Does having a university degree really make that much of a difference?

[mrhappy1985]

I have gotten early acceptance to Carelton (for criminology and criminal justice) as well as Wilfred Laurier (for biology). Im debating wheter to go or not. Does having a degree make that much of a difference once you join the forces? I was under the impression it only made a difference if you became a officer otherwise it wasn‘t worth it.

p.s id be gettin my degree in either biology, criminology or kinesiology

 

[LaRo]

Why wouldn‘t you being an officer?

 

[casing]

Yes, a degree makes a difference. It helps you to develop many skills that you might not otherwise have an opportunity to work on. Such as writing, communication, research, critical thinking, self-discipline, etc. It also enhances your job prospects by increasing your qualifications.

Of course, you will need to also consider what qualifications your career aspirations will need. Do you want to be an auto mechanic? A drafter? An oil rig roughneck? A farm hand? A criminologist? A scientist? A law enforcement officer? These occupations obviously require different skillsets.

Which major and school you choose depends upon what you want to do in the long run and especially on what your own interests are and what you want to get out of your experience in uni. From personal experience, I can say the the Crim program at Carleton is very well-respected. Plus, Carleton is a pretty rocking school. You‘ll have a lot of fun if you go there.

Now, most of this advice precludes the CF. Being in the CF, having a degree will help as well. The same skills you develop as a uni student are skills that you will use in the CF. Some trades more than others, obviously.

To sum up, you really need to look at where you want to go in your CF career. You shouldn‘t limit your opportunities on assumptions.

 

[Gibson]

Carleton is a good school (but I‘m biased). A degree makes a difference, chances are there may be things you want to do after your career in the forces. The degree would definately be useful there.

 

[winchable]

A degree can help in a few ways; One, it helps your credentials, which is a fairly superficial reason for getting a degree but a reason nonetheless. Two, it will give you the knowhow to do things that chances are you will not learn outside of school, this is a fairly obvious reason. Three, not so much the degree itself but the way you are forced to think in university is perhaps the biggest advantage a degree will give you. A cliched way of putting it is, highschool teaches you what to think, University teaches you how to think.
Try not to think about it as just getting a piece of paper, because once you get to university (if you do in fact go) you‘ll find that it is much less about the degree and credentials, but about the new "outside of the box" thinking you‘ll hopefully develop.
Plus, I can think of people I know who are dying to get into a criminology program (anywhere they can) don‘t look a gift horse in the mouth! Go for at least your first year then decide.
Of course take any free advice with a grain of salt, it‘s up to yourself in the end, but definetly don‘t think that going to university isn‘t worth it just because you don‘t plan on being an officer, etc.

Edit- I should add of course that‘s not to say that a person who doesnt go to university isn‘t capable of thinking, many very intelligent people just don‘t fit the mold of a university student and they turn out fine, if not, better than a student would.

It‘s a case by case situation, you just need to figure out if you are a university kind of student or another kind of learner. The fact that you applied and got accepted, suggests that you probably would benefit more from a university environment than from another form.