Hey Everyone, young guy needing help!!

[larude]

I'm 18 and I'm currently in college as a undergraduate. I have a couple of questions and hopefully someone here can answer them for me.

When I go to Graduate school I plan on getting my Bachelors degree in CJ and Law or Psychology. By then I will be 23..

I've been interested in being an FBI agent for about 3 years now and I recently visited their website. Some of their qualifications confuse me.

I want to be a Special Field Agent so what kind of previous experience will I need? Will I have to become a cop or something? Or could I do an FBI Internship to help get my foot in the door?

Also, I don't understand the hiring process?
Do I absolutely need to learn another language just to become a Field Agent?
What do your grades have to look like?


Anybody know if I could possibly contact the FBI and ask for a tutor or like a big brother/sister mentor that's currently in the FBI to guide me on?

Being in the FBI or another Federal Agency is one of my ultimate goals and I do not want to fail at it. Thank you guys!!!

[Switchback]

First of all, if you are in school as an undergraduate, you are working towards a bachelor's degree. Graduate school is where one seeks a Masters or PhD.

Should I presume that you are enrolled in a junior college?

As has been discussed MANY times on here, a CJ degree gives no special consideration for LE. In fact, is is less than desireable for the FBI. Sadly, were you to choose your college major now, based on what the Bureau is looking for NOW, it very well may change before you graduate.

There are several ways to get hired into the Bureau. I believe it is called the diversified program in which they look at life experiences (such as those with LE and/or military experience). I believe the majority of their hiring is done by recruiting those with specialties of interest to their current needs.

I would go to their websit to learn about the hiring process. There really is no need to regurgitate it here.

[Kimble]

I'm 18 and I'm currently in college as a undergraduate. I have a couple of questions and hopefully someone here can answer them for me.

When I go to Graduate school I plan on getting my Bachelors degree in CJ and Law or Psychology. By then I will be 23..

I've been interested in being an FBI agent for about 3 years now and I recently visited their website. Some of their qualifications confuse me.

I want to be a Special Field Agent so what kind of previous experience will I need? Will I have to become a cop or something? Or could I do an FBI Internship to help get my foot in the door?

Also, I don't understand the hiring process?
Do I absolutely need to learn another language just to become a Field Agent?
What do your grades have to look like?


Anybody know if I could possibly contact the FBI and ask for a tutor or like a big brother/sister mentor that's currently in the FBI to guide me on?

Being in the FBI or another Federal Agency is one of my ultimate goals and I do not want to fail at it. Thank you guys!!!

What are you confused about? The hiring skills the FBI looks for (they call them "critical skills") are pretty clear, so I'm not sure what has you confused. Foreign languages are one type of critical skill for their hiring (as are computer science, intelligence, accounting, etc.), but not the only one, and not required for everyone hired. If you have at least one critical skill, you're at least competitive. Also, being a cop may help if you work as a detective and develop criminal investigative skills (which is listed as a critical skills), but you could also have any of the other critical skills and still be competitive. I've heard, however, that not all critical skills are equal at any given time, and that recently intelligence and computer science have been pushed to the front of the line for hiring. Even more recently, tactical/SWAT training has been a critical skill, but that may be a temporary hiring push.

If you haven't look at this site, as it explains pretty well what sort of credentials you should have if you apply to the FBI to be a Special Agent: http://fbijobs.gov/1112.asp

Also, the internships with them are VERY competitive, so you'll be very lucky if you can land one.

[Grift]

Re: qualifications for getting into the Bureau beyond the universal basics (BA, 23 y/o, etc). First, I'm not an FBI agent, but I have thrown my app to a couple FLE agencies, including the Bureau, and been asked to test.

There are two things you need to understand: Entry Programs and Critical Skills.

First, you must qualify under ONE of the entry programs... not all of them, not two of them, just one. Anything else is a bonus.

AFTER you're qualified for an Entry Program, you must qualify for ONE critical skill. Not two, not all of them, just one.

Therefore, no, it is not necessary to speak a foreign language (which is both an Entry Program AND a Critical Skill) if you qualify for a different Entry Program and Critical Skill. It is not necessary to be a cop (Diversified Entry Program, Law Enforcement Critical Skill). It's just necessary to meet a single entry program and single critical skill.

Clear? Great. Now remember that meeting the basic requirements are unlikely to get you hired. Now, do some more research. You will find books, articles, and posts on boards like this from FBI agents who have been hired with experience that ranged from speech writing for Congressman (Christopher Whitcomb, who wrote Cold Zero) to lawyers (Danny Coulson, who wrote No Heroes) to military (John Douglas, famous author and FBI profiler, who was in the Air Force) to teachers to state troopers to accountants etc etc et al.

The advice I have always been given is to establish yourself in another field. That way, once you're settled in, have some seniority, have made some money, you can go start all over again somewhere else. :D Such are the things the G asks.

Try for the internship. But not just the bureau. Try for co-ops and internships all over federal law enforcement. There are over a hundred agencies that employ 1811's (special agents/criminal investigators). All have similar job functions with different focus.

Good luck! I wish I had known when I was fifteen that I would be interested in this career. Keep your nose clean, keep in shape, start building a network of contacts.

[ngcsubutterbar]

Do you worship at the feet of your lord and high protector, Obama?

[Grift]

Do you worship at the feet of your lord and high protector, Obama?

Just a random survey?:confused:

[glockpacker]

Sadly, were you to choose your college major now, based on what the Bureau is looking for NOW, it very well may change before you graduate.

That seems to be the truth!! You seem like you are heading down the same path that I was 8 years ago. I have a bachelors in Criminal Justice and then went and got a Juris Doctorate degree all because a FBI recruiter told me that was the best way at that time for me to be considered for a SA postion. When I took the phase I test last year I was told point blank that the FBI was not really interested Attorneys at that time. After I passed the Phase I test I received a "thin" letter one month latter saying I was not being considered futher due to the hiring needs of the agency.

Your situation may be different - but if I could do it over I would have diversified. I would have made Criminal Justice my minor and made Computer Science or CIS my major. I still would have gone to law school, but I would have either attempted to learn another language or tried to get into the FBI Honor's Internship while I was in schoool. That shot gun approach would have given me a better chance of having the right skills at the right time. Not to mention all those skills would have helped me in any job I worked.

ALSO - don't forget there are plenty of other agencies that hire Special Agents who don't have TV shows or movies made about them. I have found that the other agencies interest me as much or more than the did FBI. That is my .02 worth.

[England]

Get some experience. I know you are young and you probably think if you get enough education, you're in. But that won't cut it. Join the military, go be a cop or parole officer, accountant, lawyer, etc...AFTER you get your degree.

Get your bachelor's in one of the following:

Accounting
CIS
Nursing
Engineering
International Affairs

Get one of those and you will be guranteed a job somewhere after graduation. Maybe ieven the FBI.