Security management is a fairly broad field, encompassing everything from security guard training and implementation of security policy to cybersecurity and policing. Many jobs and careers in security management are long-lived and well compensated with excellent benefits, according to the American Military University. Here, we’ll discuss five career paths available to job seekers with a degree in security management.
1. Information Systems Security
Information systems security involves security relating to sensitive or important information of all kinds, whether digital or file-based. Those who completed a concentration or double major in cybersecurity or systems administration would be ideally placed for this career path. Information systems security officers may pursue work with a wide variety of both public and private employers, including banks, city, state, and federal agencies, insurance companies, or cloud data storage vendors. Information systems security represents one of the best-paid specializations in security management.
2. Homeland Security
A career in homeland security is one of the most variable in the security management industry. Homeland security officers may oversee airspace security, information security, personnel security, or public systems and transportation security. Homeland security officers may specialize in one of several areas, such as government or transport security, and help to protect the general public against biological, chemical, technological, or weaponized attack.
3. Immigration and Customs
Immigration and customs agents may oversee a variety of tasks from clearing debarking passengers at airports and train stations to inspecting cargo. These agents must acquire expertise in immigration, trade, and maritime law in addition to a high degree of knowledge in security policy implementation and execution along with local, state, and federal statutes and regulations. Those in this field may work as border control agents, inspectors, K-9 agents, or import specialists, among other specializations.
4. Corrections Officer
Corrections officers may serve in prisons, juvenile detention centers, or other rehabilitative institutions such as sanitariums. Corrections officers may be responsible for overseeing the overall safety of inmates or patients, for enforcing safety and security policies, or for escorting inmates or patients from the institution to court dates, medical visits, work detail, and so forth. Correctional officers may also serve in police stations or local jails. While entry-level corrections officers receive lower pay than some other specializations, there is a definitive path for advancement to higher-paying jobs for those who are diligent, and for after their degree is complete if they are currently pursuing one.
5. Criminal Investigation
Criminal investigators may work with and for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. They will also work in tandem with district and state attorneys to recommend, advise against, or discuss prosecution dependent on their determination of whether or not a crime has or is believed to have taken place. Criminal investigators may collect evidence, analyze it, conduct interviews, or assist in surveillance of individuals of interest. Criminal investigators may work for local police forces, state police, or federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI or CIA.
Regardless of the job seekers specialization or particular aptitudes within the realm of security management, a wide array of jobs are available to those who hold a degree in security management or are currently pursuing one.
Related Resource: 5 Great Law Enforcement Careers
