Do you wish to become a CIA agent, but are not sure what it takes to become one? If yes, then here are all the facts that you need to know in order to understand how to become a CIA Agent.
Educational Pre-requisites
In order to become a CIA Agent, you must be a United States Citizen. You must also complete your high school diploma, followed by a bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, political science, international affairs or even business administration. This will take you approximately four years. However, keep in mind that you should maintain a high GPA score. The CIA places huge emphasis on this, thus seeks applicants who have a minimum score of 3.0.
After you earn your bachelor's degree, you should study for a master's degree in the field of criminal justice, economics, science or even international relations; this will take an additional two to three years.
However, studying for this job is not enough; you must also possess the necessary work experience. Your experience should at least be for three years in law enforcement, military or even finance. Once you get accepted in the CIA training, you must then choose between the four major offices of the CIA to work in and undergo the necessary training for that particular program. These programs include:
- The Directorate of Intelligence,
- The National Clandestine Service
- The Directorate of Science and Technology
- The Directorate of Support
Other skills required to become a CIA agent involve:
- Possessing an extraordinary level of intelligence and IQ
- Learning various foreign languages
- Training in fire arms and ammunition
- Possessing a know-how of various defense mechanism
- Displaying qualities of professionalism, trustworthiness and allegiance
- Having a clean background
Job Options
The CIA was established in order to support the United States president and others by helping them make international decisions based on the intelligence collected. A CIA Agent needs to track information in order to allow accurate policies to be made. The intelligence that is gathered involves various dimensions such as terrorism, drugs or nuclear weapons.
The first priority of the CIA Agent is national security; thus once he/she grabs hold of some vital piece of evidence or clue of an unexpected event, he/she informs the FBI to arrest the criminals. The CIA's job simply involves collecting and evaluating data, and then passing it on to other agencies to take care of. Thus a majority of the CIA's duties include mundane office jobs where they are required to sort, analyze and sift through the data gathered in order to make sense out of it.
Working as a CIA agent is an interesting choice of career; not only does it pay well, but it keeps you locked up in an adventurous and a thrilling life.