Broke 20-year-old pulled over for speeding gets career advice instead of a ticket — and it changed her life

Getting pulled over for a traffic violation is a nightmare for most, but not for Abbie Jo Rutledge. For her, it turned into a surprising masterclass of career advice, and all thanks to Officer JT, the ultimate mentor behind her career breakthrough. The story was first posted on Facebook by Rutledge's mom, Tammy R. Guthrie, in August 2024 and was later featured on CBS Evening News' YouTube channel in September. 

Rutledge, then 20 years old, had no clear vision of what she really wanted to do professionally; hence, she joined a full-time job at Coca-Cola. While on the job, Rutledge was pulled over for speeding. With all honesty, she confessed to Officer Brown that she was broke and couldn't afford a ticket. The police officer, perhaps, could sense Rutledge needed some serious advice, and hence asked her if they could talk about it. The woman agreed, and that led to a life-changing moment. "It went on for 10-15 minutes, just talking about different career paths," Rutledge recalled. As the conversation continued, Officer Brown made a significant observation about the young woman. He assumed that Rutledge could become a great nurse and hence let her off with a warning that read, "Promise me you'll go to scrub or nursing school and slow down, and I won't give you a ticket."

Officer Brown had no idea that Rutledge would take his advice seriously, but something about that incident made the woman want to build a career in nursing. Rutledge completed her two-year surgical technology program from Bevill State Community College, the same institution where Officer Brown had gotten his degree. "She started the Surg Tech program in August of 2023, and as she kept getting closer to her goal, she would often mention the person she wanted to have at her pinning was Officer Brown and how he had inspired her," Guthrie, Rutledge's mom, said. Luckily, everything went as planned, as Officer Brown actually attended Rutledge's graduation.

"I wanted him to see the impression he made on me. Five minutes of talking to anybody, even if you don't know them, can make the largest impact on their life. You never know when it could happen," the woman said. Just like Rutledge, most young adults face a tough time deciding their careers, but unlike her, they may not get someone like Officer Brown to guide them through the difficult phase. In fact, multiple studies estimated that as many as 90% of students opt for the wrong career path because of a lack of career guidance.

Meanwhile, reacting to the incredible story, @chrisbale5640 commented, "I love how a simple conversation can have such an impact. This makes me realize that people need to connect more by just being kinder to one another." Similarly, a user who goes by @lesliemassey-or6cv said, "Kudos to that officer for having the compassion and patience enough to take the time to just talk to her and encourage her to do better. And kudos to her for listening to solid advice and actually acting on it! Each act is so rare these days!"

Another user, @arvelle4, revealed, "I did this as well as a cop. I had a dude who didn’t say he wanted to commit s******, but he wanted to do something that would put him in jail. I spoke with him and found out he wanted to be a gym teacher. He emailed me some months later, thanking me for the talk and saying that he is now indeed a gym teacher."