Progress Report Back To Homepage
The King/Chavez/Parks Scholarship program has allowed pursuing a post-secondary education here at Ohio University possible for me. For the past three years, the scholarship program has provided me with the funds necessary to fund my education. Along with the much needed funding, the program has also offered me the opportunity to attend various academic workshops and presentations that have contributed to my success as a college student. As time has passed, I have been able to make progress in various aspects of my life. This progress has allowed me to grow as a person and to prepare myself for life beyond the college years. I wanted to take the time to inform the scholarship committee on the progress that I have made.
For the past three years, I have made progress toward becoming successful as both a student and a future member of the business world. As a Pre-Law/Sociology-Criminology major I have encountered difficult loads of course work. Since my beginning as a lost and confused freshman, my experiences with the various obstacles and challenges set before me have helped me to mature as an adult and have empowered me to succeed and excel in my educational experience. Academically, I have made enormous progress in my study habits, which can be reflected through my current G.P.A. As a freshman, I came to college assuming that I knew how to do everything and rarely studied. After first quarter grades were released, I soon realized that I would have to study harder if I wanted to achieve the grades I knew I was capable of obtaining. I made a study schedule for myself and was not afraid to attend tutoring sessions at the library when needed. I stopped going dancing with my friends as much and began to focus that spare time on my studies. As time progressed, my new study habits were reflected through my grades. My G.P.A. was raised to a 3.5/4.0 and has remained consistent ever since.
I have learned that focusing solely on academics would help boost my grade point average, but that it would not help me obtain the social skills and networking that are needed in the "real world." For this reason, I decided to join several of the various student organizations offered through the university. Some of these organizations such as the Criminology Club help to build networking with important figures in my area of interest. Other organizations such as The Community, help to increase social interaction amongst the students on campus. I also hold executive board positions in some of these organizations. I am the Self-Enrichment Committee head for Unified Sisters. As head of this committee it is my duty to plan programming activities such as resume workshops that help to enrich the skills of those in the organization. I am also the VP of Finance for the OU Colony of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. I oversee all monetary issues that may arise and am in charge of implementing fundraisers into our quarterly programming schedule. Being a member of these organizations has been useful and rewarding. They have helped me to see how others plan out a program from its inception to its conclusion. Being placed is my leadership positions have provided me the opportunity to put to work the skills that I have learned. I have learned how to work well with others and have had hands on experience on planning events. These planning experiences will be valuable to me in the future, as I will have to plan things for various law firms and companies in the future.
Over the past two years I have also taken advantage of the various internship positions available. I did a criminology internship during the 2003 summer at the Lorain Police Department. I helped the department with secretarial work and with organizing files. I also helped fill out several of the booking forms. In doing this, I was able to get an experience of what types of people and situations I will encounter in the future. I will be able to prepare myself for the future. This summer I will be doing an internship at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in Florida. I will be assisting a crime analyst by analyzing the crime rates and police records to help the department figure out what neighborhoods need more or less police patrolling. Both of these internships will be great assets to my future career.
I have researched some basic data for my future Criminology career. The results are as follows:
Employment Outlook. For those who graduate and have at least a Master’s Degree, the employment outlook is good. Many police departments and government offices are hiring criminologist to do research in their neighborhoods in hopes of finding a policy implication that would help lower crime rates. The need for crime analysts in many police departments is also on the rise. Applying for these specific positions is highly competitive, because they require outstanding skills in problem-solving techniques and good skills in statistics and quantitative data. Demand for these positions is greater in larger cities such as New York and Chicago, where crime rates are high. Demand is also higher in the south because the increased warm weather leads to higher crimes rates. Those who are not willing to relocate, have the option of doing individual research themselves at any location they desire. Demand for these positions will be rising in the next few years because many criminology students are focusing on criminal justice positions such as police and detective work, and not on analyzing the data being taken in.
Skills required. Computer skills are a must. Persons in these positions must know how to understand various computer programming that help with the way information is compiled and organized. Use of a fax machine is also required because information will be sent and received in order to obtain complete record information. One must have good problem-solving skills, as they will be expected to produce a possible plan for lowering crime rates in certain neighborhoods. Those applying for these positions must have good oral and written skills and must be effective communicators. They must be good at presenting proposed plans to groups of executive officers. Finally, those who seek employment in this career field must be able to work efficiently and rapidly under pressure and timing constraints. This career is located in a highly stressful work environment, and those seeking employment must be capable of managing heavy loads of stress.
Pay. The pay for being a Crime Analyst is not for one whose goal is to get rich. The pay is comfortable. Starting pay usually ranges from between $55,000 -$62,000 a year. Most departments include all health benefits with their employment. As mentioned before, this is a career for those who love doing these things, and not for those searching for great wealth.
In conclusion, a Crime analyst position is one that is highly competitive. There are jobs available, but many of them require relocating from the Ohio area to larger cities and regions. There are several technical skills that are required for this position but many of them are skills that I exemplify. This is not the best paying career, but it is a job that I know I will enjoy doing, and will still be able to live comfortably off of the income.