<p>Hello all,
I was charged with possession of stolen firearms and am now a felon. I have been attending CC and have a 3.6 GPA. I will be transferring to University of Illinois for EE. That program is ranked 3rd in the USA. Upon graduation will I be able to find a job or am I screwed.</p>
<p>Most companies will not like it, but if you try hard, succeed and show academically that you’ve made a change in your life, you’ll be able to obtain a good job.</p>
<p>Other words of advice would be to join academic clubs and organizations to show that you’ve been busy with other work (i.e. you’ve spent your time doing this). Other than that, I’d just advice applying everywhere and hope for the best.</p>
<p>All you can do is work to improve your current position. You are probably out of luck with a lot employers, but there will be some who will be willing to overlook it, provided you are squeaky clean otherwise.</p>
<p>If I may, have you been convicted, or just charged? What are the circumstances that led to this, and what have you done to ensure that you will stay out of trouble in the future? I was convicted of a misdemeanor, and am familiar with some of the issues and questions you will face.</p>
<p>At cosmic fish. I was a victim of a violent crime. I was stabbed in the neck with a butcher knife when I tried stopping a man hitting a girl. This was about three years ago. My right arm was paralyzed and I lost my job as a union electrician in Chicago. After this happened I started drinking alot and was very depressed. Having lost everything and just had a baby girl. I stole some firearms and was caught with them. I’m currently still going to court and might be going to prison. However since that happened I’ve been attending college and doing great. I just am very scared a mistake i made when I lost everything will Stop me from becoming an EE</p>
<p>Have you started speaking to an attorney yet? If this is your first offense and you are cooperative, can show that you are rehabilitating yourself, and are putting yourself into a situation where you can be a “productive member of society” then the DA may be willing to let you plead down to a misdemeanor. While your situation is understandable, you should still take every possible step to keep this indictment from turning into a felony conviction.</p>
<p>+1 @ Cosmicfish</p>
<p>Do everything you can. Don’t just accept the felony.</p>
<p>Agree- if you haven’t gone to court yet or haven’t plead this yet, do whatever you can to get this down to a misdemeanor.</p>
<p>Unfortunately it is a class x felony which is the worst felony. I was in possession of 6 stolen firearms. I know stupid, but that is not the type of person I am just was in a horrible time in my life</p>
<p>You are talking to a lawyer, I hope? And possible to a reporter? Don’t give up hope, you can fight up until you are convicted, and even then you have a shot.</p>
<p>What do you mean a reporter. I just pray that an employee will see who I really am. Hopefully going to a great college will make a difference</p>
<p>Many companies these days will do a background check and will ask if you have ever been convicted of a felony. If you have to answer “yes” they probably will move onto another candidate. Unfortunately this is not a good climate for applicants, and employers can be as choosy as they want/need to be. So if at ALL possible, do whatever it takes to NOT get convicted.</p>
<p>We hired someone a few years back who had an arrest. We met with her, got an explanation of the circumstances and it was addressed to our satisfaction. That said, it was a minor incident and not a felony.</p>
<p>
Forget about it.</p>
<p>
Not enough by itself - graduating from a “great college” will show that you are smart and hardworking, but there are always questions of character and a felony conviction will be a big problem.</p>
<p>Have you considered how jail time will affect your studies? If convicted of a felony, it is highly unlikely that you will get only probation.</p>
<p>And read this post from another thread <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13785940-post742.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13785940-post742.html</a></p>
<p>You stole SIX guns?</p>
<p>No I didnt steal them. I just was in possession of them</p>
<p>So no matter what I do I will never achieve my goals and dreams</p>
<p>staples, all you can do is move forward from here. The only person you control is yourself. Have you made it more difficult for yourself. Well, of course. But that doesn’t mean you will never achieve you goals and dreams. Keep moving forward. Don’t let the uncertainty of the situation define you. Define yourself within the circumstances in which you find yourself. Whatever price the piper asks for, pay it. But keep moving forward with your plans.</p>
<p>@geo.
Thanks for the advice and that’s exactly what I’m doing I’m just worried that nobody will be able to look past a bad time in my life. I was hoping when I get my degree I can just send in my resume and not fill out an application. So if I get called for an interview I can talk about it in person. But a lot of employees won’t care once they here felony.</p>
<p>@staples
I actually signed up for the site to respond to your question. I have worked at Universities my entire career. I work mainly with students. I have worked with 7 students with felony convictions. All were very proactive in communicating with potential employers or professional societies. All were able to procure excellent professional employment. You need to remain concerned, but not discouraged.</p>
<p>Don’t get too discouraged, Staples. I really hope that your situation works out for the best.</p>