Dear 1St Sgt.,

If a potential candidate for employment with the FBI had to choose between a Professional Support position [Investigative Specialist] or, a Special Agent position, providing the candidate is qualified for both positions, I don’t see this as being a very difficult decision at all.

You asked for a two-part explanation. 

1) Which would be the better choice?

And

2) Most importantly, why?


Providing you’re qualified for a special agent position: https://www.fbijobs.com/Faq.htm

Qualifications for the Special Agent position?
To qualify for training as a Special Agent, an individual must be a US citizen, or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands, and have reached his/her 23rd but not 37th birthday. All candidates must possess a valid driver's license and must pass a polygraph examination, a drug test, and a color vision test. Other requirements include uncorrected vision not worse than 20/200 (Snellen) and corrected 20/20 in one eye and not worse than 20/40 in the other eye. Applicants must possess a four-year degree from a college or university accredited by one of the regional or national institutional associations recognized by the United States Secretary of Education. 

Although you clearly said “money and retirement aside”, one cannot simply discount these two significant factors when trying to decide which would be the better choice. “Support vrs SA”

Generally speaking, Special Agent’s hold a GS-12/13 pay rating, plus locality pay, depending on your geographical location, up to 17% of your base salary. SA’s also have better upward mobility, such as the potential to become an SSA, [Supervisory Special Agent] = GS-14, Unit/Division Chief = GS or GM-15, or possibly what is known as executive pay positions... All of which pay well above the 100k salary range.

Additionally:
1) Special Agents always supervise support personnel. 
2) Special Agents are authorized to carry a firearm at all times, on and off the job.
3) Special Agents are issued a shield/badge, and have the authority to execute the privileges thereof.


Professional Support positions do not require a college degree, and could be either a WG or GS pay grade. Support personnel are not issued a weapon, [side arm] and they are not issued a bureau shield/badge. 

Whether WG or GS, most often the pay grade is always a lower scale. Typically, a support position will only top-out at a GS 11. 

I can’t help but wonder, if a candidate possess a four year college degree, and they are under 37 years old, why would someone even consider a professional support position, if, you/he/she was equally qualified for a special agent position.? I don’t understand this reasoning.

The only reason I could understand a candidate for employment with the FBI applying for a support position rather than a SA position, is if they either do not have an accredited four year college degree, and/or, the candidate is over 37 years old.
Professional Support positions do not have an age cutoff, nor requires a college degree. A high school diploma and/or, GED is all that’s required. This clearly defines the difference in pay between the two positions.

In closing, The best analogy I can think of to describe the difference between a professional support position versus a special agent position, would be like comparing an enlisted person to a commissioned officer in any branch of the military.

Enlisted, or, commissioned officer…?? You decide...


Good luck.



Triple x

Quote:


I have been out for a while, but why should I think a million times before going SSG?

Is the position that bad, if so in what way?