English is the most important course for someone interested in my job. There's a lot of paperwork involved in law enforcement. I write about 10 reports a day; these reports will be seen by people in our office, in the media, and in the courts. So, it's important that they are written well. Verbal communication is just as important in my job as written communication. One of my favorite courses at Tri-County Technical College was speech, where I learned a lot about the different roles that we're always playing in conversation. In my job, knowing how to talk to people can save lives. Deputies from the Sheriff's Office once talked to someone who was on drugs for four hours until his high wore off, and he then decided that jumping off of a water tower was a bad idea.

Foreign language courses are important for people considering a career in law enforcement because of the growing Hispanic population in our area. There's not an overwhelming need for translators yet, but there will be eventually. Anderson also has quite a few foreign companies where people are transferred to Anderson from Germany and France; so, knowledge of these languages can be useful also.

The typing skills and computer skills you get in courses like keyboarding and computer applications come in handy with writing reports. Math and science courses help too, whether you're writing a report or collecting evidence. Of course, the criminal law class I took at Tri-County Technical College helps me do my job because my instructor drilled us on unreasonable search and seizure. I've used everything I learned at Tri-County in my work at the Sheriff's Office.