Written by The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out an occupational Perspective handbook every few years and in the 2008-09 copy they reported that the base FBI salary was $48,159. In addition they stated that together with extra pay and bonuses the average agent had been making over $60,000 each year as a rookie. Just as in any other career as you progress and achieve promotions you may also expect getting raises and it is not uncommon for more experienced agents to go well into the 6 figure range of yearly income. The FBI also offers a thing called locality pay and if you work in a large city you are going to earn more than someone who resides in a significantly less populated area.
If you’re thinking about chasing a career in this industry I want to give you a short FBI agent job description so you will know precisely what you will be getting into. Perhaps you are aware that FBI means the Federal Bureau of Investigation so of course it’s a federal law enforcement position. The main responsibility of an FBI agent is to basically solve crimes. FBI agents will work on cases from illegal drug trafficking to computer crimes and just about everything in between. Anything that is a federal crime may have an FBI agent assigned to investigate. As an FBI agent you might be out in the field obtaining evidence and chasing after bad guys but much of your time will also be invested carrying out criminal history checks and analyzing evidence.
FBI careers can be quite gratifying as well as financially rewarding. In order to become an FBI agent you have to be a citizen of the United States and in addition, you have to be at least Twenty three years old. You also must have at least three years of professional experience and you need to have a valid drivers license and be prepared to work in any field office that you are assigned to.
Besides three years of work experience you need to possess a bachelors degree and you can go after a degree in many different areas. Studying criminal justice might be a great idea however you could also want to study sciences, computer forensics, information security or some other specialized areas that will help you improve your chances of getting hired.