Detectives play an important role in exposing corruption and other crimes in society. Detectives can also be hired to do important investigative work about human relationships and whether one spouse is truly being honest with the other spouse. If you enjoy the thought of traveling to new places and reading through top-secret documents, then you may be the perfect candidate for a career as a detective. Detectives have a natural curiosity and love doing “behind the scenes” work. They also are risk takers and are not afraid of a challenge. Maybe you have wondered, “How do I become a detective?” When you want to become a detective, it is important to get the necessary training to succeed in this type of career.
What’s it like to be a detective?
When you are a detective, you may have to follow a group of people around for the day. You may be working for a client who wants to know whether his or her spouse has another relationship. In other cases, a prosecution team may hire you to dig up some information on someone who is involved in a case. You daily tasks usually involve calling various individuals and attempting to get your hands on secret information. You also may need to spend time reading through documents and trying to decode them. You may need to translate documents that are written in other languages. When you have completed the research for a case, you may need to present your findings to your client. He or she will want to see photographs and other evidence of the case you have researched.
Education Requirements
To become a detective, it is important for you to consider the type of entity you wish to work for in the future. If you wish to work for the police department, then you will need to have experience as a patrol officer. This means that you need to go through training school at a police department in order to become a patrol officer. If you wish to work for a private office, then you should simply try to gain experience in an internship position at a detective’s office. It is important for you to learn how detectives work with other people. You will want to understand how detectives obtain top-secret information. There are not too many college programs that exist for detectives. You may find that a bachelor’s degree in forensics is helpful for a career as an investigator. During your college years, you should try to refine your communication skills. You will have to work with many different types of professionals as a detective. It is important for you to know how to relate to your clients too.
Salary & How to Get a Job
The starting salary for a detective is about $42,000 a year. Your salary can increase if you decide to open your own firm. If you want to get a job as a detective, then you should try to network with as many people as possible at police departments and private investigation firms. It is also a good idea to try to look for open positions at a career services office in your college. You may also want to speak with a career counselor to learn about any ideas that he or she has.
References:
1. http://www.ehow.com/how_2046127_become-detective.html
2. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/private-detectives-and-investigators.htm