A degree, at least three years of experience in law enforcement or a related area, or an equivalent combination of education and experience are required to become a Secret Service special agent.
The Secret Service is looking for smart, upstanding citizens who will give a favorable representation of the U.S. government. The agency looks for people with strong ethics, morals, and virtues, and then they teach them how to be special agents.
Special agents also need dedication, which can be demonstrated through a candidate's grade point average in high school and college. Applicants must have a drug-free background. Even experimental drug use can be a reason to dismiss an applicant from the hiring process. Special agents also need to be confident and honest—with no criminal background.
- 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