Classrooms and Test-Taking to Careers and Decision-Making: Exploring Criminal Justice Career Aspirations in the Canadian Context

• In Event: Views on Education and Technology in Policing

Abstract

Criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) programs have grown exponentially in higher education over recent decades. Many questions remain, however, regarding the students that enter CCJ programs and their associated career aspirations. These questions are especially prevalent in the Canadian context, where there are nuances in career opportunities (e.g., policing structures, intelligence services, etc.) relative to what prior literature has explored. As part of the present research, I thus sampled undergraduate students from CCJ programs in British Columbia, Canada, to explore their career aspirations. Findings from early analyses reveal a series of patterns related to participants’ interest in CCJ careers. Given the importance of CCJ programs as a pathway for CCJ careers, the present research fills a gap in the literature by examining nuances in CCJ career aspirations.

Author

• Ryan Sandrin, Simon Fraser University