So what does being a background investigator translate to? I have found ONE topic and in reality, without a bunch of training (in IT) or whatnot there is nothing that even points in what direction?
I will say I am good at my job, I just hate it now. It is work-until-you-break-but-don’t-expect-a-reward type environment now and I just cant do it. Work life balance is out of the window, and the stress is too much (I know you were on vacation for a week, but you should be able to transmit every item you did not transmit last week, this week on top of your daily transmissions…type of stress)
How do you know where to go? Remote or a serious hybrid is a REQUIREMENT and honestly the flex schedule is the only reason I have stayed the past few months (disabled family members) because the pay is ok, but not for all the extra.
Many folks talk about going into IT or going into personnel security or going to the feds (if you are a contractor). I think the skills we picked up from being an investigator can definitely help in those fields and also other fields.
(Actually, I also think that at this point, we arent learning or developing any skills. Its really just asking people the same questions over and over again and kind of filling out a check list of questions)
Other than personnel security or going federal, I personally do not think there is any other possibilities. Just have to bite the bullet and make a career change into IT or something else. It helps when you are young to get out of background investigations cuz the longer you stay…the possibility of jumping ship will pass you by. and then you are stuck in the same career doing the same stuff every single day and the bullcrap environments you are experiencing, will continue to happen every 1-2 years.
Best of luck.
I was an investigator for close to 18 years. I ended up hating the job and what it was doing to me.
I went into sales, and have been making close to 3x my old salary and I’m much happier. Good investigators have allot of transferable skills. It just takes the guts to make the change.
I posted a breakdown of post-BI career paths in the “CACI Bit Off More Than They Can Chew” thread that you may or may not find useful.
It’s important to understand and accept that most of the career paths (outside of becoming a gold-badged federal BI) will require re-skilling or some degree of training. This is what I did.
Home remodeling.
I sell roofs, siding, insulation, entryway doors and windows.
It’s fun, I make great money, but best of all, When I go home, I’m not working. No typing.
I did read through it. The problem is, technically the only qualifications I ever had to be a FI is 1. I am nosey 2. I am friendly 3. I type fast 4. I am articulate and 5. I have a bachelors degree.
I have no idea how some of y’all can do this for 10, 15, 20+ years. Even before COVID I was sick of the job and now the back and forth of the contracts and the to hell with your sanity/family/mental health/free time/etc attitude has secured my “I need a new job”
My problem is, like previously mentioned - I need the flexibility.
If I have a sick kid, I need to be able to only type that day and then do something else another day, or be able to jump and go when my kid decides to fall and break his arm at school () and just work whatever I miss on a weekend, or work late typing one day.
Everything I have found is call center type, or, my new favorite “Entry level–must have a Phd with 3 years experience, bachelors with 5 years experience or associates with 8 years experience…”
I have 2 degrees, but I feel like I have been a BI for so long, that they are basically worthless pieces of paper at this point, since the only ting I do that is remotely close to my education is reviewing a CBR (I have looked into financial crimes investigation and AML, but they all want entry level certifications or 10 years experience for 32k a year)
I have mentioned this before. I moved on after years of BI. What to do, go find something else
It doesn’t have to be the best job, but pick up some certs, do some online training, you can find a lot on LinkedIn abs I’m sure you local CC has some to offer. Better yourself and move on.
Human resources, recruiter, substitute teacher, records administrator at a law enforcement agency, security officer, customer service rep., lots of opportunities for nosy chatty people.
I ended up leaving the BI field for IT/Cybersecurity. Easily 2 - 3x the pay especially since you can use your clearance to your advantage since a lot of these contracting companies are trying to fill IT and cybersec roles as quick as possible. A lot less stress too and I still get to work remotely about 75% of the time
I went from making $17.34 an hour with perspecta to around $35 an hour once I got a couple of IT certs (a+, net+, sec+) and got my first IT contracting job for a DoD contractor. I spent less than a year in that job and got one that’s strictly cybersecurity, so I’m doing even better now pay wise.
I would avoid the personnel security route, most of those jobs barely pay 40 - 50k it seems like.
) and just work whatever I miss on a weekend, or work late typing one day.