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Andrea Soto

Andrea Soto

Riverside County Sheriff Department

Career Roadmap

Andrea's work combines: Law, Education, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Police Officer

I have to enforce the law, serve the community, provide traffic enforcement, and respond to hazards and emergencies.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • GED

  • Certification

    Police Officer Certification

    Police Academy

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers:

Bachelor's Degree: Criminal Justice/Police Science

Certification: Police Officer Certification

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    Another triumph would be maintaining my job for a long time. Not only have I been working for the Riverside County Sheriff Department, but I've been working with a sense of pride in my career.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Society in general:

    People, such as family and friends told me that the job is too dangerous. Furthermore, I get a lot of disrespectful commentaries since I am a police officer and am surrounded by controversial issues and negative noise that is part of my job.

  • How I responded:

    Ignoring the backlash and focusing on serving the community are ways of facing and dealing with the discouragement. It's a police officer's responsibility to create a safe environment for citizens, therefore, that should be the main focus within the job. Nonetheless, there are a lot of bad things in the world, therefore, it's important to work on making it a better place rather than focusing on discouraging or false accusations, which can cause danger or a distraction.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • My parents got divorced at a young age so I lived with my single mother who didn't have a stable income. However, it gave me motivation and the courage to go to school because I wanted to make a better life for myself and my future family.