Looking for some advice

[crazybuck13]

Hello all, my name is David and I am 19 years old and just finishing my first year of college. I am a Middle Eastern linguist major and will be applying to just about every agency possible in about three years or so. I am interested in anything from intelligence analyst/operations to local/federal law enforcement.

I am very interested in hand-to-hand combat and weapon defenses. I have studying Krav Maga for about 3 months or so and will hopefully be a level 5 black belt by the time I graduate from college.

A few agencies that really jump out to me are definitely the 3 big intelligence agencies and for law enforcement, the FAMS, DEA, ATF, and FBI.

I'm not really sure which career field to pursue, to be honest, both intelligence and law enforcement really appeal to me.

Any advice you guys might have for me? I am a real clean kid, haven't touched any alcohol or marijuana in over 2 years and have a perfect record with fairly decent credit already.

I do have a few specific questions to ask but I will hold off on those for a few.

[crazybuck13]

I have tried to stay as clean as possible. Got around the wrong crowd when I was about 16-17 and got into experimenting with alcohol and marijuana but nothing else. I cut off relations with them once I realized how foolish I was being. That's about the only real ding on my background that would even be worth mentioning.

As for some more specific questions, is it a realistic goal to land a federal job out of college without much work experience? I mean I have held the same summer job for about five years now as a luggage handler, but nothing serious and permanent.

How about the USSS or FAMS? Those two really jump out to me. Are those realistic jobs out of college? Or would I need to get a local/federal job in another agency and move laterally to those after five years?

I plan on studying abroad possibly next summer and for sure the summer after that. This means I basically have the choice between applying for a federal agency summer intern programs and possibly getting denied or having a for sure shot at studying in the Middle East. There would be a time gap between getting confirmation of denial/acceptance from the internships and having a reserved spot in a college in the Middle East. What do you think would look better? Spending a year in the Middle East studying Arabic and culture or working in the internship programs? I have quite a bit of possibilities in the M.E. such as Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, UAE, Turkey and a few others. For obvious political reasons, Egypt and Jordan would most likely be one of my picks.

[PhilipCal]

Advice

I've got to believe a proficiency in Middle Eastern languages would be a major plus. Definitely look into the possibility of internships with the agencies you're interested in. I don't know if all them offer internships, but it's well worth doing some research. Your past, ref: alcohol and marijuana probably won't be an issue, as long as your up front about it. Just be certain that any illegal drug use is in your past. As far as alcohol is concerned, be certain you control your use of it.

[crazybuck13]

I've got to believe a proficiency in Middle Eastern languages would be a major plus. Definitely look into the possibility of internships with the agencies you're interested in. I don't know if all them offer internships, but it's well worth doing some research. Your past, ref: alcohol and marijuana probably won't be an issue, as long as your up front about it. Just be certain that any illegal drug use is in your past. As far as alcohol is concerned, be certain you control your use of it.

There's quite a few M.E. language summer intern programs. The NSA has a really great one.

As far as the alcohol goes, I don't even touch that anymore. I figure if my goal is to get a job with the FBI, DEA, ATF, CIA, etc. then most agencies have alcohol restrictions, so why even bother with it. I've been sober for over 2 years now. Now the marijuana, this one sort of worried me since I have smoked more than 15 times. I noticed that was an automatic DQ; however, after talking to a USSS agent at my school, he said it's NOT usually an automatic DQ. A lot of factors come into play like the less time you smoked, etc. So for obvious reasons, I haven't touched that stuff for over 2 years and plan on never doing it again.

[crazybuck13]

Solid and consistent work experience is a good thing. It shows you have staying power at one place. If they can give you a good recommendation, that's great as well.

As far as getting a job right out of college with the FEDS, it really depends on the Agency. Until this last hiring push, the FAMS were not taking anybody without prior LE experience. They are now, so ya, its a possiblity. The FBI, USSS and others DO take people right out of college if you fit their cirteria. If you become truly proficent in your language, than you may have a shot. You can also then begin to look into the CIA or NSA, or the many other intel agencies, paticualrly if you head overseas to study, which leads me to my next point....

And my personal opinion about choseing between studying abroad and staying for a possible LE intership (if you really do have to choose)........GO ABROAD! Live your life! If you are mean't to be in LE, you will be. In the meantime, have fun and study hard. Having a true "life experience" (get used to that term, you will hear it a lot in the hiring process) can go a long way for your maturity and, for your own sake, the way you value life.

This is what I am thinking also. If I had to chose right now, I'd definitely go abroad. I mean the opportunities are amazing and the chance to experience another country would look really good on a resume, in my opinion.