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Department of Homeland Security
Career Plan
Kristen Durkin



2 Running Head: BECOMING A DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
OFFICER


Table of Contents

Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Career Goal 4
Career Description 5
Requirements 7
Salary 8
Fit with my Major 8
Fit with my Personal Characteristics 10
My Personal Plan to Reach my Career Goal 11
Back up Plan 11
Conclusion 12
References 13


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Abstract
The purpose of this project to is research the profession of the Department of
Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The research will
contain information about the career, requirements, job outlook, and my plan as an
individual to reach the career goal of pertaining the researched occupation. I will
also include reasoning of why the career is the right choice for myself and if my
personality traits that will benefit me on the job.

4 Running Head: BECOMING A DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
OFFICER



Introduction
When I first started college at Kent State University. I never thought that
choosing a career in law enforcement would be what I wanted to do as a profession.
I had always had an interest in law enforcement, however when I started my higher
education I was pursuing a degree in Organizational Communication with a minor in
International Business. After being a part of an event that benefited towards
LOVE146, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit organization, I knew I wanted to
change my career path and pursue a degree in a subject that I would enable me to
help people at a global level in a law enforcement atmosphere.
Career Goal
As a career goal, I hope to become an Immigration and Customs Officer
through the Department of Homeland Security. I would like to specialize in human
trafficking. I plan to begin my journey through the Washington Program in National
Issues program at Kent State. WPNI is an internship program that is organized
through the Political Science department. I plan to take an internship through them
with a federal office such as Homeland Security or a house or senate committee for
national security. After obtaining an internship, my goal is to be extended a job offer
after my internship is completed in the spring of 2014. I hope to gain knowledge and
skills through my internship to continue my way up the ladder of chain of command
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in the department. With my duel degree, I plan to gain knowledge that will put
myself above other applicants through the interview and hiring processes as well.

Career Description
The Department of Homeland Security was instilled into our government
only eleven days after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The department
was in command of the national security of the nation and to prevent future attacks
on the United States of America (Homeland Security, 2011). The mission statement
of the department as a whole stands as, Ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and
resilient afainst terrosism and other hazoards. Our efforst are supported by an ever-
expanding set of partners. Our durues are wide-randing, but our goal is clear: a
safer, more secure America. As Homeland Security has grown, specialized
departments have developed. Those departments consist of topics such as,
academic engagement, counterterrosism, preparedeness, and immigration
(Homeland Security, 2011).
The department that I conducted my research on is, the United States
Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE was created in 2003
and has now exspanded to employ over twenty-thousand employees in all fifty
states and also forty-seven foreign nations (ICE Office of Public Affairs, 2011) . ICE
has their own mission statement separate from Homeland Security as a whole, this
reads as, To promore homeland security and public safety through the criminal and
civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and
immigraion.
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Within the department of Immigration and Customs Enforment there are six
different broad occupations you can obtain. These consist of a deportation officer,
detention and deportation officer, HSI special agent, immigration enformcement
agent, itelligence careers, and investigation support postions. As a deportation
office, you will preform research for case by case matters of deportation. The
officers help attotneys with the cases in court as well. The officer work close with
federal officials to locate, arrest, and process illegal immigrants. In this field the
officer will work with criminal and non-criminal beings. A occupation very simular
to the Deportation Officer is the Detention and Deportation Officer. The DDO is
responsible for organizing the removal events of the illegal immigrants. They are
involved in long term planning and guidence of removal operations and policies.
Another occupation is a Homeland Securoity Invesigator Special Agent. These
agents investigate the criminal activity. They handle criminal and civil occurances
that involve anything to do with national security threats, terrorism, drugs, child
exploitation, human trafficking, illegal arms, finacial crimes, ruad, and much more.
Anything that involves investigation is something that a HSI Special Agent is
involved within. An Immigration Enforcement Agent are those who are involved
with investigation, identification, arrest, presecution, detention, and deportation of
illegal immigrants. An intelligence Officer is ressponsible for analzying and the
preperation of products that any ICE department will be using. Their epartment is
on a large scale of what the department needs as a whole. And the last broad
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occupation is that of an Investiations Support position. These category has
occupations such as auditors, criinal research specialists, investigative assistants,
mission support specialists, and technical enforcement officers (ICE Office of Public
Affairs, 2011) (Bureau of Public Affairs).
All of these careers play important part in
protecting our country as a whole. The
chart below displays the way that the
Department of Homeland Secuiry
catecorgizes our state of emercency of
security level.

(http://lurkertech.com/threat-chart/threatchart.png)

Requirements
A federal governement law enforcement career requires more than the
avaerage law enforcment occupation. My requirement research was conduct on the
career of a Special Agent. I plan to work as an HIS Special Agent, so the reseach was
applicable. The applicant must obtain at least a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice.
You must have United States citizenship to apply for a Homeland Secuirty position.
Applicants must undergo intensive background investigation of criminal actiivty,
credit, records, family members, international aquaintanes, and much more (Jone,
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OFFICER


2006). You must be atleast twenty when you apply and twenty-one when you are
hired. The applicant has until their thirty-seventh birthday to apply for an
occupation as a Special Agent. Along with the entensive background investigation,
the applicant is required to complete an writen,oral, and physical fitness
assessments. A drivers licsens is requird, the ability to use and carry firearms, and
the ability to accept world travel and constant assigment changes. A foreign
language is recommended by not required of the occupation as well (Bureau of
Public Affairs).
Salary
According to a state governement website about special agent salary and
benefits have starting salaries between $37,000 to $51,000. This range is
determinded by different factors. Location of the assignment, qualitifications and
requirements of the job will determine the salary. Law Enforcement Availability
Pay, LEAP, is a pay increase that agents can obtain by completing additional training
(Bureau of Public Affairs). Different occuptions within the department have various
entry level and peak salaries. These numbers flucuate from low $30,000 to $175,000
plus (Criminal Justice School Info, 2012).
Fit with my Major
Homeland Secuirty officers require law enforcment background and
knowledge along with effective communication skills. Special Agents require a
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deeper knowledge of both subjects. Being a Criminlogy and Justice Studies and also
a Global Communication major, I feel I am on a track to success.
A Special Agent requires the adjustment to traveling acorss country and the
world. Global Communication requires me to study aborad. In the fall of 2012, I will
be spending my semester abraod in Italy. Along with the required study abroad
experience, all of my classes are on a globally based scale. I am required to learn a
language. Although thisnt isnt a job requrirement, it is suggested and can only make
yourself more vauable and more qualified for the position. I have taken a semester
of Arabic and I plan to take Italian through Intermediate II. Beining able to
communication in general is a crutial quality to in the law enforcement field. You
must beable to communication with the public, co-workers, higher ranks, and
internationally through assignments. In a legalist occupation, you are dealing with a
person in every aspect of the job. Some concentration classes I will be be taking
toward my degree are Gender Communication, Organizational Communication,
Language, Meaning and Cognition, and Communicaion, Aging and Culture. Through
these classes, I plan to be knowledgable interpersonal communication. I personally
believe that having a cultureal background can only benefit myself and make me
grow not only through my career but as a well rounded individual
(Kent State University, 2012).
Along with communication, I am majoring inCriminology and Justice Studies. I
have not declared my concentration, however I am leaning towards a Justice and
Human Relations concentration. This speacializes in fields as social
work,counseling, clinical psychology, vicimonly, victim advocacy, juvenile justice,
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public/community trlations in criminal justie, community organizing, diversity or
soail justice; interdisplinaty traing and/or specialized graduate training. The
courses I will take for this degree with be that of Immigtation: Law,Crime and
Justice, Human Service Agencies and the Law, Constitutaional Law: Civil Rights and
Liberties, Crisis Intervention and Inequality in Societies. This course will be very
benfefical in being knowlefebale in Justice Studies topics that pertain to a
governmental occupation rather than just a local policing job (Kent State , 2011).
Fit With My Personal Charactertistics
Coming into college I was not posatie what I wanted to do with my life. I was
always told I was able to do whatever I put my mind to and I feel as if I am persuing
that goal of being what I want to be. I did not start out with these majors like I said
before, however that was only because I didnt think I wanted to work in the law
enforcement agency and pursue the Law and Order life style. Crime has always
been an interest of mine and now since I am older and a little more knowlegable so
it making a different not only in my local community but at a global level as well.
That being said, I have conducted multiple personality and skill analyzation tests.
The tests that I have partaken in come back with results of my strenghts,
weakenesses, and profession suggestions.
A primary interest test that I took on myplan.com gave me results of having an
enterprising personality. The description stated, Enterprising people are ambitious
and competitive. They like to sell and there good at it; they can be very persuasie.
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Enterprsiing people are usually good at public speaking. They are leaders through
power of the own initate, perseverance and confidence. I find this entry very
accurate with myself. I am a very self driven indiviual and strive off my ambitions in
life. I do not like to fail and I work hard to reach the results that I desire (MyPlan,
2012). I also conducted an interview with a Communications professor, Carol
Savery. The words Professor Savory had to offer about personal traits were, The
words people would use to describe you are, ambitious, optimistic, competitive,
persuasive, adventurous, confident, assertive, and sociable (Savory, 2012).
After reading the different results and Professor Savorys perspective of my
work ethic and personality, I couldnt have asked for a different combination that
would fit my career choice more perfectly.
My Personal Plan to Reach My Career Goal
My plan to reach my career goal starts here at Kent State University. I need to
finish my degrees in the next four semesters. I need to get myself in phycial shape to
pass the fitness exams as well. After going to Italy, my next step in my carreer plan
is to apply for internips and interview for the Washington Program. I plan to be
accepted into the program, find my dream intership, and be offered a job after I had
completed the program. I would then start a career and lifesytle in Washington D.C.
Back-up Plan
If my Washinton Program internship and job offer does not fall through, I will come
back to ohio and start searching for internships or job openings in the legal system
occupations. I also have a passion for working and helping children. I may start out
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in a juvenilee detention center and obtain some expereince before applying for a
position through the Department of Homeland Security.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I will eventually get when I want to be. I am the type of person who
doesnt let other people write my story. Im not posative where I will end up in life
but I know that I will be striving for a career that I want to walk into the office and
say I love my job. I think the future has a lot instore for me and he is just waiting on
me to get there. I will continue my pursuet to become a federal officer.

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Works Cited
(n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://lurkertech.com/threat-
chart/threatchart.png

Boadamer, T. (2012). Job Requirments for Homeland Security. Retrieved April 24,
2012, from eHow: http://www.ehow.com/list_7261323_job-requirements-
homeland-security.html

Bureau of Public Affairs. (n.d.). Special Agents. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from U.S.
Department of State: http://www.state.gov/m/ds/career/c8853.htm

Criminal Justice School Info. (2012). Criminal Justice School Info. Retrieved April25
2012, from Salary for Jobs in Homeland Security:
http://www.criminaljusticeschoolinfo.com/salary-for-jobs-in-homeland-
security.html

ICE Office of Public Affairs. (2011, June). Overview. Retrieved April 24, 2012, from
ICE: http://www.ice.gov/about/overview/

Jone, E. (2006). Careers in homeland security. Retrieved April 24, 2012, from
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2006/summer/art01.pdf

Kent State . (2011). Roadmap: Criminology and Justice Studies. Retrieved April 25,
2012, from Justice and Human Relations:
http://provostdata.kent.edu/roadmapweb/2011/ASBACRJUJAHR.pdf

Kent State University. (2012). College of Communication and Information. Retrieved
April 25, 2012, from Global Communication:
http://www.kent.edu/catalog/2011/collegesprograms/ci/ug/comm.cfm

Savory, C. (2012, March 28). Personality Traits. (K. Durkin, Interviewer) Kent, OH,
USA.

Security, U. D. (2011, June 6). Creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
Retrieved April 24, 2012, from Homeland Security:
http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/history/gc_1297963906741.shtm