My Career And Personal Goals

“Why I Would Like to Obtain an MSCJ Degree and How I Plan to Utilize My Degree Upon Completion of the Program”

“I didn’t come here to be average.” is what NBA phenomenon, Michael Jordan, said during an interview (Jordan, n.d.). Like Jordan, my goal entering Bethel University was to be better than average; and because my goal is applied to my academics, it is easily exercised in all aspects of my life to include my career and family. As a police officer, obtaining my Masters degree would allow for career mobility within my agency. My police department is not average or ordinary; it is extraordinary. Moreover, the citizens within my community deserve an extraordinary quality of life. To effectively balance and apply my education, skills, training, and experience to fulfill the mission of the police department and my own responsibilities within the community is my professional and personal goal.

Since high school, I have had a burning desire to become a public servant. Originally, my ambitions were geared towards becoming a paramedic; therefore, my initial college and technical courses involved biology, human anatomy, and first aid. However, my entry into the U.S. Army in 1994 would change my career choice forever. For more than four years, I trained and worked as a military police officer. Quickly, I realized how much my previous first aid knowledge contributed to my job requirements and unit’s mission tremendously. Despite constant traveling, I sought various college courses that would strengthen my knowledge in law enforcement and human behavior. From military bases in the Pacific to Europe, I enrolled in several colleges and attending classes every chance I was afforded. Regardless of how times my plan to achieve a 4-y...

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...s emanate fairness, integrity, and rightfulness.

In conclusion, seeking a Masters degree through Bethel University means adjusting and improving on my current professional and personal goals. Once I succeed, my future goal is to become a well-rounded police administrator capable and qualified to implement higher standards within my own police department. Professionally, I would seek to improve pre-employment screening standards for individuals who possess similar ambitions and goals that consumed me throughout my high school years and military career. Eventually, my objective is to increase police officer training standards while decreasing use of force complaints. Having a Masters degree will provide me with career mobility; therefore, placing me in a position where I can positively and effectively maintain extraordinary goals of the police department.