Autobiographical narrative
What Built Me
Lindsay California,peers, and family. That’s what it took to shape the person I am today. From a well-rounded family, to a supportive community, their impact was drastic, and I couldn't thank them enough. This is where I was raised, and this is what I'll be leaving behind when I set off onto a journey that will test my capabilities.
Growing up was sort of a struggle, I was only five years old when my parents decided it was best to go their separate ways. Since then, I always received multiples of everything, I felt like I was living two individual lives. At first it wasn't hard to accustom to, due to my father’s absence every so often. However, I would not have wanted it any other way. I have come to see the light of things in difficult situations. In a way it shaped me to see the world a different way, not everything is meant to be.
I am the middle child out of seven. I will be the first to attend a four year college. Not only am I accomplishing this for myself, but to make my family proud. Knowing that I did what they expected and hopefully more. I want to be the one to set an example for my siblings, demonstrate that there’s more than the orange trees you wake up to every morning.
My community is in the Central Valley, a lot of agriculture, that is why we strive to make our parents that have been field workers, proud. This city has helped me broaden my eyes on what more there is out there than just the farming life. I say this because of the experiences I've had while working. I realize I don't want this in my future, I dream of bigger, brighter things. If it weren’t for this community, my eyes may not be headed the same direction.
Lindsay High School was a dramatic impact as well. There were great peers, teachers, and counselors. I had the opportunity to enroll in rigorous classes, and that's what I did. Although I stumbled on a few, it still was a learning experience. From struggling in my AP classes and just trying to overcome procrastination. Year by year I seen myself improve and was acquiring these skills I didn’t have before. I feel like sometimes I was over my head and bit more than I can chew on. However, Lindsay High School helped me build my own character. I realized not everything is suppose to just click, we all have different mindsets, abilities,and our differences that set us apart from one another. Furthermore, I was involved, and participated in plenty of clubs. I too was able to be recognized for my fluency in Spanish, in my Spanish Honors Club. I also took part in an empower team, an involved group of students that weren’t afraid to demonstrate others on our school system.
I am Hispanic, I grew up with Spanish language all around me. My Spanish then expanded fluently. I have received opportunities by speaking Spanish, from speaking to family members, strangers, advance placement courses, and hopefully receiving scholarships.
There is no perfect background story. If it weren’t for the struggles I encountered then I'd still be struggling. I have learned not everything is going to workout, there's going to be certain obstacles you’re faced with but if you overcome it or not is the key factor.
The on-going past challenge that I've learned to slowly disregard, is procrastination. I tend to feel like there’s plenty of time when there’s very little left. I now am more aware, and prepared for college. My goal is to exceed and major in Criminal Justice. From there, go to an academy, and slowly reach my destination in becoming a police detective.
Lindsay California,peers, and family. That’s what it took to shape the person I am today. From a well-rounded family, to a supportive community, their impact was drastic, and I couldn't thank them enough. This is where I was raised, and this is what I'll be leaving behind when I set off onto a journey that will test my capabilities.
Growing up was sort of a struggle, I was only five years old when my parents decided it was best to go their separate ways. Since then, I always received multiples of everything, I felt like I was living two individual lives. At first it wasn't hard to accustom to, due to my father’s absence every so often. However, I would not have wanted it any other way. I have come to see the light of things in difficult situations. In a way it shaped me to see the world a different way, not everything is meant to be.
I am the middle child out of seven. I will be the first to attend a four year college. Not only am I accomplishing this for myself, but to make my family proud. Knowing that I did what they expected and hopefully more. I want to be the one to set an example for my siblings, demonstrate that there’s more than the orange trees you wake up to every morning.
My community is in the Central Valley, a lot of agriculture, that is why we strive to make our parents that have been field workers, proud. This city has helped me broaden my eyes on what more there is out there than just the farming life. I say this because of the experiences I've had while working. I realize I don't want this in my future, I dream of bigger, brighter things. If it weren’t for this community, my eyes may not be headed the same direction.
Lindsay High School was a dramatic impact as well. There were great peers, teachers, and counselors. I had the opportunity to enroll in rigorous classes, and that's what I did. Although I stumbled on a few, it still was a learning experience. From struggling in my AP classes and just trying to overcome procrastination. Year by year I seen myself improve and was acquiring these skills I didn’t have before. I feel like sometimes I was over my head and bit more than I can chew on. However, Lindsay High School helped me build my own character. I realized not everything is suppose to just click, we all have different mindsets, abilities,and our differences that set us apart from one another. Furthermore, I was involved, and participated in plenty of clubs. I too was able to be recognized for my fluency in Spanish, in my Spanish Honors Club. I also took part in an empower team, an involved group of students that weren’t afraid to demonstrate others on our school system.
I am Hispanic, I grew up with Spanish language all around me. My Spanish then expanded fluently. I have received opportunities by speaking Spanish, from speaking to family members, strangers, advance placement courses, and hopefully receiving scholarships.
There is no perfect background story. If it weren’t for the struggles I encountered then I'd still be struggling. I have learned not everything is going to workout, there's going to be certain obstacles you’re faced with but if you overcome it or not is the key factor.
The on-going past challenge that I've learned to slowly disregard, is procrastination. I tend to feel like there’s plenty of time when there’s very little left. I now am more aware, and prepared for college. My goal is to exceed and major in Criminal Justice. From there, go to an academy, and slowly reach my destination in becoming a police detective.
Police Detective or fraud investigator?
Avid Career Description and Comparison between a Police Detective and a Fraud Investigator
Ramiro Soto
Lindsay High School
Abstract
Sometimes I will wander off in the daylight and think to myself… what would I want to make of my life in the future? That is the question most of us are scared and confused about, not knowing what will come next. As high school comes to an end, college is then right around the corner, that is where my focus should be, knowing what the future will hold for me. Not everybody has an answer, but for myself, I’d love to be a Police Detective or a Fraud Investigator. That is where I can see myself, dealing with crime, although they both are in the same field, they still have their distinct differences and similarities.
Becoming a Police Detective:
Education Requirements:
The major part in life that you need to overcome to get the dream job that you desire is your education. That is the start of your life, the eggs, the butter, the flour, and the right utensils to make your own beautiful cake. Specifically, in becoming a detective, the requirements vary very widely by each department. Many agencies only require a high school diploma; others insist an Associate’s degree. On the other hand, choosier agencies require a Bachelor’s Degree. To prepare yourself ahead of time before college, you can take steps in high school that will be beneficial and send you on your way. For example, joining sport teams or primarily focusing on developing the physical stamina, and learning a foreign language will be very helpful in becoming a police detective. After attending and finishing college, there is still even more steps added to your journey. Future detectives must attend police academy training, which can last for several months. Hands on work, instruction in federal and state laws, arrest procedures, and report writing, all for your physical test: strength, agility, and vision.
Skills and talents:
Now days, agencies are looking for individuals who are drawn to and exhibit characteristics in line with the service element of policing over the prospect of excitement and adventure. The abilities that a human is capable of, and comes naturally will take a huge role in becoming a detective. For instance the ability to use good judgment and to problem solve, capacity for empathy and compassion, multi-tasking, and the capability to demonstrate courage and take responsibility. By being able to input all of these abilities in becoming a detective, the effect will make this job and life less difficult. This also doesn’t mean you should know this right from the start, there are steps you can take in being able to achieve these skills. Such as, volunteering, being social, learning how to formally talk to families, people, persuading, public practice, presentation experiences, luring skills, practice being calm under pressure, and active listening.
Employment:
The U.S Bureau of Labor statistics predicts employment of detectives and criminal investigators will grow steadily in coming years, specifically by 2020. Moreover, job growth will occur as the population expands and the demand for trained law enforcement specialists increases. High government debt and tight budgets tend to cause governments to cut costs and limit spending which suppresses job growth. The bureau expects 3,500 jobs for detectives and criminal investigators to be added between 2010 and 2020, and will then result in 3 percent job growth over this period. There will then be many openings for this position, bilingual candidates with a college degree and other experiences should enjoy the best prospects.
Compensations:
The salary of a job is just what you get out of doing what you love, it’s like the cherry on top. It’s like rather picking a job that you hate doing and getting paid a substantial amount of money, or finding a job you love waking up to every morning, it’s suitable, and you still manage to purchase what you like and need. The average annual income of police detectives in the U.S is $75, 720 or $36.41 an hour. Police detectives work at all levels of the government, the employers by local governments earned $62,900 a year on average and those working for state governments averaged $59,390. Detectives employed by the federal government make $96,680 on average, and those working for the U.S postal service averaged $89,860. The highest paid detectives in the nation are from The District of Columbia, and then followed by Alaska, New Jersey, California, and finally Texas.
Rewards of this job:
There are plenty of satisfying benefits you can get from this job. For instance, the intrinsic motivation you achieve by helping the community, in some cases even saving life’s, solving murders, and getting that appreciation back from the families knowing that you did everything you could to solve the mystery. The effect you can get from this and inputting in everyday life, is being more aware, prepared for what comes at you, making the world a safer place, and knowing that the evidence you uncovered helped put a serial killer behind bars is the most rewarding result. You can now go to bed every night acknowledging the fact that you made a difference.
A day in the life of a Detective:
The main struggle of being a Police Detective is not knowing basically when they will call you in; it can be at any time, at any place. There isn’t ever going to be just an everyday or timed schedule, you can be called at different times. However, if you do not get called overnight then you will then be able to go over what you need for the rest of the day. You arrive at 10 a.m., go through reports to make sure nothing suspicious was over-looked; there are about a dozen reports a day. Leading to the afternoon, you then go to any crime scenes to investigate; about 1 o’clock is your lunch. Furthermore, around 2 you go to the court house to be a witness and testify against a suspect. Overall Detectives work 10 hours a day, 4 days a week, regardless of day or time, detective can be called to a scene if needed.
You’re Demands/Stress:
The demands that are required for this job may build stress, wore you out, and even put you at risk of your own life. By going into this job you need to have the mentality that anything is possible to occur and it very well may. Detectives usually work irregular hours including nights and weekends, there is absolutely NO every day schedule. By dealing with certain cases it can take an emotional toll, interacting with victims who will do anything to evade arrest. Criminal justice workers have some of the most dangerous jobs in the world, crime happens 24 hours a day and you need to be prepared for that.
Becoming a Fraud Investigator:
Education Requirements:
Becoming a Fraud Investigator doesn’t have a whole lot of education requirements, but by acquiring a degree you then haves more opportunities. Some employers even hire individuals just with a high school diploma. However, you can have more chances by some employers preferring to hire college graduates with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, political science, accounting or business. Professional licensure and continuing education requirements differ by the state. To be prepared ahead of time, in high school you can play sports, get fit, and take as much of computer classes, such as accounting.
Job Skills:
When becoming a Fraud Investigator it would be even more helpful and faster if you had some natural skills before going into this field. For example: having integrity, paying attention to every detail, self-control, cooperation, adaptability, and active learning. Now don’t get me wrong, they aren’t necessary before hand, it’ll just be even twice as beneficial, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn these talents along the way. There are also other abilities you should learn: time management, persuasion, social perceptiveness, and coordination.
Employment:
In the Fraud Investigators and Examiners category, workers should see an incline of growth over few years. They will be in high demand because of an increase in employee and management fraud, theft, embezzlement and other financial crimes. In this field, they should see a 4 percent growth in employment opportunities from 2012-2022. The mean annual wage for this group was $62,340 in May 2013.
Salary:
Fraud Investigators usually earn an average salary of $59,430 with the top 10 percent earning more than $102,380. In the United States these investigators have earned $32,332-$81,701 after the bonus and profit sharing. I wish to stay in California and if so, I would earn a starting salary of $54,000 and rising up from then on.
Rewards:
The benefits you can get from this job are indeed, rewarding. By solving any type of fraud cases you then are relieved that you accomplished something. Putting those guilty people behind bars is refreshing, knowing they’re paying for their troubles and it is really going to teach them a lesson of the laws they need to follow around here. Being able to locate that evidence, getting closer to your suspect, and doing interviews on how those people feel now. Acquiring a warrant may be the key to end a problem, things lead up and when you get to the end you feel like you achieved your goal and can now leave with a bright smile.
Typical Day:
A typical day of a Fraud Investigator would consist of working on audits that are planned in the annual internal audit plan and dealing with internal auditees as well as vendors. You then talk to the people within the company from the junior to the upper management level to acquire any information on risks, anomalies and concerns. If anything keeps management awake at night, or a worry you then need to address that and focus your attention on the problem. Once the problem is evaluated, you then create an action plan on how to move forward, whether it is an investigation or a minor follow-up item.
Cons of this job:
There can be a lot of stressful times when being a Fraud Investigator. For instance, you are not always going to know what the case is, and when cases pile up it then gets out of hand. Also, sometimes you cannot find the cause or solution to the problem, the evidence is simply not there, and when this happens you then don’t know what to do next and have the guilt of never ending that one case. There can too, be people who aren’t telling the truth, don’t want to speak, are not complying, therefore this job can at times take a negative toll on you.
References
Summary. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm
How to Become a Police Detective. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.degreetree.com/resources/how-to-become-a-police-detective
(n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/articles/Police_Investigator_Training_Requirements_and_Career_Information.html
Fraud. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.pinow.com/investigations/fraud-investigations
(n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/articles/Job_Description_of_a_Fraud_Investigator.html
Job Description and Salary Expectations for Corporate Financial Investigators. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://privateinvestigatoredu.org/corporate-fraud-investigator/
Fraud Investigation Officer Salary | Salary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www1.salary.com/Fraud-Investigation-Officer-salary.html
Ramiro Soto
Lindsay High School
Abstract
Sometimes I will wander off in the daylight and think to myself… what would I want to make of my life in the future? That is the question most of us are scared and confused about, not knowing what will come next. As high school comes to an end, college is then right around the corner, that is where my focus should be, knowing what the future will hold for me. Not everybody has an answer, but for myself, I’d love to be a Police Detective or a Fraud Investigator. That is where I can see myself, dealing with crime, although they both are in the same field, they still have their distinct differences and similarities.
Becoming a Police Detective:
Education Requirements:
The major part in life that you need to overcome to get the dream job that you desire is your education. That is the start of your life, the eggs, the butter, the flour, and the right utensils to make your own beautiful cake. Specifically, in becoming a detective, the requirements vary very widely by each department. Many agencies only require a high school diploma; others insist an Associate’s degree. On the other hand, choosier agencies require a Bachelor’s Degree. To prepare yourself ahead of time before college, you can take steps in high school that will be beneficial and send you on your way. For example, joining sport teams or primarily focusing on developing the physical stamina, and learning a foreign language will be very helpful in becoming a police detective. After attending and finishing college, there is still even more steps added to your journey. Future detectives must attend police academy training, which can last for several months. Hands on work, instruction in federal and state laws, arrest procedures, and report writing, all for your physical test: strength, agility, and vision.
Skills and talents:
Now days, agencies are looking for individuals who are drawn to and exhibit characteristics in line with the service element of policing over the prospect of excitement and adventure. The abilities that a human is capable of, and comes naturally will take a huge role in becoming a detective. For instance the ability to use good judgment and to problem solve, capacity for empathy and compassion, multi-tasking, and the capability to demonstrate courage and take responsibility. By being able to input all of these abilities in becoming a detective, the effect will make this job and life less difficult. This also doesn’t mean you should know this right from the start, there are steps you can take in being able to achieve these skills. Such as, volunteering, being social, learning how to formally talk to families, people, persuading, public practice, presentation experiences, luring skills, practice being calm under pressure, and active listening.
Employment:
The U.S Bureau of Labor statistics predicts employment of detectives and criminal investigators will grow steadily in coming years, specifically by 2020. Moreover, job growth will occur as the population expands and the demand for trained law enforcement specialists increases. High government debt and tight budgets tend to cause governments to cut costs and limit spending which suppresses job growth. The bureau expects 3,500 jobs for detectives and criminal investigators to be added between 2010 and 2020, and will then result in 3 percent job growth over this period. There will then be many openings for this position, bilingual candidates with a college degree and other experiences should enjoy the best prospects.
Compensations:
The salary of a job is just what you get out of doing what you love, it’s like the cherry on top. It’s like rather picking a job that you hate doing and getting paid a substantial amount of money, or finding a job you love waking up to every morning, it’s suitable, and you still manage to purchase what you like and need. The average annual income of police detectives in the U.S is $75, 720 or $36.41 an hour. Police detectives work at all levels of the government, the employers by local governments earned $62,900 a year on average and those working for state governments averaged $59,390. Detectives employed by the federal government make $96,680 on average, and those working for the U.S postal service averaged $89,860. The highest paid detectives in the nation are from The District of Columbia, and then followed by Alaska, New Jersey, California, and finally Texas.
Rewards of this job:
There are plenty of satisfying benefits you can get from this job. For instance, the intrinsic motivation you achieve by helping the community, in some cases even saving life’s, solving murders, and getting that appreciation back from the families knowing that you did everything you could to solve the mystery. The effect you can get from this and inputting in everyday life, is being more aware, prepared for what comes at you, making the world a safer place, and knowing that the evidence you uncovered helped put a serial killer behind bars is the most rewarding result. You can now go to bed every night acknowledging the fact that you made a difference.
A day in the life of a Detective:
The main struggle of being a Police Detective is not knowing basically when they will call you in; it can be at any time, at any place. There isn’t ever going to be just an everyday or timed schedule, you can be called at different times. However, if you do not get called overnight then you will then be able to go over what you need for the rest of the day. You arrive at 10 a.m., go through reports to make sure nothing suspicious was over-looked; there are about a dozen reports a day. Leading to the afternoon, you then go to any crime scenes to investigate; about 1 o’clock is your lunch. Furthermore, around 2 you go to the court house to be a witness and testify against a suspect. Overall Detectives work 10 hours a day, 4 days a week, regardless of day or time, detective can be called to a scene if needed.
You’re Demands/Stress:
The demands that are required for this job may build stress, wore you out, and even put you at risk of your own life. By going into this job you need to have the mentality that anything is possible to occur and it very well may. Detectives usually work irregular hours including nights and weekends, there is absolutely NO every day schedule. By dealing with certain cases it can take an emotional toll, interacting with victims who will do anything to evade arrest. Criminal justice workers have some of the most dangerous jobs in the world, crime happens 24 hours a day and you need to be prepared for that.
Becoming a Fraud Investigator:
Education Requirements:
Becoming a Fraud Investigator doesn’t have a whole lot of education requirements, but by acquiring a degree you then haves more opportunities. Some employers even hire individuals just with a high school diploma. However, you can have more chances by some employers preferring to hire college graduates with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, political science, accounting or business. Professional licensure and continuing education requirements differ by the state. To be prepared ahead of time, in high school you can play sports, get fit, and take as much of computer classes, such as accounting.
Job Skills:
When becoming a Fraud Investigator it would be even more helpful and faster if you had some natural skills before going into this field. For example: having integrity, paying attention to every detail, self-control, cooperation, adaptability, and active learning. Now don’t get me wrong, they aren’t necessary before hand, it’ll just be even twice as beneficial, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn these talents along the way. There are also other abilities you should learn: time management, persuasion, social perceptiveness, and coordination.
Employment:
In the Fraud Investigators and Examiners category, workers should see an incline of growth over few years. They will be in high demand because of an increase in employee and management fraud, theft, embezzlement and other financial crimes. In this field, they should see a 4 percent growth in employment opportunities from 2012-2022. The mean annual wage for this group was $62,340 in May 2013.
Salary:
Fraud Investigators usually earn an average salary of $59,430 with the top 10 percent earning more than $102,380. In the United States these investigators have earned $32,332-$81,701 after the bonus and profit sharing. I wish to stay in California and if so, I would earn a starting salary of $54,000 and rising up from then on.
Rewards:
The benefits you can get from this job are indeed, rewarding. By solving any type of fraud cases you then are relieved that you accomplished something. Putting those guilty people behind bars is refreshing, knowing they’re paying for their troubles and it is really going to teach them a lesson of the laws they need to follow around here. Being able to locate that evidence, getting closer to your suspect, and doing interviews on how those people feel now. Acquiring a warrant may be the key to end a problem, things lead up and when you get to the end you feel like you achieved your goal and can now leave with a bright smile.
Typical Day:
A typical day of a Fraud Investigator would consist of working on audits that are planned in the annual internal audit plan and dealing with internal auditees as well as vendors. You then talk to the people within the company from the junior to the upper management level to acquire any information on risks, anomalies and concerns. If anything keeps management awake at night, or a worry you then need to address that and focus your attention on the problem. Once the problem is evaluated, you then create an action plan on how to move forward, whether it is an investigation or a minor follow-up item.
Cons of this job:
There can be a lot of stressful times when being a Fraud Investigator. For instance, you are not always going to know what the case is, and when cases pile up it then gets out of hand. Also, sometimes you cannot find the cause or solution to the problem, the evidence is simply not there, and when this happens you then don’t know what to do next and have the guilt of never ending that one case. There can too, be people who aren’t telling the truth, don’t want to speak, are not complying, therefore this job can at times take a negative toll on you.
References
Summary. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm
How to Become a Police Detective. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.degreetree.com/resources/how-to-become-a-police-detective
(n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/articles/Police_Investigator_Training_Requirements_and_Career_Information.html
Fraud. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.pinow.com/investigations/fraud-investigations
(n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/articles/Job_Description_of_a_Fraud_Investigator.html
Job Description and Salary Expectations for Corporate Financial Investigators. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://privateinvestigatoredu.org/corporate-fraud-investigator/
Fraud Investigation Officer Salary | Salary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www1.salary.com/Fraud-Investigation-Officer-salary.html