High School
You can help prepare for a career as a special agent by doing well in high school. You may receive special consideration by the Secret Service if you have computer training, which is needed to investigate computer fraud, or if you can speak a foreign language, which is useful during investigations and while protecting visiting heads of state or U.S. officials who are working abroad. Specialized skills in electronics, forensics, and other investigative areas are highly regarded. Other important classes include physical education, English, speech, and psychology. Aside from school, doing something unique and positive for your city or neighborhood, or becoming involved in community organizations can improve your chances of being selected by the Secret Service.
Postsecondary Training
The Secret Service recruits special agents at the GS-7 and GS-9 grade levels. You can qualify at the GS-7 level in one of three ways: obtain a four-year degree from an accredited college or university; work for at least three years in a criminal investigative or law enforcement field and gain knowledge and experience in applying laws relating to criminal violations; or obtain an equivalent combination of education and experience. You can qualify at the GS-9 level by achieving superior academic scores (defined as a grade point average of at least 2.95 on a 4.0 scale), going to graduate school and studying a directly related field, or gaining an additional year of criminal investigative experience.
All newly hired special agents go through 10 weeks of training in the Criminal Investigator Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, and then 17 weeks of specialized training at the Secret Service's Special Agent Training Course outside of Washington, D.C. During training, new agents take comprehensive courses in protective techniques, criminal and constitutional law, criminal investigative procedures, use of scientific investigative devices, first aid, the use of firearms, and defensive measures. Special agents also learn about collecting evidence, surveillance techniques, undercover operation, and courtroom demeanor. Specialized training includes skills such as marksmanship, control tactics, water survival skills, and physical fitness. Secret service agents also participate in "real world" emergency situations involving Secret Service protectees. The classroom study is supplemented by on-the-job training, and special agents go through advanced in-service training throughout their careers.
New special agents usually begin work at the field offices where they first applied. Their initial work is investigative in nature and is closely supervised. After six to eight years, agents are usually transferred to a protection assignment.
- Airport Security Personnel
- Ambassadors
- Armored Truck Drivers
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bank Examiners
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
- Bounty Hunters
- Campaign Workers
- Chief Information Security Officers
- City Managers
- Civil Engineers
- Congressional Aides
- Construction Inspectors
- Corrections Officers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Crime Analysts
- Criminal Lawyers
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Customs Officials
- Cybersecurity Architects
- Demographers
- Deputy U.S. Marshals
- Detectives
- Directors of Security
- Economists
- Emergency Management Directors
- Emergency Medical Technicians
- Emergency Services Dispatchers
- EPA Special Agents
- 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
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Forest Fire Prevention Specialists
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Futurists
- Genetic Genealogists
- Health and Regulatory Inspectors
- Intelligence Officers
- Internet Security Specialists
- Interpreters
- Judges
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Secretaries
- Lobbyists
- Locksmiths
- Loss Prevention Managers
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- National Park Service Employees
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Paralegals
- Park Rangers
- Parole Officers
- Personal Privacy Advisors
- Police Officers
- Policy Analysts
- Political Consultants
- Political Scientists
- Polygraph Examiners
- Press Secretaries
- Private Investigators
- Process Servers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Regional and Local Officials
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Security Systems Installers and Workers
- Traffic Engineers
- Translators
- Transportation Planners
- Urban and Regional Planners
- Wildland Firefighters