With today's difficult times, many people are unemployed and looking for work. However, some careers that continue to grow, even during difficult times, are those of security officer positions. Most anybody can become a security officer, as it does not require extensive education to become one. Thus, this is a terrific job for people looking for job security but do not want to spend a lot of time in college.

What Does it Take to Become a Security Officer?

While it is not required for security officers to possess any formal degrees, degrees can help broaden employment possibilities. College degrees show potential employers that applicants have skills such as leadership, problem solving and study skills essential to the job. Most security companies offer extensive guard training for new employees.

While training may vary from one company to another, it will typically involve such areas as customer service skills, patrol routes, surveillance and monitoring skills, physical violence training, and procedures to follow in difficult situations. Training may also involve other areas, depending upon what sector the company operates within. Those, who wish to become armed guards, will need to undergo weapons training as well.

Other Requirements to Become Security Officers

Before people can become security officers there are some minimum requirements that they must meet. One of these requirements is that they will need to submit to regular drug tests. They will also need to submit to a background check to ensure they do not have any past history of felonies. While it is not a requirement, it does help if applicants have some form of experience in law enforcement as well.

Where Can Security Officers Work?

There are many employment possibilities for people who want to work as security officers. While some of them choose to work for security companies that place them within various positions, others choose to work for individual employers. Some of the many places that employ these officers include museums, banks, concerts, festivals, government buildings and schools. Security officers can even work as private guards for famous or wealthy persons.

What Do Security Officers Do?

Security officers have risky jobs that can also be potentially dangerous. These officers have an extremely important role in making sure that people remain safe. Depending upon where they may choose to work, they will be protecting the welfare of either a whole business, a group of people or even an individual.

While the duties of security officers may vary significantly depending upon where they work, there are some common duties they must perform. They must observe any violations of rules, warning people and using force if necessary. They must also investigate any disturbances, and answer any alarms.

They need to make sure the premises are secure and alert the police if there are any unauthorized persons present. They must monitor entrances and exits of buildings and patrol the premises they are assigned to. They may also need to make use of metal detectors to scan people, guard against internal theft, and provide transportation security.

Security Officer's Salary

The salary of security officers can vary greatly depending upon many factors including location, education, experience and employer. However, the average salary for security officers, working for businesses or events, is about $24,000 to $38,000 per year.

Security officers, who choose to guard an individual, earn up to $40,000 per year, and those who choose to work in prisons earn about $32,000 to $36,000 per year. For those people, who are looking for a job that offers a comfortable salary and a bright outlook, careers in security are the perfect choice.

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