I have almost 27 years between full and part time, and I'm now in a post retirement program where you continue to earn your pay and work normally, but the retirement system invests your money that you would otherwise receive from them. You can stay up to 8 years in the program, and receive your interest if you stay at least 5 years. I plan on working full time until I'm 60-65.
I'm in a weird place regarding leaving the PD and LE. My body hurts enough that I'm ready to go, and we've had enough problems both internally and externally at the PD over the past few years that I'm ready for something else. While I enjoy the job itself, the stress level is great enough it's causing more problems than the $$ is probably worth. I wouldn't leave disgruntled, but I don't necessarily want to stay long term either.
Problem is, I don't have a degree that many of the prospective jobs/careers I've seen require...I have the skills and experience, but not the piece of paper. The current home life prevents me from spending the time needed to complete my degree. I've researched resources like Cop To Corporate but I haven't taken the steps of using a vocational counselor or similar.
So my questions are for those that have already successfully navigated the post LE corporate or other business world transition. Hopefully we can also help others that are in the same position I am.
If you didn't have a degree when your retired, how hard was it to find a long term employer or similar where you feel satisfied and the pay was comparable to the PD's?
How long did the job search take and were your LE skills recognized in the corporate civilian world?
Did you use a vocational counselor or similar to help guide you to a new career?
How long did it take you to transition from being a cop and truly be able to move on?
I appreciate it!