Officials representing an array of criminal justice agencies gathered last Friday and gave students at Florida State University’s College of Criminology & Criminal Justice (CCCJ) perspective on their careers and the employment landscape awaiting graduates.
The panelists included representatives from three federal agencies, the FSU Victim Advocate program, and a private sector investigation firm. Five of the panelists were FSU graduates, three from CCCJ. While each brought the perspective of their unique backgrounds, they shared a common message: opportunity beckons.
Fred Fernandes, a postal inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, graduated from FSU with his criminology degree in 1999 and said his agency is poised to offer opportunity.
“We are set to lose about a third of our workforce by 2026,” he said, before reminding students of the tight competition for these jobs. “You get your college degree but you will also need to find a way to stand out from other applicants.”
Held at the Broad Auditorium on the FSU campus, the gathering was part of the College’s annual Career Panel, which gives students the opportunity to listen and pose questions to seasoned professionals.
Seth Reister, resident agent in charge with the U.S. Secret Service’s Tallahassee Office echoed Fernandes’ call and said his agency is set to lose 30 percent of its workforce to retirement in the next two years.
“So, those openings will be there,” he said to the students. “The question is, what do you offer?”
Fluency in a second language, expertise in a particular area of technology and unique knowledge sets are invaluable differentiators panelists identified. Fernandes, who achieved acclaim in his successful investigation of the Tallahassee con man known in the media as “Florida Tinder Swindler,” pointed to his early experience learning about crypto currency as another example.
Fernandes and Reister were joined on the panel by FSU graduates: Christina Ash, (Criminology ’04), of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Beth Holz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Tatiana Loayza of FSU’s Department of Student Support and Transitions Victim Advocate Program and Chris Roache, (Criminology ’18), CEO and president of Ace Private Intelligence and Investigations.
Roache noted that much of the workforce in his field is comprised of those who have retired from careers with law enforcement agencies and the military. There are openings for the fresh perspective and approaches that recent college graduates can offer.
“We are expecting a lot of turnover in the near future so there are openings and will continue to be openings for youth, flexibility and creativity,” he said.
Tess Mattison, a senior academic program specialist at the College, said the panel provides students an expanded view of potential post-college career paths.
“They can pursue a career in federal law enforcement, victim advocacy/case-management, Juvenile Justice programs, PI work, and more that students may initially not think relate to the Criminology major,” she said.
Pictured above, from left: Fred Fernandes, postal inspector with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Seth Reister, resident agent in charge with the U.S. Secret Service’s Tallahassee Office, Beth Holz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Tess Mattison, senior academic program specialist at the College of Criminology & Criminal Justice.