The events of 9/11 and their aftermath have done a lot to affect the ways things are done on a daily basis in the United States. Perhaps like few times in the nation’s history Americans are looking to those with very specialized training to keep them safe, even with the perilous threats they find at seemingly every corner. It is for this reason and more than US News and World Report calls homeland security one of the more forward looking careers available today, one that shows no sign of letting up in demand. In fact, the reverse is true. Positions can’t be filled fast enough, regardless of the level of need.
Diverse Careers, Diverse Requirements
Perhaps like few careers in the past, homeland security careers are very diverse in order to accommodate the wide range of unique requirements of each position. These include, but are not limited to airport screening agents, security analysts, police officers, border patrol agents, air marshals and many others. Because of this diverse number of positions, the unique job requirements for each position to fill has its own skill sets. Those with interests in these careers must have backgrounds in not only criminal justice, but emergency management, terrorism, public safety, and more. And this does not even count the more specialty focus positions such as those that use computer skills and others.
Dealing with the Issues
The homeland security field is as demanding as it is unpredictable. And for this reason colleges and universities have responded with a wide variety of coursework that is available for online learning. Coursework that is common for online degrees include those such as international terrorism, crime and drugs, risk analysis, natural disaster management, the psychology of terrorism, and inter agency communications. Since the issue of terrorism and homeland security has only recently and most dramatically come on the scene only a few years ago, those responsible for implementing programs to protect the public are having to create appropriate jobs and fill them with qualified people in order to make an effective difference.
The tactics used by terrorists and those who facilitate them are constantly changing, and for that reason those who are trained to deal with them are also having to change their methods of dealing with them to be effective. Online learning institutions have responded en mass to this situation by offering not only many excellent courses, but these are taught by very well qualified instructors who are experts in the fields they teach. Fortunately, at least to a large degree, the phenomenon of online educations have responded quickly to the demand for trained people to take roles in the homeland security field.
Ample Rewards
You cannot ask anyone to take on such a demanding and sensitive role without compensating them fairly. For that reason, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many of the jobs being created in the homeland security field pay very well, from $ 55,000 per year for police officers to more than $ 135,000 for security program analysts.
Fortunately, as diverse as the field of homeland security is, it is also benefiting by institutions nationwide that are offering these programs to students both traditionally as well as online. This benefits those who wish to take coursework in an online setting as well as complimenting with a traditional setting.
