The title basically sets the question, but also - a little context about me and how I see the job of a police officer (not routinely, but overall with the mental challenges).
I am a young man from Estonia, considering a Police Academy as the main option at the moment. Before that I've been doing music production, unfortunately realizing it is financially unstable and risky. Because of that I started looking for other options and things that I'm interested in. Even though one of my main principles was to get a living from a craft that I'd choose, becoming an ultra expert - with police service I found a different angle to look at things. Different kind of motivation. It mostly comes from childhood and I do not think it is common for a police officer to join the force with the only reason that he "wants to help the community". Things are moving fast right now, since I am about to graduate from high school.
If I go deeper into the context of my desire for becoming a police officer - I think it mostly was formed by a lack of proper upbringing, and not feeling enough of my parents' presence or guidance, especially from my father. Moreover, I've run into many different unstable or aggressive people during my adolescence - e.g. 5 years of being part of a team where everyone was bullying each other and you could get a beating just because it seemed fun for some. This background certainly gave me as much damage as useful conclusions. Currently I am in my 4th year of therapy and doing pretty well.
Speaking of qualities that I have and need to develop - I don't have any trouble communicating with people and I am able to establish contact with someone; I need to work on and improve my stress tolerance, especially in high-pressure situations. When I was part of the team mentioned above, I think this resilience was more common for me back then than it is now. I've sort of lost the knack for it. Nevertheless, I see room for improvement in this area. Physical and mental endurance are both things I can work on, and they're goals I'm already striving toward. I work out often, including as part of my preparation for entrance exams, and I want to get stronger in every way.
With all that said, I'd love to get some advice or thoughts to keep in mind before making such a huge decision - especially from those who've been through a similar path or are serving now.
