A632.9.3.RB_StevensEric

The first decision in which I felt very confident on the outcome is when I was instructing a criminal justice program and the students asked me what the benefits that I have seen being a law enforcement officer. The question posed to me was will I enjoy my career as a law enforcement officer? The fact remains that I have been a law enforcement officer for about 13 years and I can say that I still have the same passion for the profession that I had since day one. I explained to the prospective candidates that the professional does have its ups and downs based upon the type of call that you handle but the reward satisfaction and the type of work you do is indescribable in satisfaction level. The fact that when you go to work and you help someone who truly is in need of help is rewarding. The end result of this conversation is that several of the student s is now law enforcement officers and they have remained in contact and they thank me for the guidance that I have shown and they feel that they have made the correct decision with the profession.

The second decision or guidance that I have experienced involves the military and my own children. I was in the US Army for nine years and while the cause is very respectable my time in the military particularly toward the end I found the job satisfaction was less then desirable. My oldest son asked many questions about the military and I explained my reservations on the deployments and the time spent away from family. My emotions in this process I would say were personal and that I was afraid of what my son would be experiencing. I have felt the fear at times while in the Army especially in combat zones. I still remember the feeling and I did not wish that same feeling on my own child. He was 17 at the time and needed my permission at the time to join which I agreed to.

My emotional feelings were confidence, fear, and proud. I displayed all three of these feelings during each of these decisions making  and I can clearly understand that the emotional aspects did influence my decision making.