Also called: Community Supervision Officer, Adult Probation Officer
Supervises people sentenced to probation instead of jail, helping them stay out of trouble.
Probation officers meet with clients, visit homes and job sites, run drug tests, and connect people to treatment and jobs. They write reports for judges and testify when someone breaks the rules. Caseloads can be 50-100 people.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in criminal justice, social work, or psychology; state training.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Social Work, Psychology, Sociology.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). BLS probation officers and correctional treatment specialists 2024-34.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Risk scores and check-in kiosks handle low-risk clients; home visits and coaching people stay human.
Classes: Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, English composition.
Official data: O*NET occupation 21-1092.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.