PART A: Perception & image of the academic field of Criminology/Criminal Justice Letter 1: Who is the real criminologist? Letter 2: What are the positive and negative aspects of being an academic criminologist? Letter 3: I have a criminal record and/or was formerly incarcerated. Is being an academic criminologist a viable career option for me? Letter 4: Are the majority of criminologists former criminals or Criminal Justice practitioners? Letter 5: Are most academic departments, schools, and colleges of Criminology or Criminal Justice so-called âcop shopsâ? Letter 6: Do other social science disciplines look down on Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 7: What is the difference between criminologists who work for community colleges and those who work for universities? Letter 8: Does the academic field of Criminology/Criminal Justice promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring, promotion, research, and teaching practices? Letter 9: What do criminologists wear? Letter 10: How should criminologists decorate their offices? PART B: Educational & Training Path/s Letter 11: What classes should high school students who want to become criminology/criminal justice professors take? Letter 12: Is earning a degree in criminology/criminal justice a good step if I want to be a criminal profiler? Letter 13: Does earning a Ph.D. in criminology/criminal justice enable somebody to commit the perfect murder? Letter 14: What level of education is required to be an academic criminologist? Does a person need to earn a doctorate to become a criminologist? Letter 15: I have a law degree. What are my chances of being hired as a criminologist for a department, school, or college of Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 16: Should I earn a Ph.D. in criminology/criminal justice or an allied field? Letter 17: What is the best Ph.D. program for earning a graduate degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice? Letter 18: Where should graduate students in the field of criminology/criminal justice look for funding for their education? Letter 19: Are some publication outlets more friendly for graduate students in Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 20: Should criminologists be skeptical of people (e.g., politicians, community leaders, activists, etc.) who seem to have all the answers to crime, crime control, and Criminal Justice reform? Letter 21: What are my favorite books in criminology/criminal justice? Letter 22: How can I deepen my knowledge of criminology/criminal justice? PART C: Job Prospects & Career Trajectories in the Academy & beyond Letter 23: Will earning a Ph.D. in criminology assist me in becoming a crime fiction writer? Letter 24: Will earning a Ph.D. in Criminology/Criminal Justice help me get hired as a criminologist for a criminal justice agency or a research consulting organization? Letter 25: Is being a criminologist a good way to positively impact criminal justice policy and practice? Letter 26: Iâm thinking about working abroad as a criminologist. Is that a good idea? Letter 27: Should aspiring criminologists gain practical experience before, during, or after earning a doctorate in Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 28: Should criminologists be generalists or specialists? Letter 29: What are the âhotâ research topics and questions in Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 30: Is it difficult for someone who has earned a doctorate in criminology or criminal justice to leave academia, work for a criminal justice agency, and then return to academia? Letter 31: What are the job/career prospects for individuals with doctorates in Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 32: Is it easier to be hired as a professor of Criminology/Criminal Justice than in other allied fields? Letter 33: How much money could I expect to make if I become a criminologist? Letter 34: Is earning a bachelorâs, masterâs, or doctorate in Criminology/Criminal Justice a good stepping stone to becoming a criminal lawyer? PART D: In the trenches: Teaching, Research & Service Letter 35: How would you describe the typical criminology/criminal justice student? Letter 36: What is the best type of instruction in the field of criminology/criminal justice? Letter 37: My students and I feel uneasy discussing controversial, ideological, and political topics in class. What should I do? Letter 38: Can a person be a criminologist who works for a university without conducting or publishing scholarly research? Letter 39: Is one type of research method better than another for doing Criminology/Criminal Justice research? Letter 40: Do criminologists need to publish in Criminology or Criminal Justice journals, or is it okay to publish articles in cognate fields? Letter 41: Must criminologists write books, or is writing peer-reviewed articles better? Letter 42: Should criminologists partner with local Criminal Justice agencies to conduct research? Letter 43: Do criminologists need to secure funding, usually referred to as grants or contracts? Letter 44: Is securing research funding in Criminology/Criminal Justice easier than in other fields? Letter 45: Should criminologists distrust official data on crime, criminals, or Criminal Justice agencies? Letter 46: Should criminologists give preference to data that is collected via lived experience? Letter 47: Should aspiring criminologists join the prominent learned societies in their field? Letter 48: Should criminologists attend academic conferences in the field of Criminology/Criminal Justice? Letter 49: Should prospective criminologists become active and take on leadership roles in Criminology/Criminal Justice learned societies? Letter 50: Should criminologists speak to the news media? PART E: Parting words of wisdom or criminologist for a career Letter 51: Conclusion: Reflections on Career fulfillment as a criminologist
