MISSION: POSSIBLE!

have no fear, hope is here!

This blog is dedicated to those of you are sick of hearing "so, where are you going to college... what are you majoring in...???" while feeling terrible about not having an answer.

Gather 'round for a true little Simpson story about one of the several "undecideds"-turn success. Believe it or not, you're not alone! Do keep in mind this case is the extreme, if this student can get through the unknown, you will to...

We'll call him Joe Dontknow. Joe was a typical 18 year old from a small high school in Minnesota. He was good with art, always had a fascination with airplanes & flying, was an Eagle Scout and an average student academically. His guidance counselor underrated his abilities & lacked encouragement, telling Joe "college isn't for everyone, maybe you should consider technical school."

Plan A: Joe decided to join the U.S. Air National Guard & upon high school graduation, he entered & graduated from Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, TX.

Plan B: Joe Dontknow wanted to pursue his passion for flying, so the next academic year, he enrolled in a large state university for the Commercial Aviation program. After 1 year, he was thrilled to have successfully received his private pilot's license, but was very h e s i t a n t about going into commercial flying. If he were to fly for a large airline or company every single day as a career, he feared he would lose his passion & interest in it for fun.

Plan C: His girlfriend at the time was studying at a college in a different state, so Joe decided to move to the same city & enroll in a medium-sized university nearby. This time he thought he'd try his hand at engineering since that's what his high school best friend was studying. Yeah, just because they both liked dirtbiking didn't quite mean they were both gonna like engineering....Well, Joe was only there for 1 semester...he had no interest in classes, no motivation & participated in a few too many "social gatherings." He lost focus & did not do well; to be specific, he had a .7 GPA. Yikes!

Plan D: Joe Dontknow moved back home, this time his parents had moved to the Chicago area. He decided to take some time off & work until he had more of an idea of what direction to head. During the next year, he also spent several months traveling overseas with the Air National Guard.

Plan E: (think we'll make it through the alphabet?) :) j/k. When he returned from overseas, his parents then moved to Des Moines, IA due to his dad's job transfer. Joe continued to work throughout the next year & then finally decided to head back to school after being unsatisfied with the jobs he was having to work without at college degree. This time he tried a small private college in Des Moines with interest in graphic design since he was good at art & this was the up 'n coming career field in art. During the first week of his first class, a summer Intro to Literature course, Joe met a girl & they began dating. She was actually a full-time student at Simpson (we'll call her Simpson Susie), but was taking this cornerstone class that summer at this college. She was entering her senior year at Simpson & thought it would be a good idea to introduce Joe Dontknow to Simpson, who had treated her to the best 3 years of her life thus far with wonderful support from faculty & staff...

Plan F: Joe passed Intro to Lit, but was still struggling with what he truly wanted to major in...he continued working various jobs & dating Simpson Susie until she graduated. Joe planned to start at Simpson after Susie finished & began teaching. In January of 2003, Joe Dontknow did know he found the right college...finally. He entered Simpson as an undecided major, hoping classes & professors would help guide him down the right career path. All he wanted, was to get his Bachelor's degree so he could become an officer in the Air National Guard and enter training to become a C-130 or fighter pilot. That's it!...an epiphany...at age 25.


Are you feeling relieved for Joe? Well, don't say "hot diggity dog" just yet...

Plan G a.k.a. "GOT IT!": Joe Dontknow & Simpson Susie got married. I will now change their name to Joe & Susie Doknow. They started brainstorming subjects/careers they thought Joe would be really good at, because like commericial aviation, he decided to keep flying as a hobby. Also, his thoughts regarding military and the imposing war were cHaNginG...Joe, for the first time in his life, was introduced to some intense critical thinking and evaluation of the world, life, and his beliefs through the classes he took at Simpson & the conversations he had with his professors. Joe & Susie did know that he had a very outgoing & eNtHuSiAsTiC personality, was aggressive, enjoyed action & being the middle of attention, had good common sense, loved being challenged & taking risks, and was pretty much fearless. What about law enforcement?! Simpson's criminal justice program has such an outstanding reputation, why not check it out? TA DA...it was absolutely perfect, he clicked with the professors & really enjoyed the classes. He declared a criminal justice major with a justice concentration & could complete his degree in 2 1/2 years with transfer credits. His junior year, he completed an internship with a Criminal Intelligence Analyst at the Iowa Department of Public Safety in Des Moines. He learned a lot & made some great connections. The incredible support & advice Joe received from his professors was so surprising to him, since he didn't get that at the larger colleges he previously attended. He also loved having small classes & being involved in class discussions, unlike nearly falling asleep in a huge lecture hall with all information just being thrown at him. Life was good. The future looked bright.


With the help of professor recommendations, Joe's internship, his real-world experience, the qualities he gained & impoved from Simpson's education & his enthusiasm, he decided to attempt the long, intense 9-month long application process for the Iowa Department of Public Safety's next State Police Law Enforcement Academy.

Over 500 people applied for only 50 open positions as state troopers, Division of Criminal Investigation gaming agents & Division of Narcotics Enforcement agents. Joe surprised even himself after all he had been through & was hired as one of the few cadets of Iowa's 31st DPS Academy! This meant so much to him & was exactly what he wanted. His perseverence paid off!

Throughout the 5 months of Academy, Joe Doknow endured the most physically & mentally challenging experience ever.

Nine years after his guidance counselor gave him no hope & after nine years of questioning...

In April of 2006, Joe Doknow graduated from Academy as a certified State Police Officer and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent. 3 weeks later, he graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Simpson College.

Joe Doknow with other Special Agents at Academy Graduation

The new State Troopers & Agents being sworn in.

Joe & Iowa Department of Public Safety's 31st Academy Graduation March

His badge.

Did You Know?

Other Simpson criminal justice majors have interned or are currently working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Correctional Institute for Men, Border Patrol, Secret Service & U.S. Probation and Parole Service.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

- Les Brown