u/PuzzleheadedDig4056

I had to reschedule my appointment from August 10th to August 24th, and honestly, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what direction I really want to take.
The truth is, I don’t really want to do corrections for New York State. I would much rather work in law enforcement here in New Jersey—ideally Hudson County, or even Camden County, which is closer to home. The problem is that these agencies seem to take their time, and as a man who just welcomed his second child, I don’t have the luxury of waiting indefinitely. I need financial stability.
I’m currently working two jobs as a mental health worker at two different hospitals, but law enforcement is where my experience and my heart have always been. I was a New York State Trooper and was terminated during probation over administrative paperwork—not misconduct. Years later, in late 2024, Baltimore City Police Department hired me after looking into my NYS history. They actually told me they didn’t understand why NYS had let me go. I ultimately resigned from Baltimore because my wife was having a high-risk pregnancy, and being there wasn’t the right decision for my family at that time.
Since then, I’ve continued trying to find my way back into law enforcement. I applied to several agencies in Connecticut, scored well on written exams and oral boards, and continued pushing forward. One department I really wanted, Milford, ultimately declined to move forward with me because of my “background.”
And that’s where the frustration really starts to set in.
I’m almost 42. I’m in great shape. I have military experience, law enforcement experience, hospital experience, and a lot more life experience than I had when I first entered this profession. But sometimes it feels like the things that should make me a stronger candidate are being overshadowed by things that happened years ago.
I also feel like my options are becoming more limited because of age restrictions. Philadelphia PD has been giving me the runaround, and I’ve applied to agencies that don’t have an age limit because I know I still have something to offer. I know I can do this job. I just need somebody to give me the opportunity.
New York State Corrections would probably take me, but the possibility of being sent anywhere in the state makes it difficult. I have a wife, a newborn, and a family that needs me home. Taking a job that could place me hours away from my family may solve one problem while creating another.
And now the pressure is even more real.
My wife is currently the breadwinner. She has an incredible union job in the film and television industry, making around $200,000 a year, but she begins maternity leave on August 21st. We just had our son, and now I feel the responsibility of making sure I can carry my weight financially while she steps away from work to recover and be with our family.
My Army Reserve contract is also coming up in October. I had planned on reenlisting because of the bonus, but I was told that because I have one “U” for an absence, I have to wait 180 days before I’m eligible for the bonus. I can do a one-year extension, but there’s no bonus attached to it, and financially, that doesn’t really solve the problem either.
So here I am—trying to figure out what comes next.
I’m willing to work. I’m willing to sacrifice. At this point, I’ll take whatever job I need to take if it means creating financial stability for my family. But at the same time, I don’t want to completely abandon the career I’ve spent so much of my life building toward.
I guess this is really just me venting.
I’m trying to figure this thing called life out while still showing up for my wife, my children, my responsibilities, and everyone who depends on me. And somewhere along the way, I’ve gotten used to putting myself last.
Maybe that’s what a lot of men do.
We carry the weight, keep moving, figure it out as we go, and rarely stop to acknowledge how heavy it actually feels.
But lately, I’ve been asking myself when it becomes okay to show up for myself, too.
I don’t have all the answers right now. I just know I’m not giving up. I’m still here, still working, still applying, still training, still trying to find the door that’s actually meant to open for me.
I just hope it opens soon

I’m going through the process with Camden right now, but I feel like they sitting on their hands, I got terminated from New York State police 10 years ago for administrative paper work, no use of force, no misconduct, no criminal charges and then I resigned in December from the Baltimore police academy because
My wife had a high risk pregnancy and the Sgt that oversees the background is making it seem as if they have to Pull some strings, keep in mind I’ve never been arrested, no domestics, no dui and I’m in the army reserve as a correctional specialist , I think I would be a prime
Candidate since a lot
Of people don’t want this kind of job and I’m
Here just trying to take care of my family, I’m working at two hospitals as a mental health worker and it’s not paying the bills so i need something more at 41 years old

So I recently had a baby on July 19, 2026, and my wife was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia ,so her blood pressure is extremely high and it doesn’t help that she isn’t getting an adequate amount of sleep, so I’ve been helping out and I just didn’t feel comfortable leaving her to drive all the way to Cohoes for 7 AM medical/meet with an investigator, so I made the decision on Saturday and sent them an email to reschedule, how quickly do you think they’ll get back to me on a reschedule date?

I got terminated from the New York State Police during my probationary Period back in 2016, no misconduct or criminal issues, apparently I didn’t handle the administrative paperwork correctly. I spoke to a recruiter and he said that wouldn’t play a part in me getting hired with the New York State Department of corrections, I don’t know if he’s just saying that because he’s a recruiter or if it’s actually true given the certain circumstances that the department is going through the shortage, any thoughts? Since getting terminate, I joined the army as a 31E, which a correctional specialist , I’ve done 6 years, contract is up in October , never been arrested, no DUI, no domestic’s, no drug use