Counterintelligence Agents, does the job get better?

2018-05-31T15:27:29-04:00

My question is, did your first term as an agent not live up to the hype, if so did your second or third enlistment get better? Did you notice if the agents who didn’t go to 35L schools were more jaded or if extra training or special duty stations had no effect on whether they enjoyed the job or not?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2018 10:23 PM

2018-05-31T22:23:11-04:00

It’s all about the place you are at, and the system you are working in. It ebbs and flows. The closer to syeategic you can get the better it becomes, the closer to tactical the less chance you will be used in a role that is in keeping with CI at its core.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2018 3:50 AM

2018-06-01T03:50:41-04:00

The popular CI answer: "It depends".

If you're disgruntled because you didn't get enough advanced schooling, you're probably not selling yourself to your command like you should be, or you are not fighting for the right assignments that will get you to those schools. I know guys who haven't done any schools and they like just being a 9-5 field agent. I know guys who can't stand the thought of working in a field office and stay in operational roles. The good thing about this job is that there are at least four career tracks you can pursue: Cyber, TSCM, GS, and regular career NCO (1SG/SGM). Within those career tracks, you can do a lot of different things associated with them. It's OK to not know what you want to do right away. I've been doing this for six years and I still have no clue what is more appealing to me yet.

Response by SSG Robert Reynolds made Jun 2 at 2018 10:21 AM

2018-06-02T10:21:47-04:00

Much of my time as a 35L was in a BCT. Outside of TARP, there was not much of a call for me to be there. Before I got out, I encountered a new OIC who was strongly interested in using all his assets for what they were meant for and if I stayed, I could have been in a favorable position even if it was a BCT. I was often told I wasn't "selling myself" correctly but that only gets you so far. I succeeded in getting what I hoped for in what may have been a good understanding but it took me over 2 years to get there. I set my goal to ensure if I ever did get a replacement, he or she would be successful and I called it a day.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2020 4:18 PM

2020-02-25T16:18:58-05:00

VERY few things live up to the hype.
You get out what you put in.
Make the most of it, there are some of us than envy ya.