Career Roadmap
Harland's work combines: Law, Government, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Texas Senior High School
Bachelor's Degree
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Stephen F Austin State University
Graduate Degree
Juris Doctor
William H. Bowen School of Law (Univ. of Ark. Little Rock)
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists:
Bachelor's Degree: Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Graduate Degree: Juris Doctor
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Graduating from college.
2.
Gaining employment as an adult probation officer.
3.
Marriage and children.
4.
Divorce and raising children.
5.
Retirement...and realizing six months later I was bored.
6.
Acceptance to law school.
7.
Cancer.
8.
Graduating from law school and passing the bar exam.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why would you want to be working with a bunch of criminals? You're a licensed attorney; why not practice law where you could make a lot of money?
How I responded:
I would be the first to say these jobs are not for everyone. People who stay in this business (and I have been in the business for almost 35 years) stay because they love the work. Every day is different and you have opportunities to protect your community and profoundly change the direction of an individual's life. While it can be a very sad view of life, it is also very rewarding...if you're strong enough to handle it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Law school is expensive. I spent 28 years as an adult probation officer before I was able to retire and pursue my goal of going to law school.
During the fall of my second year in law school I was diagnosed with cancer and spent a year going through treatment and surgery before I could return to school.
I questioned whether at age 52 I was smart enough to graduate from law school and pass the bar exam. I simply made up my mind that if I was not successful it would not be for lack of effort. I became determined to work harder than everyone else.