u/jtalonzo

I graduated this past May with a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance) and would like to build a career in local government, ideally in finance, budgeting, administration, or management.

Since January, I’ve interviewed with four different cities, mostly for finance and administrative internships, but haven’t landed anything yet. One internship had over 200 applicants on LinkedIn and only interviewed 12 candidates. I was fortunate to get an interview, but not the role. It seems extremely competitive right now.

Long term, I’d love to work my way into roles like Finance Director or city management. I’ve noticed many finance leaders and city managers have CPAs, which has me wondering whether pursuing a Master’s in Accounting and working toward a CPA next year would be a smart move. Given that I don’t have much experience yet, would that path make sense, or should I focus solely on getting my foot in the door first?

Recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance, and have been seriously considering law enforcement because I’ve never really seen myself working a traditional desk job. I find the work itself appealing, the variety, the public service aspect, and the fact that no two days are the same.

That said, the pat definitely gave me a different perspective on the applicant pool.

I really expected the process to be more competitive than what I saw. There were numerous applicants who couldn’t do a single push-up, and when it came time for the 1.5-mile run, there were plenty of people walking. It honestly wasn’t what I expected to see from people applying to become police officers.

I know agencies everywhere are struggling with recruiting, but if this is representative of the candidates LAPD is attracting compared to previous years, it definitely appears things may be trending in the wrong direction. It wasn’t a great look. And the fact that there’s no longer additional compensation for higher education definitely sucks.

Walking out of the PAT, I genuinely found myself wondering if I might be selling myself short. I still find the career appealing, but the experience was very different from what I expected.

Hey everyone,

I applied for the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant position on 7/22 and just received an invitation to complete the pre-recorded video interview.

For those who have gone through the process, what questions should I expect? How did the interview go for you, and do you have any tips or advice for preparing?

Best of luck to everyone currently going through the process as well!

Hey everyone,

I’m 22, recently graduated college in Southern California with a bachelor’s degree, and I’m starting the law enforcement hiring process.

I’m single, have no kids, and don’t mind long hours, overtime, weekends, or holidays. I’m mainly looking for a department where I can gain solid experience and build a career.

So far I’ve applied to LAPD, LASD, and Beverly Hills PD. Beverly Hills seems like a great agency with strong community support and excellent pay, but I’m curious if the city being relatively quiet ever makes the job less rewarding from an experience standpoint.

I’m also interested in Ontario PD when applications reopen and have been looking at Glendale PD.

Based on those departments, what would you recommend? Are there any other LA or Inland Empire agencies that you’d strongly suggest I look into?

Hey everyone,

I’m 22, recently graduated college in Southern California with a bachelor’s degree, and I’m starting the law enforcement hiring process.

I’m single, have no kids, and don’t mind long hours, overtime, weekends, or holidays. I’m mainly looking for a department where I can gain solid experience and build a career.

So far I’ve applied to LAPD, LASD, and Beverly Hills PD. Beverly Hills seems like a great agency with strong community support and excellent pay, but I’m curious if the city being relatively quiet ever makes the job less rewarding from an experience standpoint.

I’m also interested in Ontario PD when applications reopen and have been looking at Glendale PD.

Based on those departments, what would you recommend? Are there any other LA or Inland Empire agencies that you’d strongly suggest I look into?

Hey everyone,

I’m a 22-year-old recent college graduate in Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. I’m not interested in pursuing a corporate career or working in finance. I mainly completed the degree as a backup plan and to earn a bachelor’s degree.

I’ve always been more drawn to careers centered around a life of sacrifice and service, which is why I’ve been seriously considering both law enforcement and the military.

I’ve already started the hiring process with a few police departments in Southern California (a couple larger agencies and one smaller). At the same time, I’ve also considered commissioning as an officer in the Navy or Air Force since I already have a bachelor’s degree.

For those who have experience in either field, if you were in my position, would you go straight into law enforcement or commission into the military first? Why?

I just graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Business Finance, and I’m considering either nursing or law enforcement in Southern California. Both careers are paid very well here.

As for law enforcement, I’m considering either LAPD or Beverly Hills PD. Beverly Hills PD requires either four years of military experience or at least 36 college credits, which I already meet with my bachelor’s degree.

Beverly Hills PD near Los Angeles pays about $111,000 while attending the academy. After that, the annual base salary ranges from roughly $118,000 to $146,000, and with education and assignment bonuses, total compensation can reach around $191,000 before overtime. LAPD doesn’t have an education incentive and starting pay is around $86,000, which is much lower, but there are plenty of opportunities for specialized assignments given the size of the department.

As for nursing, the nursing route is where I’m a little undecided because I’m not sure I genuinely want to be a nurse. Part of the appeal is that nursing pays well in Southern California, offers a lot of stability, and provides tons of flexibility. There is also plenty of overtime available, I could relocate almost anywhere and find work, and specialties like the ER and ICU offer some of the fast-paced environment and adrenaline that attract me to law enforcement.

As for law enforcement, that’s where I’m also a little torn. Nursing probably looks better on paper to a lot of people, and nurses are generally viewed very positively by the public. Unfortunately, law enforcement can be a tougher profession in that regard. Even though police officers provide an important service and are needed by communities, there is often a lot of negative public perception surrounding the profession.

For those of you with experience, what would you recommend between the two paths and why? If you were in my position, which route would you choose? What are some things I should be considering that I may not be thinking about?

Hi everyone,

I’m a 22-year-old from Southern California and recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Finance).

My original career goal was to become a firefighter/paramedic, but due to some pre-existing back injuries and the physical demands of the job, I’ve started looking at other options. My backup plan was to work in finance, possibly pursue a master’s in accounting and a CPA, and work for a city or other public agency.

The problem is that I’ve realized I don’t really enjoy the idea of spending my career in an office working on spreadsheets. I’ve always preferred being active, on my feet, working with people, and having a job where every day is different.

Because of that, I’ve been seriously considering returning to school for nursing. Long term, I’d likely be interested in ICU and potentially CRNA.

For those in nursing, would you recommend this path in my situation? What are the biggest pros and cons of nursing that someone considering a career change should know?

Also, since I already have a bachelor’s degree, would you recommend an ADN, ABSN, or traditional BSN program? ABSN seems very expensive and intense, while ADN programs are extremely competitive where I live. Right now, I’m leaning toward taking prerequisites this fall and applying to BSN programs.

Do you think pursuing nursing at 22 is a reasonable move, or would you stick with finance?

Thanks in advance for any advice.