Welcome to the complete guide on How to Become a Detective. Being a detective is without a doubt an interesting career path, whether it’s as a homicide detective, police detective, private detective, intelligence detective (CIA and FBI), or forensic detective. Professional detectives earn a good salary and are generally well regarded in their communities. While detective work can be tedious and frustrating, it is ultimately rewarding when a tough case is solved and justice is served.

This site will show you the steps and guidelines for becoming the detective of your choice, as well as different tips and tricks the pros use.

How Do I Become A Detective? – Learn everything you need to know about being a detective, from early schooling to gaining the right experience, to training and finding your career.

Types Of Detectives - There are many different types of investigators and law enforcement jobs. Maybe you came here interested in becoming a cop or a private investigator and you want to learn what it takes to make the cut. See for yourself which career path makes sense for you!

Detective Salary - The average detective salary is $40,000 annually, but that covers a wide range. How much a detective earns is based on several key factors including: specialization (education, training, experience); type of agency (private, public, self-run); and geographical location.

The Steps To Becoming A Detective

In order to actually obtain a job as a detective one must first be a patrol officer and climb his/her way up the ranks. As a chance for a detective job opens up a patrol officer can test for a chance to obtain this job. So, we will start our journey to becoming a detective by first obtaining a job as a patrol officer.

The first step to becoming a detective starts with education. The amount of education that you must first have depends on the department you want to get a job at. Typically, larger departments require you to have 60 hours of college credit while smaller departments may not require you to have a college education. However, the detective job will most likely go to the person with the most education and experience under his/her belt. It is for this reason that we recommend that you obtain a college education.

Aspiring police detectives will undergo a certain amount of tests including: physical fitness, exams and psychological tests. If you do well on these tests and you have the credentials you will be accepted into the police department that you applied for. However, your journey is not over yet as you will be attending a 12 week police academy. Once you have completed all the training and applications you will become a police officer. From here you can work your way up the ranks to eventually become a detective by good on the job performance.Most departments require their applicants to be at least 20 years of age and also be U.S. citizens. It is also important that you have finished high school or earned a GED. If you are going to be applying at a large police department you will not get a job unless you have either an associates or bachelors degree in criminal justice. Although it is not a requirement, if you live in a multi-cultural area and are applying for a detective job it really helps to speak a second language.

Different Detective Careers

Remember, this site is so much more than just basic detective training. You will also find information on becoming a homicide detective, where investigators are responsible only for solving murders. Another problem solving career in high demand are forensic detectives (also known as crime scene investigators) who use their scientific knowledge to analyse crime scenes and evidence. Then there are the elite and highly esteemed FBI and CIA, both of which require a broad range of skills and educational backgrounds.

All of these investigative careers – from tracking down a runaway teen, to infiltrating a global terror network – demand ambitious, curious, problem-solving type people ready to take on whatever comes their way.