Her Campus: What is your official job title and where do you work?
Alyssa Gombash: I am a detention officer at the Wood County Juvenile Detention Center.
HC: How did you learn about the job? What helped you stand out from the crowd?
AG: I got the job because my cousin’s boyfriend worked there and he told me to apply. I kind of had an in.
HC: What are your roles and responsibilities as a detention officer?
AG: I have many different roles and responsibilities. My main job is to keep the juveniles that we have in the facility safe. Every one of them must be checked on at least every 15 minutes. It’s hard to say exactly what it is that we officers do because every day is different and different situations come. As an officer I put in medical requests, make sure the juveniles eat safely, take them to do recreation, etc. We have an officer for each wing, which is separated by gender, and then there is one other officer in the booth who is constantly available to answer the phone and do other duties.
HC: What is your favorite part about being a detention officer?
AG: I haven’t been in the position long enough to really know for sure what my favorite part is. If I had to choose, my favorite part would be how much I learn on a daily basis. There are so many different experiences that detention officers face every day. I’m always learning something new. It could relate to the law, the court system or just how to interact with different attitudes.
HC: What is your least favorite part about being a detention officer?
AG: My least favorite part of the job is when juveniles come back to the detention center. Once a juvenile is released I cannot think of one detention officer that would want any of them to return because of a new charge or even a violation of a court order.
HC: Is this your dream job? If not, what is your dream job?
AG: Is this my dream job? No, but I will say that this is a stepping stone for me to get to my dream job, and the experiences that I am having with this job will help me grow and learn for the future. My dream job is actually to be a juvenile probation officer. I want to help kids who have been in bad and sticky situations come out of those situations and turn them into something positive. Will this work for every kid I deal with? No, but if I can help one child that will be satisfying enough for me.
HC: Do you have any crazy stories that you can tell?
AG: Every day is a crazy story. I never know what work will be like when I walk in each day. It can go from calm one minute to an upset juvenile acting out the next. It truly just depends on the day.
HC: What is it like being a female in a predominantly male field?
AG: In the facility that I work at it doesn’t matter that I am a female. The officers I work with all work together as a team so, whether male or female, people respect each other. I’m not sure all facilities are like this, but I will say I am very lucky to work with the people that I do!
HC: What advice do you have for college women looking for jobs?
AG: The advice I would give is to apply everywhere, even if a place just slightly interests you! You never know what it is that you will love doing until you do it! The worst that can happen is you don’t get a job, but there are other jobs out there. Don’t give up!