The FBI, or Federal Bureau of Investigations, is one of the country's most prestigious and elite forces of crime fighters. FBI agents work diligently to protect the safety and best interests of the United States government and its people. It takes years of training, education, and hands on experience to become a full-fledged FBI agent. Many of the top agents have served for years in lesser positions until they're deemed fit to wear an FBI badge. A career with the FBI is ever changing, exciting, and always a learning experience. Those who join the FBI become part of an important team of people whose job it is to protect and defend the US and its safety.

There are many different career options within the FBI. Homeland security has quickly become an important sector of tactical personnel for the FBI. People who work in this section of the FBI are required to undergo very stringent background checks in order to obtain a security clearance. Once clearance has been granted, homeland security agents can be assigned to any number of places, including overseas. Their job is to ensure that terrorism, both foreign and domestic, is prevented. They must be sure that there are no foreign entities attempting to harm the United States in any way. It is a very detailed job with a lot of requirements, but the reward is in knowing that our nation is protected.

Some other careers within the FBI include working side by side with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) to prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country. They also work with the DEA inside the US to keep watch over drug distribution and crime rings. White collar crime is investigated by the FBI. Crimes related to financial matters and government matters are investigated. Civil rights violations, organized crime, kidnapping, and any kind of federal law or statute that can be broken is watched over by the FBI.

All FBI agents must not only pass a drug and background check, but a physical test also. Since agents and other workers within the FBI can be required to run great distances to catch up with criminals, and to be able to shoot a gun safely and accurately, physical fitness is very important. Some examples of the physical fitness test include number of sit ups in one minute, a 300 meter sprint (which is timed), number of push ups per minute, and a timed 1.5 mile run. Women and men are judged differently and on a scale specific to FBI requirements.

Hostage rescue teams are another part of the FBI. These elite teams must know how to deal with hostage takers and understand how to get victims out of their grasp quickly and efficiently. A good knowledge of several foreign languages is helpful, since the FBI deals with people on an international level in many cases. There is a female special agent force squad, which consists of all females. These women are special agents, and perform investigations, speak to witnesses, and compile evidence. All employees are typically routed to one of the FBI's 56 different field offices across the country. Where an agent gets assigned depends on the locations' needs. After about 3 years, an agent can then request either a transfer or apply for a different position within the FBI.