November 4, 2014
Career Choice Comparative Essay
Even though being a high school student has always been something for me to look forward to, minus the amount of stress, I’ve started looking into the future possibilities of occupations: judge, psychiatrist, and aerospace engineer.
I examined the earnings, work hours, level of education, aptitude, and job benefits of each career. Based on the information I have learned from my research, I would choose judge because I have studied law before since my father is a state trooper. I’ve listened to many cases on child protection, DWI’s, and other legal formalities from criminal justice shows such as: Law & Order, Criminal Minds, and NCIS. Even though these are just television shows, they are portrayed just as it would be in “real life.”
The chart below is the criteria I used to conclude my decision:
Judge Psychiatrist Aerospace Engineer
| Salary | Low: $87,240 (2012)Median: $102,980High: $115,760 | Low: $54,500 (Texas)Median: $187,200High: $187,200
(if have medical specialties, possibility of $396,233) |
Low: $34,750 (2012)Median: $86,200High: ranging from $103,720-$110,860 |
| Work Hours | Work full-time; have to be on call for emergency cases such as search warrants or restraining orders | If self-employed, go on your own time; if working under someone else, work 3-4 days with scheduled times | Full-time; extra hours to make sure requirements and deadlines are met |
| Level of Education | Law degree; requires 7 years after high school: 4 years of undergraduate and 3 of law school | Must know how to diagnose and treat; basics of dental and mental health; how to handle and treat deformities; English language-spelling and meanings of words as well as structure; Biology and Doctoral degrees | Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, physics, algebra, trigonometry, and geometry |
| Aptitude | Critical-thinking, decision making, listening, reading, and writing skills | Oral comprehension, oral expression, problem sensitivity, written comprehension, written expression | Analytical, business, critical-thinking, math, and writing skills |
| Job Benefits | High pay, reasonable amount of off time | Creating own schedule that revolves around you, high pay | Work gets displayed worldwide, high pay |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov . 25 October 2014
By examining this chart and considering income, a psychiatrist has the highest earning potential starting at $54,500 and maxing out at $396,233 if having medical specialties. The work schedule of a psychiatrist is full-time self-employed unless you work underneath someone else. Then you usually work 3-4 days out of the week. Yet, this is still on your own time. Since I have to have skills of: oral comprehension, oral expression, problem sensitivity, written comprehension, and written expression, I must have a degree in English Language, know the basics of dental and medical health, know how to diagnose and treat someone, a Biology degree, and a Doctoral degree. Overall, this job seems to have the highest payment and educational expectations based on the given information above.
A defense, financially, can be made for an Aerospace Engineer coming in third with a salary low of $34,650 and a high ranging from $103,720 to $110,860. With aptitude requirements of analytical, business, critical-thinking, math, and writing skills, I would have to possess a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, physics, algebra, trigonometry, and geometry. With all this education, there’s a draw back; TONS of extra hours to meet deadlines and full-time work with very few days off. Even though I would be one of the smartest kids on the block, I would love being able to spend quality time with my future family and an Aerospace engineer does not allow this requirement for me.
Even though the increased income is very tempting in the psychiatrist and Aerospace engineer fields, I would have to pick judge because it fits my obsession with criminal justice and the law.
To set up this choice in pursuing a new career, I would have to take you back to my childhood where I spent every day after school at the Sheriff’s Office with my mom. I think the privilege of going to go visit other workers in the office and the occasional eavesdropping of officer’s conversations about the person they just arrested, is where my obsession with the law and criminal justice started. I am very aware of the pressure and personal emotions that a judge has to avoid during a case, but I think my love and passion for this field would demand these unwanted traits to be pushed to the side.
If I pursued a law degree, which requires 7 years after high school (4 years of undergraduate and 3 years of law school), I could make a satisfactory amount of $87,240 and also help the innocent get their justice. With more experience, I could not only move to courts with broader jurisdiction and more complex cases, but rack $115,760 a year. Just as an Aerospace engineer, I would have to work full-time with a reasonable amount of off days. I would also have to be on call for emergency cases such as search warrants and restraining orders. This means that no matter when or where, I have to be able to come to the court to settle a case. Even though there are extra hours and on call requirements for off days, my drive to want to do well in everything I do would push me to the courthouse even on days I don’t have to or need to be there.
All three careers I have researched involve critical-thinking as an aptitude as I attempt to diffuse the draw backs and focus on the positive to make a decision with the slightest input from the negative. All three careers interest me whether it’s getting justice on the bad, helping a disturbed lost person, or creating aircraft for the future air industry. However, the occupation that has already stolen my heart and I’m willing to pour my energy and time into would be a judge-helping the innocent get justice, deciding which parent is actually fit for taking care of the child, or putting a restraining order on a “crazy-ex.” Six years ago, those unforgettable days spent with the Sheriff’s Office employees will forever leave an impact on my life and decision in job pursuing. It’s time to listen to my heart instead of my gut.