No matter what shape the economy is, there will always be police jobs out there. When you think about it, it can be a pretty cushy occupation. You make a lot of money, and you don't need to have a lot of education to do it. The problem is that it is no picnic. Don't get me wrong, going to a police academy is easy. Police Officer training is pretty simple as well, and you do not have to be at a very high level of physical fitness to be a cop. Nonetheless, make no mistake about it. Police officers really do have to work sometimes.

The good thing about having a police job is that it gets harder as you go up. Entry level police jobs, although they have very little glory, are not that hard. Usually, you start off with traffic enforcement or something basic like that. You are put in some danger, and you have to work long hours, but in general you are given enough backup so you always feel safe. Think about it.  Last time you drove by a traffic stop on the freeway, how many police cars were there? Two? Three? Maybe even four! With all of the attention that the media has put into police officers who have been fatally assaulted, most police jobs offer a lot of protection nowadays.

Then there are the other obvious perks of police jobs. Whether or not you decide to be an "honest cop", you will have certain advantages because of your job. First of all, if you're a police officer, you will never get a traffic ticket again unless you do something egregious. People in police jobs protect each other. If you have a relative who gets in trouble with the  law, it will be easy for you to get him back out of trouble again. And if one of your family members is involved in an investigation of criminal activities, you can bet that you'll get a heads up if you are an officer of the law. With all that power, how can you not take advantage of it sometimes?

Police jobs do demand a certain amount of self-discipline and honesty. It isn't the same as being a priest, but even still, if you're corrupt to the core you will eventually be caught. Before taking police jobs, you should make sure that you have the moral fortitude that the position requires. After all, cops do not do well in prison!

You may also want to consider taking some Criminal Justice courses to see if a police job is for you.  Having a degree in Criminal Justice also puts you ahead of many others applying for these jobs, since most applicants only have a high school diploma.  The pay in police work also varies tremendously depending on where you live and the size of the city you want to work in.