Andy Ryan is now a probation officer with the Probation Service in Waterford
Andy Ryan, a former student of the BA (Hons) in Criminal Justice Studies at SETU, said it was through the course that he realised he'd like to pursue a career as a probation officer.
Returning to education
"I wanted to return to education and hopefully do something with my education. I would be lying if I said I had any plan beyond that when I started the course. When it came to choosing this course my criteria was simple really, I wanted a course that I would find interesting and one which I would enjoy. This is how I landed on Criminal Justice Studies at SETU," Andy said.
"I started the BA (Hons) in Criminal Justice Studies in 2014. Prior to that I had been working with a bookmakers for six years. As the course progressed and we studied the module on probation, I began to take a keen interest in that subject and for the first time thought this is an area I could see myself working in. I made a decision that I wanted to become a probation officer. In order to do so, I needed to become a social worker first, so I undertook a number of postgraduate courses when I finished my undergraduate studies. I completed a Masters in Social Work in UCC and worked as social worker with Tusla in South Tipperary for five years. During the last year of my time with Tusla I was the social work team leader. I am now a probation officer with the Probation Service based in Waterford," Andy outlined.
Andy Ryan, probation officer, Waterford
In my current role as a Probation Officer, the knowledge I have gained from modules such as Criminology, Victimology and Criminal Law has been hugely beneficial and has really helped me get up to speed in the role very quickly. I found that the BA (Hons) in Criminal Justice Studies was a great foundation to firstly progress further in education and then beyond into the professional domain
Working in probation
Andy outlines that he applied a lot of the learnings from the course at SETU to his the roles he'd had since.
"I found the things I learned in my time on the Criminal Justice Studies course very advantageous to my practice. Coming from a criminal justice background, I found I have a great understanding of the court system and legislation, which makes the work easier to perform. This understanding is crucial when working with statutory agencies and working in a court setting. Tusla and the Probation Service collaborate closely with An Garda Siochana, and Criminal Justice Studies at SETU provides a great understanding in relation to how the Gardai operate as an organisation," Andy explained.
He cited the Probation module in third year as one of the highlights of the course, among others.
"In my current role as a Probation Officer, the knowledge I have gained from modules such as Criminology, Victimology and Criminal Law has been hugely beneficial and has really helped me get up to speed in the role very quickly. I found that the BA (Hons) in Criminal Justice Studies was a great foundation to firstly progress further in education and then beyond into the professional domain," he said.
