Browsing through the website of the Central Intelligence Agency, you will find a tab that leads to career and internship opportunities with the much-renowned agency. You may browse jobs by category, see student opportunities, and learn the application process. The website states that the CIA, as the premier agency tasked to protect the national security of the United States and provide global intel, has virtually all jobs imaginable, plus those unimaginable ones.
The agency does provide a fair warning that their application and selection processes are lengthy and grueling. You can surmise that theirs is not the cut-and-dried application process we are all familiar with.
Did you always know that you may apply to become an intel agent?
Some of us probably always thought that agents—spies—are hired in the most unusual of ways. Thanks to books and movies, the usual preconceived notion is that agencies like the CIA seek for individuals with unique set of skills, low to zero liability, IQ and EQ above the regular man or woman, among other qualifications. These individuals then go through training like no other.
Think Jason Borne or Ethan Hunt—that kind of Hollywood stuff. At one point or another, we probably thought CIA and other intelligence agencies hire like in movies, but the amazing truth is, anybody can apply for a position at these agencies.
No matter what the application process is like, it goes without saying that the men and women who will be successful at these agencies are not regular men and women. They are brave individuals who are willing to sacrifice even their lives for the sake of the nation. They are patriotic individuals who must see to the needs of the country and the demands of their job before they even think of themselves. They are men and women of intelligence, skills, and most of all, grit.
If you think you are that kind of person and working for the CIA seems like your dream job, feel free to visit the agency’s website.
