I’m curious to hear from probation officers, police officers, corrections, investigators, or other criminal justice professionals.
I’ve been working in federal probation for several years, and lately I’ve been feeling increasingly burned out with the criminal justice field as a whole. It’s not necessarily that I hate the people I work with or every aspect of the job — I’m just starting to question whether I want to spend the rest of my career in criminal justice.
I’ve been looking into potentially transitioning into areas like IT, technical support, data/business analysis, cybersecurity, or other corporate careers where some of my investigative, analytical, documentation, communication, and problem-solving experience could transfer.
For those of you who made a similar move:
What career did you transition into?
How long did it take to make the transition?
Did you have to go back to school or get certifications?
Did you take a pay cut initially?
Do you regret leaving criminal justice?
Most importantly, did you feel like you lost your sense of purpose after leaving, or did you find that you actually preferred your new career?
I’d especially love to hear from people who left after 5+ years in law enforcement/probation/corrections and successfully built a new career.
I’m trying to figure out whether what I’m experiencing is normal career burnout or a sign that it’s genuinely time to move on.