High School
If you're interested in working for CBP, pursue a well-rounded education in high school. Courses in government, geography and social studies, English, and history will contribute to your understanding of international and domestic legal issues as well as give you a good general background. If you wish to become a specialist in scientific or investigative aspects of CBP, courses in the sciences, particularly chemistry, will be necessary and courses in computer science will be helpful. Taking a foreign language, especially Spanish, will also help prepare you for this career.
Postsecondary Training
Applicants must have earned at least a high school diploma, but those with college degrees are preferred.
New CBP officers participate in a rigorous training program at CBP Field Operations Academy in Glynco, Georgia, within the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. The program includes the following components:
- Classroom Training
- Firearms Training
- Tactical Training
- Tactical Medical
- Physical Training
- Practical Exercises
- Guiding Principles
Visit https://careers.cbp.gov/s/career-paths/ofo/cbpo for detailed information about the program.
CBP agricultural specialists receive specialized training from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Airport Security Personnel
- Ambassadors
- Antiques and Art Dealers
- Automotive Dealership Owners
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bank Examiners
- Bodyguards
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Border Patrol Agents
- Bounty Hunters
- Business Managers
- Buyers
- Campaign Workers
- City Managers
- Civil Engineers
- Commodities Brokers
- Congressional Aides
- Construction Inspectors
- Corrections Officers
- Crime Analysts
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Cultural Advisers
- Customer Service Representatives
- Customs Brokers
- Demographers
- Deputy U.S. Marshals
- Detectives
- Diesel Mechanics
- Directors of Security
- Economists
- Emergency Management Directors
- Emergency Medical Technicians
- Emergency Services Dispatchers
- Engineers
- EPA Special Agents
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Export-Import Specialists
- FBI Agents
- Federal and State Officials
- Fire Inspectors
- Fire Investigators
- Fire Protection Engineers
- Fire Safety Directors
- Fire Safety Technicians
- Firefighters
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Foreign Service Officers
- Forensic Experts
- Forest Fire Prevention Specialists
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Futurists
- Genetic Genealogists
- Grain Merchants
- Ground Services Workers
- Health and Regulatory Inspectors
- Industrial Traffic Managers
- Intelligence Officers
- Internet Transaction Specialists
- Interpreters
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Lobbyists
- Logistics Analysts
- Logistics Engineers
- Mail Carriers
- Management Analysts and Consultants
- Marine Engineers
- Marine Services Technicians
- Merchant Mariners
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- National Park Service Employees
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Park Rangers
- Parole Officers
- Pilots
- Police Officers
- Policy Analysts
- Political Consultants
- Political Scientists
- Polygraph Examiners
- Postal Clerks
- Press Secretaries
- Purchasing Agents
- Recycling Coordinators
- Regional and Local Officials
- Retail Business Owners
- Sales Managers
- Secret Service Special Agents
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Ship's Captains
- Stevedores
- Supply Chain Managers
- Traffic Engineers
- Translators
- Transportation Engineers
- Transportation Planners
- Truck Drivers
- Urban and Regional Planners
- Wildland Firefighters