So, You Want to Become an NCIS Agent?

Your age: You must not have reached 37 years of age.

Your education: You must have an accredited baccalaureate degree.

Your eyesight: You must have vision correctable to 20/20 with normal color vision.

Your citizenship: You must be a U.S.-born or naturalized U.S. citizen.

Your background: You must pass a background suitability screening.

No, you don't need to join the Navy in order to become qualified for a career as a NCIS special agent. NCIS agents are civilians, not members of the military.

What else matters? Considering the competition for NCIS jobs, consider additional coursework in computer forensics (to fight cybercrime) or foreign languages. In addition, consider a few years on the beat as a police officer, sheriff, or highway patrol officer.

Becoming an NCIS agent has its perks. It also has its downsides, too. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of a career as an NCIS agent.

Pros of an NCIS career

• Good pay and benefits


• Respectable career


• You get to bust bad guys


• Cool badge


• Travel opportunities


• Challenging cases

Cons of an NCIS Career

• Military lifestyle with stints overseas and frequent transfers


• Until the TV show, NCIS, no one really understood what you do for a living


• Government bureaucracy

When is a military brat not a brat? When the brat's mother or father is an NCIS agent! Like military brats, the kids of NCIS agents are forced to move and move often. Locations range from Navy and Marine bases located throughout the states, a stint at headquarters in Washington, D.C, and more exotic locations such as Japan, Guam, Diego Garcia, or Okinawa. If the U.S. has a naval base in a foreign country, you can bet the U.S. also has a team of NCIS agents working there.

Most of the time, NCIS agents move to these locations, bringing their entire families with them. Exceptions inlcude shorter assignments, assignments aboard ships and in high-risk areas. Because NCIS agents are civilians, their children are not military brats per se. However, the experience is the same. NCIS agents and their families have military base privileges, with some even living in military housing. They move every few years from one base to another, often located across the country or on the other side of the globe.

This lifestyle is tough on families, but it is also incredible. If you're considering a career as an NCIS agent, it's important to consider the impact of frequent moves and overseas stints on your family. When you do relocate, experience your new community to its fullest and encourage your family to do the same. Interact with the locals and consider living off base. This is an opportunity that your family may come to love if you take the time to fall in love with your new home. It's hard moving, but enjoying your time while you can is a gift in itself.

Many military and NCIS brats have grown up with a profound respect for the peoples of the world thanks to growing up in these unique places.