If you’re preparing to go to the police academy for training to protect and serve your community, you’ve made an admirable decision. While you’re there, you deserve a good job to help pay your bills so that you hit the ground running when you graduate.
Though there are plenty of jobs available, it’s a good idea to try and find a job that matches your career goals, works with your schedule, and pays decently. To help make your job search a little easier, here are four perfect jobs while you’re going through the police academy.
Shooting Range Instructor
For a flexible job that also helps you get in some practice for a crucial skill, taking a job as a shooting range instructor could be a great fit. Thanks to the personalized nature of range instruction, the hours of a shooting range instructor tend to be very flexible, meaning you can fit your job around your classes. Plus, during downtime, you can spend some time on the range yourself, allowing you to get in some much-needed shooting skills practice.
Security Guard
If you want to begin protecting others even before you finish the police academy, then a job as a security guard may be right for you. Given the ever-increasing concern with security, security guard services are always hiring those who are protection-minded. Perhaps the best thing about this job is that there are many shifts available at night, which tends to work well with a daytime academy schedule.
Private Investigator
If your investigation skills are what led you to pursue police work, then a job as a private investigator can help you hone those skills while you’re in the police academy. A great perk of this job is that you only have to take on as much work as you want and you can typically work flexible hours, so long as the work gets done. Plus, a good private investigator can earn quite a bit of money, putting you in a financially stable position as you move toward graduation.
Car Lot Attendant
If you need to practice your driving skills to prepare you for your future patrols, then a job as a car lot attendant can provide some much-needed time behind the wheel. Car lot attendants work for car dealerships and are responsible for moving the inventory around as-needed and making sure it always looks great for the customers. All that practice backing-in to parking spaces in tight quarters will prepare you well for any unusual driving conditions you might encounter.
Keep it Simple
While attending the police academy, your main priority and focus should be the police academy. After all, you want to be sure you learn all the necessary skills that you’ll need to keep yourself and others out of harm’s way.
If you find that a certain job takes up too much of your time, then, it’s a good idea to move on to a different job or take a break from working altogether. Ultimately, you know what works best with your schedule and limitations to provide the best outcome.