What can I do now?

[junebughunter]

Hello, after quite a bit a web searching I found this website which seems to be one of the better web communities having to do with the CHP.

After quite a bit of discussion with my best friend of 11 years (whose Dad happens to be a Sergeant in the CHP) I decided that I am going to persue a career in the CHP. I won't give you a long history on why I've come to this conclusion but under my current living and family circumstances as far as I can tell it would be a career that I'd love.

I am currrently 19, almost 20 years old. I started working with computers when I was 16, while I was in independent study, I took the Calfornia High-School Proficiency shortly after and began to attend the local community college. I shortly became frusterated with the college due to my age and being a new student I was on the bottom of their "priority list" and it was extremely difficult for me to get any of the more popular (neccesary) classes.

I started to work full-time between two jobs, one was an internship as an IT guy at the local county education office and the other was for a bookstore developing software.

I later worked at a citrus packing house for nearly two years as a programmer and currently am employed as a full-time software engineer for a local software company.

The problem is, I am extremely unhappy working with computers. I feel as if it is a waste of my physical abilities and it's somewhat against everything I used to want as a kid which was anything but sitting at a desk staring at a screen letting my body go to waste.

When I was younger I was a member of the CAP (Civil Air Patrol) and was involved for a couple of years and I loved it, I was also a volunteer lifegaurd. Those are probably the two similar things I have done, not to say those are really that similar but they both involved public services.

Anyway, I've got about 8 months before I am of age to join the academy (I believe it is 20 and a half) what can I do now to prepare?
What should I expect?
Who can I contact?
What books should I study?

Any information, advice and wisdom is extremely welcomed. I'm the kind of guy that when I decide on something I do it to it's fullest. I am really determined and focused on this right now.

Thanks in advance

[redhead]

First thing I would do is order This Book (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576850056/qid=1129587516/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-1367557-2941633?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) and use it to its full extent.

I would then download The applicant study guide (http://www.chp.ca.gov/recruiting/asg/asg.pdf) so you can read about what life is like in the hiring process.

As well, when you are approaching your 20th Birthday, I would Request an Application (http://www.chp.ca.gov/prog/recruiting.cgi) so you can start at the earliest possibility.

By the way, your volunteering is a good thing and something the department loves to see. If you have a chance to work with any of those organizations, or something similar, keep it up. :smile:

that's just what I would do :smile:

[gorkha shakti]

Well, I can understand some of your frustrations for working in IT (Information Technology). I have been in the industry for about four years now. I really did not want to get into IT, but here I am. Don?t get me wrong; I work hard at my job and have great respect for my employer. It took me a college degree and some years at this job to realize, that my true passion in not IT.

All officers and other applicants on this site will tell you, that you have about fifteen years to keep trying. In the meantime, you can may be enroll in a LE program at a local College/University, do more community service, go on a ride along with CHP, visit the CHP?s official site, contact your local area recruiter, and etc. And don?t forget, your friend?s dad is a SGT. with the department. He could be a great source of information and motivation.

I will be retesting out of Golden Gate Division in May 2006. I scored ninety in my last QAP.

Good Luck

[junebughunter]

Ok, went ahead and ordered that book and I am reading through the study guide now.

I'll be 20 on April 10th should I go ahead and request and application or wait until I'm a little closer to being old enough to join...I suppose there is no harm in getting all the paperwork and what not worked out as soon as possible.

I'll also look into what is available at the community college.

[retchp]

I would commend you for your career choice. I would also encourage other "wannabees" to read junebughunter's original post. Note the attention to detail and the obvious intelligence that comes through in his writing. Trust me if you cannot read and write to the twelvth grade level and do math to the basic algebra level you will have a very hard time as a police officer of any kind.
Ultimately the job boils down to this...What did I observe and when did I observe it? You reduce that to reports in various formats. Even a big event such as the recent CHP shootings and accidents must be investigated by officers and reduced to a written report. If you cannot read, write and do arithmetic you will have a very hard time even if you manage to get through all the hoops and obstacles in front of you. I kid you not!

[pupdog]

And run. Run run run run RUN!

For getting into college classes, never worry about how many are in the class, if it's closed, or any of that. Most CC classes reduce drastically after a month. Teachers know this, and if you show up to the 1st class, they'll usually let you in. Many who registered don't bother to show up, so you get their spot. Or, if it's full on day 1 because everyone showed up, they'll let you in anyway because they know that many won't stay long. Of course, if you want to be in LE and pass that backround, you'll be the one who does show up! I look at so many of my fellow AJ students as people I'm NOT competing with for a job because of this!

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

Ok, went ahead and ordered that book and I am reading through the study guide now.

I'll be 20 on April 10th should I go ahead and request and application or wait until I'm a little closer to being old enough to join...I suppose there is no harm in getting all the paperwork and what not worked out as soon as possible.

I'll also look into what is available at the community college.

I am in the same boat. I turn 20 April 30th but I already sent in my application. I have been in college for over 2 years now, so I will be graduating very soon. While I am in the process, I am just attending school and work.

[Your Mentor]

Retchp is wise and experienced so heed his words. Writing is the PRIMARY defining job skill of a peace officer and especially for CHP officers. If there is any one thing you need to bone up on before entering the Academy it is writing. Focus on basic grammar and stick with simple sentence structure. You will be writing full reports in at least four of your cadet classes along with completing memos for various reasons. If you can't cut it there and manage to graduate you'll flounder when you hit the field without an overwhelming comfort with writing skills. You need to bang out four or five a day while on breakin. A good FTO will ensure your plate is loaded to the top with paperwork at the end of every shift. So if you want a boost in the Academy, focus on writing. If you show up out of shape, I guarantee you'll be in shape when you leave. If you show up without basic compositional skills, no one is going to spend time teaching them to you. You're expected to know how to write when you report. It's sink or swim.

To drive this point home, keep this in the back of your mind: NO ONE will be fired during breakin for being out of shape. But nearly 80% of those fired on breakin will be released because of their inability to write reports at the level and volume we require.

If I sound zealous about the subject please forgive me. I wrote the current report writing cirruculum and taught several of this forum's members, including the administrator. I only mention this because so much emphasis is put on making sure you're in great physical shape before reporting. This will certainly relieve some of the pressure while there. And once you're on the road, your physical conditioning will help keep you alive and help make up for a lack of experience in some incidents. But nearly every in-service veteran will tell you over and over and over; pay attention to detail and learn how to write confidently.

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

Check this out

http://www.911hotjobs.com/bookstore/testcenterstpolice.htm

[junebughunter]

Thanks for all the advice about the writing. When it comes to that part of the test and eventually the academy I'd say I feel pretty confident. I almost always do well with essays. The problem I do occasionally run into is when I am required to write an essay on something I don't neccisarily have a lot of knowledge about or opinions on I struggle trying to say something non-generic but that's besides the point. I will be taking plenty of practice tests before I take the real test so I know what to expect.

Here's a question that maybe someone could help with, once I submit my application how long will it be before I hear anything back? I'm sure it varies but any estimate is fine

Oh and Pupdog, yeah I know what you're talking about when it comes to crashing classes, that is in fact how I ended up getting practically every class I've had. Even then I sometimes wasn't successful the community college here is extremely crowded. When I would try to crash a class I would literally get "wait list numbers" all the way up into the two-hundreds, meaning over 200 students were also trying to crash that class. Because of my low-priority due to my age someone could sign up for a class two weeks after me and get a better wait list number.

I had teachers approach me and explicitly say "You will not be able to enroll in this class." Whether it's a mistake or not I got the idea that I didn't need college, but for quite a few other reasons I won't get into, as well.

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

About 1 week and 3 days.

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

Has anyone tried any ARCO exam books? This is the newest one the 15th edition updated in 2005. Is the State Police Exam California one better (I already have it, but just wondering)?

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/mehsdomi/ARCO.jpg

VS.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/mehsdomi/State.jpg

[dw]

Get an application now, mail it in as soon as you turn 20.

As for the ARCO book, last time I checked, the Learning Express was the only one that has anything to do with our test. I'll try and check out the ARCO one if I see it somewhere, but I'd stick with the one we know is reliable.

[pupdog]

post.ca.gov has a VERY good written test tutorial, if I recall (it's been a long time since the written for me). The CHP applicant study guide is marvelous too.
200+ students??? WOW! My school must be a dinky little college!

[Mac]

Junebughunter - you got some excellent advice from retchp and YourMentor. Writing is one of the most critical tasks on this job, and more cadets flunk out of the Academy on writing than anything else...and as YM said, the vast majority of new officers who don't make it off of break-in fail because they can't write. You're articulate and come across as being intelligent, so you're off to a good start there. The study guides mentioned will be a great help also. Learn everything you can about the CHP, and go on ride-alongs once you start the application process. There are several threads here about ride-alongs that will answer questions you might have about when, how, etc.....read through them.

Other than that, the biggest thing you can do right now to help yourself is KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN - don't get traffic tickets, establish a solid work history, keep your finances and credit in good order...anything and everything you can do to establish yourself as a solid, responsible, dependable, mature, law-abiding person.

Go ahead and send your app in when you turn 20. I submitted mine ON my 20th birthday, and it took 16 months to get through the hiring process and make it to the Academy.

[Cameron]

June- I second what Pupdog said. The post.ca.gov website has some great tutorials. Also, a LOT of great information about law enforcement. It takes some time to browse through, but answers many questions.

Good luck!

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

post.ca.gov has a VERY good written test tutorial, if I recall (it's been a long time since the written for me). The CHP applicant study guide is marvelous too.
200+ students??? WOW! My school must be a dinky little college!

I looked on the site and just found a bunch of random stuff. Any specific links?

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

Is this the PHS they give you or similar?

http://post.ca.gov/forms/2-251-phsPeaceOfficers.doc

[redhead]

Is this the PHS they give you or similar?
http://post.ca.gov/forms/2-251-phsPeaceOfficers.doc
Similar, but not the same. You will have it in your hands 6/4/2006 :smile:

[TheForceCHP]

Is this the PHS they give you or similar?
http://post.ca.gov/forms/2-251-phsPeaceOfficers.doc
Similar, but not the same. You will have it in your hands 6/4/2006 :smile:

agree, the one in the link seems to have a lot more questions

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

I went through the whole thing from the link one, and it seems I got it down. But what happens if you don't remember what your old bosses name was?

Also I saw there was like 8 spots for references. Do you need to fill them all up? or will like 5 be fine?

[TheForceCHP]

I went through the whole thing from the link one, and it seems I got it down. But what happens if you don't remember what your old bosses name was?

Also I saw there was like 8 spots for references. Do you need to fill them all up? or will like 5 be fine?


like we said, that is not going to be the same one you get. there will only be 5 spots for references.

honestly at this point i say you don't need the stress of worrying about this. if i remember right you get the packet at the PAT. at your written they give you a list of stuff you need to start collecting. this is way more time then you will ever need to get all of this stuff done.

i know that you are excited, but spend the time studying for the tests and getting in shape instead of worrying about this

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

I know, I know. I just rather be safe then sorry.

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

Last stupid question...

This is in regards to when you have to list all your open and closed accounts for credit purposes. I know I have to list all my accounts but I have one question. About 1 year ago my mom started a home business and she got me a American Express Business card with my name on it. She did not list my social security number. It is like I am just an addition to the account, and it doesn't affect my credit in any way, so should I list it because it shows my name on the account or don't list it because it doesn't affect my credit?

[bcjack]

Tell EVERYTHING!!! If your BI finds it, and you didn't disclose it... DQ!!!

[dw]

Last stupid question...

This is in regards to when you have to list all your open and closed accounts for credit purposes. I know I have to list all my accounts but I have one question. About 1 year ago my mom started a home business and she got me a American Express Business card with my name on it. She did not list my social security number. It is like I am just an addition to the account, and it doesn't affect my credit in any way, so should I list it because it shows my name on the account or don't list it because it doesn't affect my credit?

I'd list it on your PHS and explain to your BI at the initial interview.

[CaliforniaHighwayPatrol]

Also one of the companies I worked for shut down. I know I have to list it, but do I leave there phone # blank and explain it to my BI?

[dw]

Also one of the companies I worked for shut down. I know I have to list it, but do I leave there phone # blank and explain it to my BI?

Yup.

[pupdog]

I was told to give the phone number and note that it's now disconnected.

And how's this for an ouch in the financial...my ex-husband was late on a car payment AFTER we seperated. It showed up on my credit report, but not his. And of COURSE they've rejected my request to fix my credit report! I know the BIs were not born yesterday, but it might be nice to buy a home someday:sad:

[decon]

if your burnt out at your current job....dont let it show at work. remember your background investigator will be talking to everyone about you. its ok to be excited about a career with the CHP but keep positive and stay working hard at your current job.

having a positive work ethic at my previous jobs seemed to help me out (I too got hired at an early age 21)

[junebughunter]

Yeah I'm burnt out with what it is I do but I still do it the best I can everyday...

This brings up a question. Assuming I get in or get to the BI process at what point do I need to inform my boss about my plans. I'm surprised I never thought of this until now but it could put me in a sticky situation. If my boss finds out I am looking for work elsewhere I don't want to lose my job, but what if I get to the point where I need to tell him and don't get into the academy right away?

I'm sure it's something I'll be able to discuss with my BI but I guess for now it's a little bit of a concern

[Mac]

I'd definitely tell him at least by when they start your BI, since they'll be interviewing him at some point thereafter.