Armour College

[High_Order1]

In my never ending quest to find a security guard AS that can be picked up cheaply, I ran across this place:

http://armourcollege.org/programs/



Can't seem to find anything about them, and there are several things that concern me. Headed out to fight the heathens at the grocery store, will check back in later!

[jsd]

The school itself is non-accredited, so that's an automatic no go imo.

they claim their their training has programmatic accreditation, but i don't know anything about the security guard world so i have no idea if it's legit or even worthwhile.

[sanantone]

I know a lot about the security guard world, and security guard degrees aren't a thing. You get the training at a place that is authorized by your state. Security companies will hire anyone with a GED and no criminal record.

[DavidHume]

There is an industry certificate for hospital security guards. None of the security guards at the hospital I worked at had it when hired, but some got it to qualify as shift lead and make $2 more an hour. I am not certain,but I think the hospital paid or reimbursed for the certificate cost. Other regulated industries might offer similar certificates from professional organizations.

[High_Order1]

The school itself is non-accredited, so that's an automatic no go imo.

they claim their their training has programmatic accreditation, but i don't know anything about the security guard world so i have no idea if it's legit or even worthwhile.

Yeah, there's a lot of weasel wording, and googling them didn't really do anything for me, so I'll keep looking. Not interested in the UoP degree, and not sure what I'd have to do to get the Kaplan one; wish the BoG would offer something. There's a couple of guard organizations with some young people that would pay for a degree like that. (shrugs)

[sanantone]

There are security management degree programs, but not security guard degree programs. Security management programs are for those who want to work in management. G4S, one of the largest security companies in the world, has higher level security positions that either require military or law enforcement experience or an associates in criminal justice. Criminal justice degrees are still the most common in the security field.

Penn Foster, and possibly Ashworth, offer non-credit, certificate programs for security guards who want to gain more knowledge, but these have very little value on the job market.

I don't even see an AS on the page you linked to. Those are just continuing education courses. That place is more like a training provider than a college.

[High_Order1]

Here's one geared to the guard: https://www.fvtc.edu/program/public-safe...management

there are a few more. I haven't found one I like enough, yet.

I will say, I actually agree with your assessment of the... uh, school. They are trying to appear like a college, but seem to do nothing besides repackage ConEd / state license courses.

Well, they're on the board here, now. Maybe others searching will be able to flesh it out more.

[sanantone]

I don't understand the purpose of searching so hard for this type of degree. If it had any value, there would be demand and schools trying to meet that demand. Most people get a criminal justice degree and call it a day. Getting a degree for security, other management,  is overkill. This is a very low-paying field. The high-paying jobs want military or law enforcement experience and certifications, not security degrees.

Security is very basic work that requires a week of training and is mostly learned on the job. You don't need a degree to learn how to watch CCTVs and check doors.

I'm looking at the Fox Valley Technical College program, and the only courses you can't find in a CJ or homeland security program are the alarm installation courses. Security guards don't do alarm installation, though.

[dfrecore]

I don't understand the purpose of searching so hard for this type of degree. If it had any value, there would be demand and schools trying to meet that demand. Most people get a criminal justice degree and call it a day. Getting a degree for security, other management,  is overkill. This is a very low-paying field. The high-paying jobs want military or law enforcement experience and certifications, not security degrees.

Security is very basic work that requires a week of training and is mostly learned on the job. You don't need a degree to learn how to watch CCTVs and check doors.

I'm looking at the Fox Valley Technical College program, and the only courses you can't find in a CJ or homeland security program are the alarm installation courses. Security guards don't do alarm installation, though.

I'm with you on this.  It's kind of senseless - to find a degree program for a job that basically pays minimum wage.

[High_Order1]

Private security and policing is undergoing a transformation. Unarmed guards are going away.

Not all security is as sanantone describes, but it's what people envision when they think 'security'.

The reason employers ask for law enforcement or military experience / credentials is because there is no real security guard college path. Criminal justice degrees are useless.

I have always been a forward thinker in education in my career field. I'd like a painless as possible, low-cost two year degree with the word security in it. Maybe a diploma, now that I think about it. It makes sense to me, and it makes sense to others in my culture, rounding out my academic credentials.

If all you see it as is a low-paying, simple job, none of what I say is going to make any sense to you.

---

There is an industry certificate for hospital security guards.

Sorry I missed this.

You're right, there is a credential for professional hospital guards. There's also one for hospitality guards, and a general one for protection officers, too. It's a great study in how things change. Few know or assign weight to the protection officer certification, but most JACHO hospitals recognize the hospital ones.

As time goes on, the need for professionally educated guards will grow, and not simply military or law enforcement rehashes. It's coming; I wish I had the time and resources to be in on the ground level of it. (shrugs) Maybe I will...