CHP Hopefull

[lilnardey]

Hey guys im pretty new to this site and will hopefully someday be a member of the CHP. I am only 17 years old (18 in a month) so i know i have a lot of time to prepare myself for making it to the academy. Does anybody have any advice they could give me to help prepare me for whats ahead. I plan on attending college and getting at least an AA Degree would this be a smart idea, or just a waste of time? Any advice is much appreciated thanks guys!

[uoplax13]

Hey guys im pretty new to this site and will hopefully someday be a member of the CHP. I am only 17 years old (18 in a month) so i know i have a lot of time to prepare myself for making it to the academy. Does anybody have any advice they could give me to help prepare me for whats ahead. I plan on attending college and getting at least an AA Degree would this be a smart idea, or just a waste of time? Any advice is much appreciated thanks guys!


Not an officer, but a few thoughts on education.....never a waste of time, and if you do go to college, look into fields other than just criminal justice- find something that interests you and go with it. You'd be surprised at how many fields of study are applicable across the board....in LE and every other job field out there. Just my two cents.

[MicahJames]

DONT EXPERIMENT WITH DRUGS!!!

...seriously...

from here out you will be accountable for every action you make and you will have to explain yourself.

It's a difficult balance. On one hand, you don't want to live a sheltered life and never do anything because your scared.

On the other, explaining yourself 6 years later and trying to account so many different dates of times you tried stuff just makes you kick yourself harder.

My advice, do what I did when I was 19 and cleaned up, become an ADRENALINE JUNKY. Go skydive, kite surf, jet ski, and climb. Nothing says OOOOO WEEEEE like kissing sweet death on the lips and smackin her in the face as you travel hastely to safety.


Just my .02... But it's probably only worth .01 ;)

[Mac]

Micah made a good point. There are several things you can do to make yourself a strong candidate - stay away from drugs, establish a solid employment history and good credit history, and avoid negative law enforcement contacts (i.e. arrests and/or traffic citations.)
Basically, the idea is to establish the fact that you're an all-around stable, intelligent, law-abiding person.

Going to college will be a good idea too - while a degree isn't necessary, it certainly can't hurt anything. I can't stress this next point strongly enough - take any and every class you can find to make your writing skills as strong as possible! This job involves a LOT of writing, and that's one of the top things that people have trouble with in the Academy.

Keep this in mind - at some stage in the hiring process, you're going to be asked something along the lines of "What have you done to prepare yourself for this job?" Hiring is a competitive process, and the more you have to talk about when that question comes up, the more appealing you look as a candidate.

Best of luck to you....I was in the exact same position when I was your age!

[BigT649]

Although, I USED to be a recruiter for the military, I say this with all honesty. You should look into ALL of the branches of the military and see if one of them could help you in acheiving your goals. During the PAT, they staff showed us a bunck of film clips of Academy life. It looked just like Basic Training!!! The experience you will gain in the military will pay massive dividends.

Just a thought. And, Good Luck.

[G-Man]

college is always a good thing... plus you get paid more if you have a degree, and i have never heard of anyone turning down more money:biggrin:

[cal911gal]

I would also suggest getting involved in the area Explorer post, if they have one. Either San Diego or Oceanside probably has one. It's good experience, you get to make some good contacts and references, and it's another one of those things that can be listed as "preparation".

Besides, you meet new people, and have a lot of fun!

[lilnardey]

Ya so im thinking college is definetly the way to go then. Now i guess i just have to wait a few more years until im even old enough to apply haha, well thanks guys for all of your intput its going to help a lot. :biggrin:

[godinez90]

Hey guys im pretty new to this site and will hopefully someday be a member of the CHP. I am only 17 years old (18 in a month) so i know i have a lot of time to prepare myself for making it to the academy. Does anybody have any advice they could give me to help prepare me for whats ahead. I plan on attending college and getting at least an AA Degree would this be a smart idea, or just a waste of time? Any advice is much appreciated thanks guys!

JUST LIKE BigT649 SAID. I ADVISE YOU TO JOIN THE MILITARY FOR MAYBE JUST TWO YEARS. AND THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU WILL GAIN WILL BE UNMATCHABLE TO SOMEONE WHO DOESNT HAVE MILITARY EXPERIENCE. PLUS YOU GET 10 VETERAN PREFERANCE POINTS IN YOUR INTERVIEW WHICH IS A HUGE HELP.TRUST ME,MY 10 POINTS HELPED ME.OR IF THAT IS NOT AN OPTION, GO GET YOUR AA. THIS WILL RAISE YOUR STARTING PAY AFTER YOU GRADUATE THE ACADEMY.ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, DONT HESITATE TO ASK.