About Spies
According to what we see in movies and on TV, spies are glamorous, brave, resourceful and usually incredibly attractive. While being a spy in real life can be exciting and profitable, it is usually not a very glamorous career, and is often quite dangerous. Before you choose a career in espionage, there are a number of factors you need to consider.
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Function
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Spies obtain secret information that was not intended to be shared by the company, individual or country that possesses the information. Spies work in secret and rarely tell people what they really do for a living. They may be required to wear disguises to conduct their work, or may use alternate identities. Spies are also known as secret agents, undercover agents, operatives or assets.
History
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Chanakya, an Indian statesman and philosopher who lived in the third century B.C., is believed to have been one of the first to use spying as a way of gathering sensitive information. During Chanakya's tenure as a teacher at Taxila University, he exerted considerable influence on the government and attracted a number of enemies. He persuaded two of his students to act as his spies and report on the activities of his enemies.
Spies have been particularly active during wartime. Nathan Hale, an American soldier in the Revolutionary War, tried to infiltrate British lines and was caught and executed by the British in 1775. Mata Hari, one of the most well-known spies, was a Dutch citizen who spied for Germany in World War I and was also executed.
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Features
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Like everything else, spying has become a high-tech activity. Satellites placed above the Earth can be trained on enemy locations, and are often used to track troop activities and movements of known enemies. Spies may place taps on phones or hide tiny microphones in the homes or offices of enemies in an attempt to learn secret information. They may assume new identities in an attempt to gather information.
Spies also recruit employees of companies and governments to work with them, equipping them with tiny cameras to photocopy documents or special flash drives to copy information from computers. Agents with special computer abilities break through firewalls and disable passwords to reach sensitive information stored on computers.
Considerations
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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are the primary employers of spies in the United States. The FBI's intelligence-gathering efforts are concentrated on the United States, while the CIA works to gather information about foreign governments and threats, and is more likely to be involved in the type of spy activity you see in the movies.
The FBI hires college graduates who are between the ages of 23 and 36 for its special-agent positions. You must have 3 years of work experience and possess a valid driver's license. In order to be hired, you must qualify in one of five entry areas, including law, accounting, language, "diversified" or computer science/information technology. You are more likely to be hired if you have a specific skill that is in demand, such as information technology, or can speak one or more foreign languages.
The CIA also requires agents to have a bachelor's degree. If you would like to be an intelligence analyst or foreign operative or officer, you will most likely need a master's degree. The CIA looks for applicants who will fit into one of five career paths, including Language Opportunities, Science, National Clandestine Service, Technical and Engineering or Analytical Opportunities and Support Services.
Warning
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Working for the FBI and CIA often requires being away from home for long periods of time, making it difficult to establish and maintain relationships. The work can be physically demanding for field agents and operatives, and staying in shape is imperative to be able to continue to work in the field.
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