IS HOMELAND SECURITY A DANGEROUS CAREER FIELD?

Just going by its name, "Homeland Security" sounds like an inherently actionable and possibly quite dangerous career field. For those wanting to learn more about the careers within the Department of Homeland Security as well as the danger levels associated with them, we've got the scoop for you here. Read on as we dive into this mystique-surrounded government division.

Department Mission, Applications

To truly understand this department as well as the dangers encountered by those working in it, one should understand the department's overall mission and general applications in use. Per this department's name, it is the central government entity that focuses on security of the interior of the United States, the "Homeland". Perhaps the department's own statement as to its mission is the most effective:

"The Department of Homeland Security has a vital mission: to secure the nation from the many threats we face. This requires the dedication of more than 240,000 employees in jobs that range from aviation and border security to emergency response, from cybersecurity analyst to chemical facility inspector. Our duties are wide-ranging, and our goal is clear - keeping America safe".

In other words, the DHS is everywhere that a possible threat to the US may occur. This makes this particular department's range of applicability quite wide. This also gives us a hint as to the answer to the key question at hand regarding the jobs and dangers held within.

Diverse Jobs = Diverse Dangers

As we've gleaned so far, this department goes anywhere there is a possible domestic danger at hand. Per its own statement, these places and applications can range from chemical facilities oversight to cybersecurity, and emergency response. Herein lies the answer to our central question.

Due to such job diversity within this department, the dangers and the number of them also vary greatly depending on those kinds of jobs offered. An administrative worker deep within a secure DHS facility, for example, is probably much safer in their daily duties than some sort of DHS enforcement field agent. To really see this fluctuation in jobs and their attributed dangers within the DHS, we can look to some of the real-life operations run by them.

DHS Operations

Due to its overall mission, the DHS is actively involved with and oversees many other government entities with which you may already be familiar. These include US Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US Secret Service, and several others. To see a more complete list, click here.

From these associations, we can immediately deduce the wide range of jobs and their possible associated dangers. There are office workers, intel gatherers, field officers, IT workers, call-center workers, chemical inspectors, radiation site managers, and more. The jobs here are wide-ranging, and each has its own inherent dangers and perks. Those working to protect the border or to apprehend terror suspects are more in danger than those providing intel from a classified facility, for example. The possibilities go on and on, as you can probably imagine by now.

When it comes to a wide-ranging operation, the DHS is it. In order to keep America safe, lots of daily work in all sorts of environs and situations must be done around the clock. These are the basics of DHS wide-ranging applicability as well as the many endeavors, dangerous and not, that take place within. Careers in homeland security can be dangerous if you seek that kind of work, but if not, it has plenty of relatively safe positions to offer as well.

Related resource:

Top 19 Cheap Online Homeland Security Degree Programs