Hey everyone,
I’m 21 and working on getting my life back on track. A career in law enforcement is something I’m considering for the future, but my main focus right now is building stability and becoming more disciplined overall, I want some honest input whether I’m on a realistic path and what I should be doing over the next 5-6 years to become competitive
I’ll be upfront about my background:
- i’ve job hopped and left multiple jobs without giving 2 weeks notice
- I even failed and dropped several university courses (business management[marketing])
- I took a gap year 2025-2026 to start a business that didn’t work out
- during that time I had no income and missed credit card payments which led to my card being permanently blocked
I’m not proud of these things, but I take responsibility for them. Lately I’ve been trying to make better decisions and think longer-term.
I’m not trying to rush into applying, id rather take 5-6 years to actually build a solid foundation in my life first.
For those in law enforcement or familiar with the hiring process:
- Are these issues going to significantly hurt my chances?
- if I stay consistent from now on can I realistically recover in 5-6 years?
- what specific things should I focus on (work history, volunteering, education, financial stability, etc.) to become a strong applicant?
And what does “real change” look like from your perspective when you’re evaluating applicants?
I’m open to any honest feedback, even if the answer is that this path might not be realistic, I’d rather hear it straight.
Thanks in advance.