TSA career - Research Paper Example

Section/# Transportation Security Administration The current era has created a prescient need for a further layer of protective security with regards to air travel. Since the events of September 11th, 2001 have ushered in a new era of terrorism and global security concerns, entities such as the Transportation Security Administration have been necessary to safeguard the millions of passengers that transit through or depart from airports within the United States or her territories. This brief analysis essay will seek to enumerate upon the types of security threats faced by professionals in this line of work, how these security threats are handled, the level of training necessary for such a job, which licenses or certificates are required, the existence of continuing education, and the extent to which professional development organizations for such a career exist.

Firstly, with respect to the type of threats that a practitioner of this profession might encounter, they can of course be concentric upon having the potential to directly serve in the front lines of the fight against terrorism. As such, but a few potential threats that a practitioner might encounter would be concentric upon discovering explosives, weaponry, dealing with dangerous individuals, and seeking to placate unruly and/or frustrated passengers that are aggravated by the delays and inconveniences caused by the necessity to painstakingly check all passengers and carryon luggage.

With respect to how a person in such a line of work addresses such security threats, the answer to such a question segues nicely into the third question regarding what training is necessitated to become a TSA agent. In order to equip the applicants with the level of expertise they will need in order to perform the functions of their job, the TSA training regimen requires that all students graduate from a mandatory 1-2 weeks of classroom instruction as well as participate in between 2-3 weeks of OTJ training overseen by a supervisor (Airport Security Careers 2012).

However, like many federal positions, training is not something that is merely given at the outset of the career; rather, it is ongoing and requires constant metrics to be met through continuing education. Similarly, certificates of completion of the training and continuing education are constantly tracked. However, before starting one’s career as a TSA agent, it is necessary for one to successfully complete a background examination and credit history verification to ensure that the applicant has their financial affairs in order and does not have any particular security concerns that could affect their performance or likelihood that they could be blackmailed into revealing key operational procedures.

The Department of Homeland Security, which is over the Transportation Safety Administration, offers a job coaching and guidance portal through which all TSA employees are encouraged to participate in and engage (DHS Coaching 2009). As a function of this participation, it is the stated goal of DHS to provide a unique and specific experience to the employee as a means to better their own professional development as well as hone and direct their energies to the ways in which they can prove to be a more valuable asset for the TSA.

ReferenceAirport Security Careers | Transportation Security Administration. (2012, April 15). Transportation Security Administration. Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://www.tsa.gov/careers/airport-security-careersDHS Coaching. (2009, July 7). - TSA Career Coaching Service. Retrieved  25, 2012, from http://tsacareercoaching.tsa.dhs.gov/index.php/july-2009/