Hello. I am going for my master's degree and I am trying to figure what will be better to go after in the criminal justice program. The two avenues I am drawn between are a managerial focus or an internet/computer security focus. Each has its own merits and I realize that I must decide what is truly better for me based on what I want to do. However, I would like to know if anyone out there has any advice based on their experiences about what approach worked for them in their career.

Thank you for your time and responses!

Sincerely,

Anthony B.

Hi Anthony, are you wanting to work in government or criminal justice?  If so exactly what type of work do you want to do?

I wanted to ask people out there who are actually part of the system and find if a managerial degree or a technical degree will do better or worse the the other. Neither of these degrees will narrow my job search to a specific job, but because it will narrow the field some I can help decide what I want to do and what will help me the most. Bottom line is I am still very much undecided but I want to give myself the best chance while I still am very confused on my course through the system.

I was in federal law enforcement for 7 years so I can give a little insight...

In federal law enforcement specialized skills are rare and highly sought after, particularly in computer science, accounting, etc.  Anything you can imagine a analyst doing that would require specialized knowledge, certifications and/or licensure is pretty much in demand here, including medicine. 

For a typical police department you'd better be served with an MSCJ or if you want to move into management ranks, an MPA.  The MPA will give you greater flexibility outside of the LEO world also.  So I guess you should really just spend some time thinking about where you want to be in 5 to 10 years and work towards that.

Cajun:

So I guess you should really just spend some time thinking about where you want to be in 5 to 10 years and work towards that.

That's great advice.  People so rarely look long term when they're selecting a degree program, and they really should.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

Thank you very much for the insight.