Posted on 08/05/2005 11:14:52 PM PDT by sdk7x7
I have an important question, so I figured I'd turn to the FR gang for advice. I'm a college student, about to enter my 2nd year. I'm very interested in national security, homeland security, terrorism, etc and I plan to mold my major around these fields.
Eventually, when I graduate, I will have a decision to make: service vs. money. By service, I mean applying for jobs with the federal government, ie FBI special agent, intelligence analyst, etc. While these jobs offer me the opportunity to serve my country--which I truly want to do--they do not offer salaries comparable to the private sector. At the absolute highest end, top executives within the federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies tend to make $150,000 per year. Not that that's any number to scoff at, but much more can be made by pursuing my interests in the private sector: consulting, corporate intelligence, etc.
I am aware that the federal gov't offers great benefits, and I really do feel an obligation to give back to my country, but I am also admittedly attracted to a higher-paying career that would make putting kids through college, having my own house, etc less of a financial strain.
I am hoping that some of you can offer some guidance, especially if you've been in a similar situation. I should note that most of my family is upper-class, so there are some familial pressures to take a high-paying job, etc.
Thanks in advance, sdk
After reading your post which you wrote in the middle of America's struggle to survive terrorism, I'd say that one career you should not consider is Diplomacy.
Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will make your path straight.
Find something you love to do and find someone to pay you to do it. That's the best way to be happy at work.
I've been offered work in Homeland Security. I turned it down for the simple reason that nothing meaningful will be done until we have another Pearl Harbor. And just as Chester Nimitz avoided any position with the Pacific Fleet until after December 7, 1941, so I'd recommend avoiding any position in the FBI, CIA and/or Homeland Security until we have another such attack on our nation. Then, and only then, will you have a chance to actually make a difference.
And, if memory serves, Embry-Riddle in Florida taught some of the 9/11 hijackers on how to fly their doomsday planes. Small world, hm?
So, what did you wind up doing after you failed the vision test? My brother had the same experience and wound up as a garbage collector. But believe it or not, he makes really good $$$$$.
He is the worst kind of armchair general, he has no manners and he appears to be on some weird power trip.
I think the very nature of his response to you is inappropriate and rude.
If you read the garbage he has been posting on the Iraq War threads, you'll see exactly what I mean.
The best to you in whatever you decide to do. ;-)
I've heard garbage collectors make bank. It's not like cities can afford to not hire them, either.
Yep. Tough job, as they say, but somebody's gotta do it.
"I'm a college student, about to enter my 2nd year. I'm very interested in national security, homeland security, terrorism, etc and I plan to mold my major around these fields."
Stay far, far away from drugs and anyone who does drugs. Don't do anything that might compromise your integrity even if you think you can get away with it. If you want to work for the government in national security and need a high-level security clearance they are going to dig deep into your past and they are going to grill you up one side and down the other while you are hooked up to a polygraph - sometimes several polygraph sessions. You don't want to be in a position where you have to hide stuff because if you are then you probably aren't going to make it. You are going to need to reveal a lot of dirt so it is best stop collecting any new dirt right now. If you are serious about going into national security or the FBI, etc. you should always keep in mind that the things that you do now, you will probably have to reveal to government investigators in the future when you are applying for clearance.
1. Stay in school
2. Go for the money
3. Take care of your loved ones
4. By working hard and contributing to society, you are serving your country.
By the way, I believe the CIA and NSA both have summer internship opportunities for undergrads. Languages (especially Chinese and Arabic), computer science, electrical engineering (signal processing), mathematics, statistics, etc. are fields that immediately come to mind as desirable. I'm sure there are others.
I do not know if you are religious or not. It is always like I tell my kids. God created you for a certain purpose and you can do something for Him that not anybodywith your talents can do. Money is nice but it does not bring contentment of heart. Sometimes it makes our heart even less so.I am going to pray for God to lead and guide you and to bring to you what he would have you do and bless you the most in.
Patrick Henry College in Virginia, I'm told, has a comprehensive national security curriculum.
LOL, I went on with my life.
4 years of college education in the sciences, most of which I paid for with loans, a few long-term lovers which I paid for in life-span, and here I am.
Women love me and leave me.
I want nothing more out of life than to spend it with a great woman and make babies.
Currently I'm a self employed computer consultant. Luckily I'm great at what I do, and love solving problems. I'm a natural-born fixer, I see the problem and I fix it. Computers, Engines, whatever. I just can't fix my own heart.
Running your own bidness has it's ups and downs. It's tough and you need discipline. Finding clients is the toughest part for me.
Finding conservative clients in Boston is even tougher. At one point, I had to deal with a fag at every client I went to. Besides being morally reprehensible to me, they're just F-ing F-ed up. I've gotten rid of all those clients, but I'm having trouble finding new ones that won't piss me off.
If I were you, I'd do anything I could to get into the Military. I know my life would have been so much better if I had.
ERAU in Prescott AZ (and the campus in Dayton) is a top notch school.
Best for aviation in the world.
Post 9-11 they started the only degree program to prepare students for the intelligence services. Prescott AZ campus is the only location.
Yes, I know. I was a regular visitor to ERAU in Prescott from 1998 through 2000.
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