From High School to Special Agent

• Develop your writing skills: Criminal Investigators must have above average writing skills. The best way to hone this skill is to constantly read books and pay attention to grammar rules. Your English class matters more than you can imagine.

• Learn a foreign language: The federal government will always have an interest in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. If any of these languages are available at your school, I would encourage you to take the classes. Applicants with these skills are in high demand and they usually require an early start for proficiency.

• Stay physically fit: Virtually all entry level federal law enforcement positions require a fitness test. Stay in shape while you are young and make fitness a part of your lifestyle.

• Online Presence: Limit your online presence and avoid making any provocative or embarrassing statements and/or posting contact that can reflect poorly on your judgment and character. A background investigation will reveal your entire online history and any such posts could result in your disqualification. Also, as a future federal law enforcement officer, you want to start working on keeping a low online profile from this point forward. 

• Have a plan after high school. Some routes that can lead to federal law enforcement:

• College: A college degree is needed to become a competitive applicant and most federal agencies have made this a minimum requirement. Any accredited and reputable college is an excellent place to start. In terms of degrees, I would highly encourage prospective applicants to look into computer related, finance, or specialized language majors. Regarding the federal law enforcement selection process, note that a degree from Harvard (expensive private college) is weighted the same as a degree from UC Davis (government college). I would however, strongly caution against for-profit colleges as they have reputations as "diploma mills." It is also worthwhile to note that starting at a community college and then transferring to a four-year College is also an excellent way to save money. Read my post for College Students to learn more.

• Military: There are two distinct ways to join the military. Both offer great benefits.  However, they are two drastically different experiences. 
• Enlist: If you are not truly ready for college, then Enlisting right out of high school will get you into the workforce, offer some great training and result in amazing lifetime benefits (i.e. VA loans, GI Bill for College, etc.). After completing the service commitment, you would then still need to go to college and obtain a degree to become a truly competitive applicant. The benefit of this path is that the GI Bill benefits would pay for the majority of college expenses.
• Officer Commission: In order to become an officer, you must complete a commissioning program and concurrently obtain a college degree. The most common programs are the military service academies (i.e. Air Force Academy, West Point, Naval Academy) or the Reserve Officer Training Programs (ROTC) which are located at most colleges. The service academies are fully funded by the government and the ROTC programs offer scholarships. Upon completing the training program and obtaining a degree, you are then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant/Ensign in the military. 

• Americorps or Peace Corps: These are federal volunteer programs that can offer great experience and help potential applicants mature. Upon completing these programs, you can get some application preference (though not always guaranteed) but you would still need to go to college and obtain a degree.

• Enter the Workforce: Entering the workforce directly after college is another option. I would highly recommend that you look for an entry level job in a federal law enforcement agency (i.e. cadet, clerk, administrative support, surveillance team). This will help you get your "foot in the door" with an organization and take advantage of available opportunities. 

Once you obtain a college degree and possess one or two years of relevant experience, then you are a competitive applicant for the Special Agent/Criminal Investigator position. However, at this stage in your life, focus on staying out of trouble, staying physically fit and planning your next step after graduation.