I graduated a federal agency academy at 39. Don’t rush into it. As suggested earlier, really do your homework on all of the agencies and what they have to offer.
I graduated a federal agency academy at 39. Don’t rush into it. As suggested earlier, really do your homework on all of the agencies and what they have to offer.
go talk to - somehow, this may be harder than you think - at least one, street-level agent/investigator/operator in as candid a setting as possible. the FBI guy i talked with met me at a nice lunch, him wearing a suit. for the DEA meet (hardest to set up and make happen) we went full-up tradecraft: far recognition signal, close signal, etc to the point of seeming to be like in a movie. guy established quickly that no, this was not theatrical bullshit but how things were if...
talked to a CIA guy - most arrogant - through a cut out; best process, though, for having retired senior agents pick your brain when i got past the gate keeper. CBP guys were the best culture-wise with the poorest pay by far. they were very interested that already had a DLAB score and could ride a horse (though not like some of those guys)
but the cultures of all of these agencies are very different. you're talking about a big change and to no small extent starting over: exciting yet daunting decisions
all the very best in this, though
IDK if federal LE is a terribly great option if you're trying to settle down based on where your wife is. Most 1811 jobs require a mobility agreement, and even if it's a gig where you don't have to move around, you still have to get past the initial assignment which probably won't be wherever her residency is. OIGs recruit/hire into specific locations, but outside that it's a crap shoot and you may be spending the first half of your career trying to get back to where you wife wants to be (or where she stayed the entire time while you left to be a fed).
I would not underestimate the professional and personal ties that your wife is going to develop as a doctor. Moving, even once every 6 years, could be catastrophic if it doesn't line up with what's going on in her career.
If you/she has a strong desire to live in the DC area, that can open up some interesting, unconventional opportunities that aren't readily apparent. Where's she looking to go?
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
when i talked to an actual agent about assignments versus policies the guy (FBI) said to me, "well, based on the needs of the bureau..." in response to my question about assignments, mobility, etc. i almost puked since i'd heard that phrase so often from the army to justify their latest decision to make me a sex toy in a subsequent assignment. hmmm, no thanks....
much of your first year on this new azimuth you're researching may have you TDY any how. which agencies PCS their new agents with their family to shorter-than-six-month schools? maybe you can dodge an assignment bullet while your wife finishes med school and you're living on per diem somewhere going through someone's "basic school."
don't know about nowadays, but maybe there are other, follow-on schools after "the" basic course it makes sense to go to for you NOW. like other agencies/organizations you don't belong to this office or that until you sign in. if a gaining office supports your effort to go to a shooter-looter course or other skill-producing course on the agencies nickel rather than the gaining offices' that seems like a no brainer
just some thoughts
Always remember...never put your first choice for a post of duty first on your list. Bury it no higher than second or third to ensure you have a chance.
I remember using this ploy very early in my career while still working in NYC. They asked where I wanted to be assigned and I put in a satellite office in the "baddest part of town"...
...Naturally they apologized for not being able to fulfill my request and actually ended up sending me where I had wanted to go all along.
Well, that’s the truth, though.
You rank the 56 field offices on your “dream sheet” or whatever they call it now, and then it’s up to the Bureau. I know an agent that got his 9th choice...that’s the best I know of. I know another agent that got his 37th choice. It just depends. Of course, you just get to rank the field office, you could still be assigned to a RA (smaller satellite office) in another location.
Every now and then, they start talking about letting new agents be assigned to the office they processed out of. That got some traction under Comey, until things went downhill for him. I’ve heard more talk about it recently, though, because of something to do with moving expenses/taxes.
I don't know anything about LE, but if she is going into her final year of medical school (assuming she is 1/2 way through her 3rd year) that means she will be applying to residency this summer. It sounds like she is no longer in the Army so assuming she is not doing military match.
She probably has already told you this, but the residency match is an unpredictable and legally binding process. She will interview at X number of programs, rank order them by preference, and a computer in Washington will spit out an envelope that will tell her exactly where and when she has to start her residency training.
If you haven't yet, I would definitely talk to her now about where she is thinking about applying. This will be influenced by what specialty she chooses and what kind of training program she is looking for (i.e. academic vs. community). Depending on her performance in school and how competitive her specialty/residency desires are, she may be more or less restricted by geography. It's easy to negatively select against areas of the country by not applying to programs in those regions, but beyond that it is a crap shoot.
All this to say that her next step will be just as complex as yours (if not moreso), assuming you leave the military for federal LE. If you haven't yet, I'd have this conversation now and make sure it is an ongoing conversation. The match is tough for most couples already, so be proactive about being a part of the process as you navigate your own career choices as well.
I'll second the advice that federal LE might not be the best bet if you're looking for geographic stability over the long term. I know the #1 reason why agents LEAVE my agency is because of our "heavy" mobility requirement (2-3 PCSs in 20 years doesn't sound onerous to a guy who has moved 11 times in 33 years). Take a hard look at who you want to work for and be realistic about your appetite to move - PLEASE don't be "that guy" who hires on, works a couple of years then quits when the time to move comes.
Having said all that, there are plenty of Federal agencies that I know of that have little to no mobility, who, in fact, discourage PCSing because of the costs involved in moving a civilian federal employee. Off the top of my head, I know DCIS, CID (Major Procurement Fraud Unit civilians), EPA OIG, Commerce OIG, and several others don't move their agents after hiring on.
On the question of timing, 37 years old is a hard cap to get into a LE retirement covered position; UNLESS the hiring agency grants a waiver to 40. It's about the retirement system more than anything else. For a while after 9/11 when everyone was all "yay military - HOOAH!" most agencies were giving these waivers as a matter of course, while, last time I checked, very few were granting the waivers anymore. There's politics involved here, Federal LE get a higher base pension and increased Social Security supplements because of mandatory early retirement. The mandatory requirement is based on the "rigorous" physical requirement of Federal LE - if too many agencies are keeping folks on until 60, there's a danger that the Congress critters who constantly vote themselves pay raises will do away with the better retirement system for LE...
In any event, best of luck to you in the future, and to your better half with her med school graduation and residency!
If you like Texas, seriously look at DPS. Being a road troop first for 4-5 years may not sound like a ton of fun, but it could be. Given the right location you might enjoy it, and it will make you a great cop if you allow it. I tell you these thing from observing others and my own mistakes of not challenging myself more and pursing better career options. I am blessed, but I also recognize the reality of some wrong decisions career wise.
Last I knew, it was not too difficult to get an assignment to a location you desired. I think they may have to do border duty every so often, but that too would be a great experience.
Give a DPS recruiter a call and just see what they have to say.
I went local after my hitch in the army. I have friends that went federal, FBI, DEA, SS and DSS. None of them are really happy. They work more than 40 hours a week and have to worry about being moved or sent on assignments. It’s kind like being in the military but worse. Their wives are constantly pissed. I would talk to the wife about future plans and locations. Kids? Family life? Honestly I would look at local LE or better yet go into the business world. Join the guard for laughs and the retirement. I think you would be really bored in LE (I was)