How are you supposed to get work experience in the criminal justice industry?

I have been looking into getting a Criminal Justice degree. Just a couple of minutes ago, I was looking at a couple of different sites with job opportunities posted, but the problem is that a bachelors degree isn't going to provide me with 3 years work experience to make me eligible for even the lowest paying positions (police). How is one supposed to get the work experience needed for say an entry level detective job? I saw the FBI offers summer internships for full-time students, but that isn't 3 years and I'm not keen on the idea of doing that internship for 12 years while I take every course the school has to offer! Neither do I think that would sit well with the FBI. So, what are we supposed to do? I would like to know what I'd need to do now before I invest anything. Obviously, there is experience to be found somewhere. I live in Indy.How are you supposed to get work experience in the criminal justice industry?
Never take required years of experience at face value for any job. About six months now, I would expect to see job listings requiring ';two years experience with Vista operating system';!



Since every criminal justice job is civil service, entry level jobs do not require law-enforcement experience. And most certainly, an appointment to a police academy is based more on your academic record than anything else.



I suspect you were looking at *advanced* jobs, and not entry-level.How are you supposed to get work experience in the criminal justice industry?
If your not real young ,or you know some one,it will be hard.Experience is a must,to have doors opened for you.Try the co-op at the university ,it is a start.
If you're going for a job that needs 3 years experience than you're looking for the wrong thing. You want to look for entry level. Talk to your local jails, pre-release centers, police stations. Many of these places will have internship positions, or create one for you. That could give you a good year of experience. I interned at a pre-release center my last year of college. It paid horribly, but it was good experience. Now I'm a probation/parole officer.



I don't know where you're looking, but you should be able to become a police officer...I mean you don't have to have a degree for that. Its good to have a goal, but you may be setting the bar way too high.