Career Spotlight: Police Officer
If you’re interested in exploring a career in law enforcement, now is the time to do it – Job Outlook data indicates that the number of job opportunities for police officers is expected to grow over the next few years. With the police force projected to contain 66,600 workers by 2023, data predicts that approximately 1,800 new police officer jobs will be created each year due to turnover and job openings.
Your job is vital to the community
Police officers are afforded some pretty hefty levels of responsibility – whether it is diffusing risky situations or saving someone’s life, you are often one of the first people called upon when someone is in trouble. Every day, you work towards maintaining and contributing to the safe functioning of your community. It doesn’t matter whether you are catching the ‘bad guys’ or helping someone who cannot help themselves, you are carrying out a public service that is vital to the wider population. If you thrive off the fact that your daily work has such a strong sense of purpose, then a career as a police officer could be for you.
No two days (or offices) are the same
If the average nine to five desk job is the stuff of your nightmares, working as a police officer may be the perfect antidote. While you will still need to complete a certain amount of paperwork and filing, the bulk of a police officer’s time is spent out on the beat. Each time that you clock onto the job, you will confront different scenarios, work in a range of locations and meet an array of people. Not only will this require you to relish variety and unpredictability in your everyday work, you will also need to be an apt thinker who can effectively communicate with all members of the public.
Generating respect and pride
Employment in the police force does create a sense of pride around the work you do for the community. Many people see law enforcement personnel as no more than a dampener on their day, but this attitude dismisses the fact that you can make or break their lives when you sacrifice your own wellbeing to save them from harm’s way. This is one of many reasons why police officers continue to command respect and pride from the wider community.
Great salary and employee benefits
Police officers often record great earning potential, with the weekly full-time earnings of $1,600 for this profession sitting well above the all jobs average of $1,230. A huge proportion (92.6 per cent) of police officers are employed full-time, a figure that is considerably higher than the average of 68.4 per cent. Members of the police force also receive great employee benefits, which include generous retirement packages after a certain number of years on the job.
