Thanks for the response @juillet However, i do not want to join the military or law enforcement. My husband is getting out of the army very soon, and i have no interest at all in joining the military. I don’t really care to put my life out there with way things have been going today for police (but i greatly appreciate those that do!). I know statistically speaking, it’s unlikely something will happen to me, but still. I have anxiety about it. I considered it for a bit, but it’s not for me. I want to be the researcher contributing to my field, not the person running around with a weapon arresting people. I’ve actually been reading that there are less and less sociology majors finding jobs, so i’d be concerned going that route. Poli Sci is not my cup of tea. There’s a professor at my school i’d very much like to model my career after. His work is amazing, and it is largely what i am interested in studying (and he has a CJ PhD btw). Criminology is finally starting to come out as a field of its own rather than being a sub topic of sociology. They’re very related, of course, but i’ve read that criminal justice professors are especially needed because schools want to hire them instead of the Sociology PhD holders.
I’ve been applying for crime analyst positions, victim advocacy positions, etc. I’m not totally against doing that, experience is definitely a good thing! However, i also know that the sky is the limit for me in terms of research when i have a PhD. A lot more doors would open up because from what i’ve seen, there aren’t many think tanks that are seeking fresh Master’s grads. I’ve checked them out. They usually want the PhD holders that have been practicing their research skills already (which is another big plus of getting a PhD, you WILL be getting actual research experience).
I don’t think i explained myself correctly when i say i want to continue learning. I know that you can continue learning on your own, i do that a lot with other subjects. What i mean is that i enjoy being in an academic environment, learning new theories, how to critique them, writing, and hopefully, one day, contributing to my field. The best way i know to do that is to obtain a PhD. I know from looking into it online that there are a lot of professor positions for CJ PhD holders, so i’m not worried that i won’t find a job. I’m just wanting to be reassured that one day after years of research experience, my degree would be applicable to federal research groups. I didn’t want to pigeon hole myself into teaching, if that makes sense.