Specials will put you in good position but nothing more than that tbh.

Reply 11

Pinkaddiction23

DancinBallerina

I always thought, a degree in Criminology, Law, Police Studies etc would show that you have a passion for legal work, which can't go wrong in an interview, if your prepared to spend 3 years if not more studying it :biggrin:

Reply 12

username94219

Pinkaddiction23

That is why I decided to go for a degree - at the time in 2007 I didn't want to go into a job, I didn't want to study a boring, bog ''traditional'' subject - so I chose something of interest and that could demonstrate I have the drive of commitment, passion and determination to better myself and achieve well.

Honestly OP - YOU do what you want to do, sod what others are saying or saying about Criminology. From what I have been told of people from my uni, there are students who have managed to bag themselves jobs which are related to the degree, ie probation.

Good Luck :smile:

Reply 13

Maker

DancinBallerina

Your enthusiasm for your subject is admirable but the OP was concerned about the employment prospects after graduation. A degree that is interesting does not necessarily result in good employability.

I think the OP needs to do some research about the employability of her prospective degree before starting it rather than finding out in her final year that the prospects are not as good as another subject she could have studied.

She could ask people who are doing criminology but I doubt they can be entirely objective since they have already invested time and money in it.

Reply 14

username94219

Maker

Thanks - I agree with you - more research into the employability prospect of Crim might help the OP in the decision of taking up this subject as something to study :smile:

Reply 15

☘KilliK☘ ☮♡♲☺

Maybe do a joint BA in Crim and another subject (development studies or sociology?) or learn a major language :dontknow:

. If you can show that you have a broader understanding of major social sciences theories it will increase the number of areas were you can possibly work.

I plan on completing my BA with some combination of International Relations/Development Studies/Sociology(currently exploring 1st year papers :cool:

) and then doing a Masters in Criminlogy/Peace studies. :yes:

.

All in all it seems a bit pointless to plan your life out to that extent; especially with all these uneployed or underemployed graduates moping around :yep:

. Just enjoy university and then freak out when you finish your degree. Worst comes of it become a profesional student :wink:

.

Remeber university only opens your mind and shows employers you have the ability to learn to do the job. You still have to learn how to do it! :woo:

Reply 16

Studycrazy

I'm seriously considering waiting until next year and applying for something else :frown:

I've tried searching job prospects and speaking to people who are on the degree and have completed it and it does seem very difficult to get a decent job afterwards, although i'm limited as i'm in Northern Ireland, less jobs! Lol

Reply 17

Debbie :)

im currently in year 12 about to apply to do international relations/development, i hope to get a job with an NGO or such in the end so at least i can earn in what i love (volunteering and ****), i was intrested in crimonology at one time, but my dad, a professor from warwick uni advised me not to go there, as its a popular subject, thus making it harder to get the small number of jobs there is suited to it. meh :/ gd luck xxxxxxx

Reply 18

tbm

Sorry but I would completely disagree

I did a Criminology degree at uni (jointly with science) and I have not had any problems finding a job

My first job out of uni was working for a Youth Offending Team, I absolutely loved it and I was on a higher salary than anyone else who had finished uni at the same time and done different degrees.

Since then I have also worked for the NHS and now work for a local authority, on a really good salary. I wont say how much, but I am earning a hell of a lot more than anyone else who I went to school with who went to uni and studied other subjects such as IT, Business, Chemistry etc etc.

What I would say aswell is that when you are at uni, do as much part time work and volunteering as you possibly can. This will be what sets you apart when you finish uni and start applying for jobs. I did work experience with a local police force, try and do this aswell if you can.

In all honesty, there are cuts being made everywhere at the moment. I work with the NHS for my role and they are getting rid of health visitors, family support workers, speech therapists, and some schools I work with are getting rid of teaching assistants and teachers. I really dont think anyone is safe anymore.