Career outcomes
Overview
Careers
If you’re interested in the why and how of the human condition - and the shadows that lurk behind the individual and organisations - the specialised field of criminology can lead to interesting places.
Advisor and policy development
You could go on to become a legal advisor, where you’ll work to mediate disputes and make recommendations on important legal matters. You might even wish to take this to a government level and assist in policy development.
Defence
Alternatively, you could work for the police or defence forces to investigate criminal matters and support your team.
Thought leader
A major in criminology could also see you making waves in the area of sociology, where you’ll work to understand and solve current social issues.
Fessoom Dumbrell
Fessoom Dumbrell is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Criminology and Psychology.
I have seen firsthand and experienced what life can be like on the margins of society. I knew people from as early as my primary school days, who were incredibly brilliant, funny, and had the same desires as every other kid, fall through the cracks of the system because of where they were placed in the ranks of the social order. I came to realise from a very young age that society can be grossly unequal, and I grew quite frustrated with having this knowledge and not really having the tools to do something about it.
I knew that to change my life and quality of my children’s lives, I had to direct my frustration in a productive manner and use it to my advantage and hopefully for the advantage of others too. My Criminology major has given me a structured and holistic understanding of the way the criminal justice system operates, the way historical narratives can explain the practices of today, and how society conceptualises crime juxtaposed with our current ideas of safety and security.
I’m currently taking an Arts internship subject which requires 80-100 hours of field-related placement with Banksia Gardens Community Services. The organisation literally has its hand in everything, with a holistic support system and a very personalised approach to families and young people experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage.
Through my studies, I’ve had an amazing opportunity to put my acquired knowledge to use: volunteering alongside youth justice workers, solicitors, homework club coordinators and after school care programs. My experience at the University of Melbourne has given me a better understanding how these social and structural issues I have come to personally witness and experience are regulated and maintained, and how I can change society for the better from the ground up.