How to Become a Secret Service Agent

The main job of the U.S. Secret Service is to protect the country's currency from counterfeiters. Its agents are all members of the U.S. Treasury Department, but are best known for their protection of the president, the vice president and their families. Training is intensive, and only the most highly qualified individuals make the grade.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Applications
• Internet Access
• Envelopes
• Computers
• résumé paper
• résumé software

1. Understand that you cannot become a Secret Service agent after the age of 37, and that you must be a U.S. citizen. You must have at least 20/40 vision in each eye, and your vision must be correctable to 20/20.

2. Get a bachelor's degree in any major, with electives in areas such as pre-law, criminal justice, law enforcement, police science and criminology.

3. Obtain an application by contacting the U.S. Secret Service office nearest you. Go to the U.S. Secret Service Field Offices Web page (secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml) for a listing of offices throughout the country. Expect a thorough background investigation after you have submitted your application.

4. Pass a written exam, drug screening and polygraph test. Be prepared for eight weeks of general investigative training if you are accepted. It will be given at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia.

5. Get ready to follow that training with nine weeks of special agent courses and tests in Washington, D.C., including firearms training.

6. Pass all the testing and you will get an assignment in the field, which is just more on-the-job training. If you last a year, you may be recommended as a permanent agent.

Tips & Warnings

• Agents can be uniformed or nonuniformed, with varying responsibilities.

• Become a computer expert; the Secret Service also investigates high-tech crimes.

• This can be a dangerous job that requires excellent defensive skills.