This is a legitimate problem - there are educated people that view the position negatively but also wouldn’t join. So the spots stay open for more uneducated people. Some departments are now requiring degrees and new recruits are put through some degree program before starting but that’s only in some major cities… so yeah people are gonna discourage you but keep your head up and keep that attitude, identify the idiots as early as possible (they will make themselves known quick). That’s what I did - I left my cushy engineering desk job, took a crazy paycut and put on the badge… and I talked a women off the top of a parking garage on my second month (didn’t draw my gun or anything 😲🙄)