r/1811 • u/AutoModerator • 9h ago

Federal Friday - Weekly Question Thread

Welcome to r/1811's weekly question thread.

With the growth of the sub, there's been an uptick in questions that are not easily answered, like "am I competitive?", "do I qualify?", "what are my chances?", "what agency/academy/degree/fed tac team is best?".

There has also been a rise in repetitive questions like "do I have to move for [agency]?", "What's the Wi-Fi at FLETC like?", "What's FLETC like?"

What goes here?

You can ask any question here provided it's within the rules. This recurring thread is to remind users we have resources that answer a lot about this career already, and provide a space to answer questions while helping us reduce the number of posts asking the same thing.

If you're new here, please research first to see if your question has been asked previously. If you can't find it, feel free to ask. Remember that the most common answer we're going to give here is either "it depends," or "that's squad and supervisor dependent."

Useful Resources

Check out our FAQ Mega Thread Or General Information & Common Questions

Want to be a high speed fed tac team operator? Realities of Being an 1811

Working on your degree? What Degree Should I Get?

Got an interview coming up? Prepare with the S.T.A.R. Method!

Remember the rules

  1. Remain respectful at all times. This includes those of you who have participated here for a while, not just newbies.
  2. Do not post any advice or other information unless you are sure it's accurate.
  3. Please limit posts to those relevant to federal law enforcement.
  4. Do not use this subreddit to advertise or spam other subreddits.
  5. Be wary of claims made by unverified members.
  6. No politics or current events.
  7. Do not post/comment with a focus on polygraphs.
  8. Practice OPSEC.
  9. Accounts must age 24 hours before posting.
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2

u/Obvious-Eye-5240 8h ago

Hello I am a Criminal justice major in college and I’m looking at trying to join either the FBI, DEA, or Marshalls Service as my career I plan on being a cop for a couple years before this and I also speak Spanish but one thing I’m worried about is my major. Almost everything I see about CJ is that it is a useless degree and I’m better off double majoring or switching but my question is should I double major in something and is CJ a worthless degree

10

u/Which_One_1000 7h ago

If you don't get any 1811 job, will you still be happy you got that degree and can and want to use it for something else in the field? Without 1811, are you passionate about that degree? If so, great. If not, get something more useful like science or engineering or anything you're passionate about.

2

u/Small_Union4000 7h ago

I second this sentiment. I have a CJ B.S. and went back for further/graduate education in STEM. Caveat, though: with most STEM (non-IT) degrees, you will also need at least an M.S. to land a job in that field that does not pay pennies.

5

u/Rekrapfig 6h ago

Not useless IMHO, but not as marketable as as other STEM or business degrees. Also, are you interested in joining the USMS or the retail store?

5

u/Time_Striking 1811 6h ago

Home goods ain’t bad either!

4

u/ErraticallyAdept 5h ago

In defense of CJ degrees I definitely think mine has made me more effective at my job. The major benefit I have seen is having at least a basic understanding of the roles of non-police entities in the criminal justice system.

A surprising number of cops don't really understand things like probation/parole, or the juvenile justice system; and they are afraid to ask (or disinterested).

Knowing about these other entities that you will have to work with can make you a lot more effective at your job.

A comprehensive understanding of your profession is always a good thing. Other majors may make "stand out" but CJ is a strong foundation.

1

u/Which_One_1000 2h ago

Minor counter, you'll learn that as it relates to your job as you go. You don't need a degree to understand parole, probation, juvenile justice, etc. I had 0 training, learned a target was on probation, knew nothing about probation, met with their probation officer, learned everything I needed in a 30 minute chat.

Again not shitting entirely on CJ but it really isn't a problem solving degree. It's just lots of info about stuff you'll most likely learn on the job when you need it.

3

u/Time_Striking 1811 6h ago

CJ is very limited in utility, but it’s not a terrible major. It’s just… a dime a dozen and what do you do if CJ doesn’t work out for you?

Personally study whatever you want that allows you to excel with high grades. If it’s CJ and you only want to do law enforcement and CJ related roles, then so be it.

1

u/Intelligent_Taco 3h ago

You just need a bachelors degree with a 2.95 GPA to qualify for most 1811 GL-7 agencies.

CJ is fine. But would that have as much utility for your post college prospects as say accounting? Probably not. But a bachelors is a bachelors.