How long does it take to become a Sergeant?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a sergeant. That is the time it takes to learn specific sergeant skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 5 to 7 years years to become a sergeant.

How To Become A Sergeant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sergeant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Jill Myers

Sergeants have a lot of responsibility. And when we say a lot, we mean a lot. You'll have all the responsibilities that police officers have and then you'll also be responsible for any duties that the police chief assigns to you.

It is an important role for the community you serve. You're the one police officers look to for guidance and support. But you also have to supervise your team to ensure they're doing the right thing for the community.

Speaking of community, sergeants are very involved in their communities. From engaging in conversations to directing public events, you'll want to be welcoming and inviting to the community so that they trust you and your team. Your duty is to serve and protect them, and they're counting on you to see that through.

What general advice would you give to a Sergeant?

Jill Myers

Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.

ScoreSergeantUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,557

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate -10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.37%

Asian 1.78%

Black or African American 10.73%

Hispanic or Latino 15.68%

Unknown 3.93%

White 66.50%

Gender

female 14.98%

male 85.02%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sergeant

Explore sergeant education requirements

Most common sergeant degrees

Bachelor's

43.9 %

Associate

25.3 %

High School Diploma

17.9 %

Start to develop specific sergeant skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Procedures	15.55%
Patrol	13.91%
Direct Supervision	9.30%
Emergency Situations	6.91%
Combat	5.57%

Complete relevant sergeant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sergeants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sergeant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sergeant resumes.

Gain additional sergeant certifications

Sergeant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific sergeant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for sergeants include Certified Law Enforcement Analysts (CLEA) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research sergeant duties and responsibilities

Manage critical incidents including barricade gunmen, VIP visits, homicides, shootings and in-progress crimes.
Manage and submit all schedules for maximum security unit, and all non security staff assign to that unit.
Monitor and manage enlisted promotion boards and actions; publish promotion orders for soldiers being promote to SGT and SSG.
Assist in establishing overall S3 objectives and accomplishing assign missions.

Prepare your sergeant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sergeant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sergeant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sergeant Resume templates

Build a professional Sergeant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Sergeant resume.

Apply for sergeant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sergeant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do sergeants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Sergeant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2023

Pros

Leadership training and a chance to become more

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

I truly enjoyed my time on the regional swat team. Although I was not an operator, I was assigned to the team as a certified FBI Negotiator. This further enhanced my people skills which will make me an asset to any company.

Cons

If I had to pick one thing, it would be working holidays and weekends which took me away from my children.