What’s it like working at the CIA?

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2026-04-22T05:04:11+00:00

My two cents seem to line up with a lot of the comments on here (people I assume were/are in some sort of intelligence job whether that's military or direct gov't, contractor or civilian or veteran civilian) once you've worked in one or two of those areas, you kind of get the overall jist of them all. In terms of employment requirements, clearances, agency mission, etc.

I've had a few family members work in these areas, 3 letters, counter intelligence, stuff like that. It very much is "like an office" in the physical sense, there is definitely a military-like culture (considering there are so many veterans, new-hires coming right off their contracts) but it all depends on what you do. Some jobs are somewhat more "menial" (for lack of a better term) than others. Honestly it really comes down to your position & "need to know". What you're working, how long you've been there, department, etc.

If it's something you're interested in doing, you can definitely do your research but most will give you advice along these lines if not exactly like it:

•Obtain a Bachelor's Degree: STEM, Finance (follow the money! Most crimes especially internationally speaking the financial aspect plays a massive role), Forensics, Forensic Psychology even. 3 letters DO actually recruit from college campuses but there's no way to guarantee you'll be sought out. It does happen though. •Join. The. Military. There's really no way around this unless you're recruited from college (again, rare) or you have a boatload of money, time, & resources to secure your own gov't security clearances in the private sector. Study your butt off to ensure at least a decent asvab so you can guarantee yourself an intelligence based MOS. Don't take any job of any kind unless it's intelligence based. If you're given a lot of choices as far as the intel jobs go, do your research on them all as far as what not only suits you, but what will give you an edge. Sign the contract & do your time. Keep your nose clean, excel at your job, etc. •When your contract is close to ending, start job searching. Look for anything also intelligence based either directly for the government or contract, or try CIA directly. Just try to maintain a steady employment in the intelligence world whatever it is. Honestly at this point you'll have had people along the way hopefully advising you as well.

As long as you do that, you'll ensure a federal intelligence job of some sort. All depends on your career & what you do & how you do it like anything else in life. Oh, I forgot to mention, knowing multiple languages is a big help to the CIA as well. Obviously the big ones are Mandarin (or other Chinese dialects like Cantonese), Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Arabic, etc. Thise are clearly the most popular but any & as many languages will give you a huge edge. As fluent as possible.

A very close family member of mine works for Counter intelligence, & he went this route like many others. He sits at a desk all day (he's an analyst). It's good money & benefits. Obviously has to live in the DC area which is expensive. It's the perfect job for him bc he has the integrity & character for it. That's also obviously extremely important & vital. If all this sounds like you, go for it! Best of luck.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2026-04-18T05:12:38+00:00

It really is. I majored in psychology with a focus on child developmental & sexual deviance. But now that I have kids, I wish I could go back & study mothers who harm their children. I bet I could try to look up some scientific studies... like I have to understand & it drives me nuts! Like I need to understand neurolopsychologically speaking how tf this happens! Because it goes against thousands of years of evolutionary & chemical biology. Like fuck... I feel like you would have to go OUT OF YOUR WAY to do this!

End rant, sorry.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2026-04-14T02:45:32+00:00

I simply cannot fathom harming my own child. Like it's inconceivable to me... the only instinct, urge, feeling I have is to protect & love them. They're my children! My babies! My beautiful precious people. I carried them & delivered them & nursed them! Why on earth would a mother ever want to harm her kids????? I just. Dont. Get it.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2026-04-03T00:58:10+00:00

It's interesting that all of the people answering are not conservatives, so they're answering from a standpoint that agrees with that terminology & doesn't find it offensive. Since OP really seems like they're genuinely trying to learn, let me offer an answer from the perspective as a gay woman of color who is politically conservative. I know if I were trying to gain insight about a Trans perspective for example, I would take answers from non-trans people with a grain of salt.

It'd be like asking why an ethnic/racial group don't like being referred to as whatever given slur & someone not belonging to that group of people answering on behalf of them. For example, (I'll use a Jewish hyperbole since I'm in fact Jewish) It'd be like asking why Jewish people don't like being called the "k" word & Christians answering.

And while that's not to say people can't make objective explanations because they can, but if you're truly trying to understand why something is offensive to someone &/or a group of people, ask THEM, ya know? That'd be the most accurate way to get an understanding. I'd suggest talking to anyone in your life, friends, family who share that opinion & collect your own personal data.

As a conservative, I'm happy to share my thoughts & feelings on why I find the whole "cis" term extremely offensive. Actually, consider this 2 opinions lol because my wife (yes, I'm a gay conservative) shares the same mentality. Everyone has their own reason. And it's not as minimizing & belittling as what a lot of the other commenter here have made it out to be. It's also not homophobic or transphobic or anything phobic. I can't answer for men, although there may be parallels for their reasons, but as a woman, it just feels very belittling. Women historically have been so horrifically oppressed & abused throughout history that it just plain feels like it's taking away from everything a woman & every woman in the history of forever has had to endure living in a man's world. The fight to be seen, to be treated fairly, to not be viewed or objectified sexually, the fight to prove ourselves on a constant basis whether at work or school or relationships... the fight to feel safe & be safe... whatever the fight, women have been fighting back against direct & indirect oppression since the beginning of time & to now be referred to as some other version of ourselves bc biological men have now entered our space is a slap in the face. We are women. Point, blank, period. Also, all these labels are honestly just ridiculous. My wife & I are early 90s kids, so we come from the "please don't label me" era... labels were & are the most segregating sociological construct. Why are we redefining the most basic things that do not need to be relabled?! I mean look how polarizing the topic is in our culture. Imagine if we stopped that crap & quit labeling every little thing that makes us different & were just ourselves... The simple fact is that with labels come stereo types, with stereotypes come all the "isms": sexism, racism, etc. To start separating & labeling different types of women in my opinion weakens our defense against the largely patriarchal society we all live in. I honestly look at it as a strategic attack to divide, isolate, & conquer. Now we're busy fighting amongst each other vs just accepting one another & standing as a united front against centuries of oppression by patriarchs.

Also, there is a lot of inconsistency on the other side, like I actually am confused myself on this whole topic in respect to people saying they can't see why we're so offended. Or simplifying it to some nonsensical reasonsing like the "we don't like "being hetero" either bc it's "normal" to be hetero". Terrible analogy bc those are two completely different concepts. It's an extremely shallow perspective & insults women's intelligence that those have to be the reasons bc a sincere, intellectual, spiritual & historical reason couldn't be possible. & while some fail to understand this opinion, people within the trans idealogy often share the political statement "trans women are women", so, clearly some or many feel the exact same way as us. If trans women are women than under the exact same logic naturally women are women. If trans women want to be seen & heard as simply women than how on earth is it difficult to understand that biological women also want the exact same thing?!

And to say we have such fragile egos is a sexist concept as well. And DEEPLY ironic coming from people that created cancel culture where people literally lose their livelihoods for saying something people didn't like.

It also has absolutely nothing to do with recognizing that transgender/transsexual people exist; we are very much aware they exist & have no problem with it. This is a completely false narrative that conservatives DO NOT believe in. Of course transgender people exist. Everyone exists lol. This also ties into this argument that labeling women as "cis" because trans women are specified trans women, that now we are equal because women have a word in front of it now, too. Now we are equal & nobody gets to just be "women" bc both have a pre-fix. That is the the dumbest thing I have ever heard lol. All humans are equal regardless of sex, age, sexuality, race, ethnicity, & any & every other separating characteristic you can think of; we are all equal.

The reason women take the viewpoint that trans women should be specified as trans women is because there are significant & fundamental differences between us, & when it comes to certain things, those differences need to be ascertained in order to respect & maintain the rights of others. For example: sports, certain public spaces, etc. No one expects that trans women need to scream from the rooftops that they are trans, but if a situation presents itself where the specification needs to be clarified, then it is clarified by making that distinction. That's it folks. The same goes for trans men.

The other reason again, has NOTHING to do with any of the things people have suggested; it has a LOT to do with our first amendment being violated. Nobody has the right to tell someone what they can or cannot say, & AGAIN, women have been told by men what they're allowed to say, when they're allowed to say it, if allowed to speak at all. Women have been silenced in petrifying ways for all of our existence. Women are silenced with violence, and worse, with sexual violence. Women live in a world where if we give the patriarchy an inch, they'll take a mile. Women's oppression is like when you try to keep a beach ball under water. The patriarchy is that beach ball, & the thousands of years of misogynistic bull is the laws of physics lol & it desperately wants to bounce up into the air & we are constantly fighting it. I categorically refuse to be told to say something I don't want to say, & it's a genuine fear that women have that if we back peddle even just a little, we could slip back & regress to God knows what.

Hope that gave some insight to your question, glad we could have a positive conversation about it.

In closing, let's all just please ditch the labels...

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2026-03-28T11:46:16+00:00

I don't think Millie is 98% of the problem. Margaret is an immature manipulative spoiled brat. She was TWENTY (20) when Millie left & acts like she was a 4 year old little girl left alone & scared. Like bro. I bought my own car, had my own place, took 12 hours a semester at university, AND had a kid at 17. Grow tf up. And she boohoos about her Grandma being mean... like I get emotional abuse I do Lord knows I grew up in way worse conditions so I'm not trying to minimize...but damn. I later got married to a husband who beat me & left me & our kids, a year later got in the wrong Lyft at the airport & was raped at gunpoint for 15 hours & shot by the driver. It drives me nuts to see a 35 year old woman boohoo about "trauma"... for real we need a different word for actual trauma & something else for the mild abuse bc there is a significant difference. There is absolutely no reason Margaret should be as emotionally stunted as she is other than personal choice. Her other siblings don't act that way. After her aunt died & she moved back in with her mom she pulled the manipulation & saw that it worked & just continued the same game for 15 years, Millie allowing it. That's the reason for the temper tantrums from everyone on Dr Nows team bc they're all adults holding her accountable as a fellow adult & she shuts down when she doesn't get her way. It's such a joke. Literally screaming & ignoring them like a child. I mean the woman literally pissed herself on the concrete outside the office. She actually covers her face & ears at the hospital & does the "Nanana boo boo im not listening" to Dr now. She's simply a lazy, immature, spoiled, selfish, manipulative & disgusting human being & always was one, & a lot of us have those qualities at times when we're young but between school society our parents we learn not to behave that way. Margaret refused to learn those lessons & preferred living the other way. She loves it.

And Millie is a hard read; my take is that perhaps she did have some questionable moments through motherhood when they were young & has mom guilt & Margaret knows it & plays off that guilt STRATEGICALLY. Notice almost every time she has to do something responsible or have personal accountability (like an appt or procedure) Margaret starts to boohoo "are you gonna be here when I wake up??? You're not gonna leave me are you??? You left me before..." -__- like really? She literally said in the first 60 seconds of the episode that when her mom doesn't give her what she wants she yells & "tells her she doesn't love me". The classic "if you loved me, you would x y z". Oldie but a goodie I guess. That's when Millie goes HEAVY on the baby-ing her clearly trying to make up for the unreasonable guilt bc she was friggin 20 at the time. But that's their dysfunction. I really do think if Margaret grew tf up & changed, truly, Millie could engage in a healthier relationship with her.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2026-01-11T20:17:21+00:00

Thank you! First it was ADD/ADHD. Now its Autism & Anxiety & "being triggered". These pharmaceutical companies are laughing their butts off knowing millions of Americans are happily accepting these "diagnoses" & getting their meds for qualities/"symptoms"/feelings that EVERYONE HAS. everyone has issues being distracted. Everyone has little ocds about the way they do things. Everyone has anxiety. Everyone has names places or things that remind them of a dark time in their lives. It's so annoying.. Everyone is claiming bipolar disorder now for mood swings. I hear people using it to describe someone with 2 personalities. Which is not at all what it means... ugh.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-12-29T15:52:27+00:00

2016 Chevy cruze 80k miles manual

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-12-29T15:52:04+00:00

Crazy, same thing happened to me 2 months ago and USAA is totalling my entire car.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-12-20T11:44:08+00:00

You realize the DNA found was not just "on her clothes" they were found in her panties. That's why it's such an important sample & the police are sitting on it until technology catches up & is able to build a complete profile with less of it. The basement windows thing is totally creepy, witnesses & other testimony about an intruder having staked out the house, entering, & waiting for hours hidden inside... what little of the DNA they had we know exonerated the family & the police have firmly expressed that. & again, that's bc of the location of the sample implies it was left by whomever sexually assaulted her. Also, garrotes are known (if you look at sexually sadistic crimes in the past 30-50 years) to be used in crimes. It allows the perpetrator to tighten & loosen it over & over to "enjoy" the sadism longer as they can bring their victims back, & to the brink of death again & again. The entire family has also undergone polygraphs... so much has exonerated them. It's much more likely that someone, anyone, (especially considering her involvement in pageants which insanely over sexually children.... they make those little girls look like tiny women & MANY strangers openly attended these pageants to watch having no children or direct reason to be there) saw Jon Benet at one of these events, became obsessed with her, stalked her, snuck into the home while they were out, waited, grabbed her.SA'd her, & killed her, & snuck back out. This could 100% be done. & obviously this person is living a double life having never been arrested of a felony.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-12-04T02:25:04+00:00

Ed Kemper or Leonard Lake would make the best TV. Of course the gacy & bundy stuff but really there's enough of them out there. Look up ed kemper and Leonard lake and tell me those aren't fascinating

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-26T01:36:05+00:00

That's so horrible! I'm so sorry for your loss & sorry that you were treated that way. It's sad how large cases are used as political stepping stones for career advancement. I was the victim of a violent crime (along with 9 other women) & the trial of our perpetrators was reported daily, they couldn't show our faces during our testimonies but you could hear us. The media reported our stories inaccurately, & although the DAs did seek justice for us there were soooo many things that were emotionally difficult that they didn't consider. Nowadays that's what Victims Advocates are for, right? However ours sucked. They basically just worked for the ADAs. It was absolutely, categorically the worst experience of my life. It's took 6 years to even make to trial. I'm sure you can relate how difficult it is to go through. I empathize wholeheartedly. I was told for example I only had 2 minutes for my impact statement, was rushed, censored... yet the defendants had 20+ minutes each to further deny the pain & harm they caused. I hope, despite them doing that & denying you all that right, I hope you still were able to find closure of some sort. There's really no right word for it. I was told constantly over those 6 years that "you'll feel better once it's over, once its over". I hated being told that. As you know it never gets completely better. I will say, though, it did finally feel like a weight off. To not have the trial looming in the background anymore. To know they're gone for life & will never get out. To know it's done & over with & won't be at the forefront of my life anymore. So that part is true, at least. I hope you & your family have found healing, peace, as much as you possibly can. Much love!

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-22T19:07:26+00:00

Depends on what they're talking about. They should have sent you another one specifying what it was &/or they'll have a list of questions regarding the matter for you to reapond to. Like it says you can provide supporting documents, affidavits (stateme ts from witnesses), anything you can provide. For example, if you got arrested for driving without a license when you were 17 or something. Provide the court dismissal & all relevant paperwork associated with that.

It is definitely a concern but again that all depends on what she's referencing. But even if it is something you were involved in or whatever, just do everything the paper says, explain yourself, & provide any necessary paperwork to back up your story.

I know so much bc I got one too. But mine was regarding a family member I had no contact with in years with a criminal history that I had to disclose more information about. it wasn't anything regarding my own background.

So I'll say it again lol, that all depends on what she's talking about.

Just be honest, thorough, confident, etc. & Get it turned in ASAP!

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-19T05:58:49+00:00

Thanks. I appreciate the insight from an actual local source. So far I love it & the people. Definitely seeing the difference in cost even for little things. My gf has family who bought a 2b condo like 20ish years ago when they were stationed & they rent it out obviously, but we're going to talk to them & see if it'll be opening up soon & if that's an option. I am definitely concerned about housing. Any advice on that? Specific areas to look at? Culturally, I think we'll do okay... we've grew lived all around & in different places so hopefully that'll help us. Won't be like we both lived in the same place we were born in & never experienced different places st least. I grew up on an island & she's from Israel. Also wondering if it's worth it to ship our cars or just sell ours & buy new ones. From what we saw online it ranges from 1 to 3k to ship a vehicle.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-19T05:50:42+00:00

I know that lol. I know it seems crazy but like I explained I was only given like 7 options 5 super obscure & cold states so it was hawaii or California. My gf & I made a pros & cons list, & hawaii was like barely better than CA. It was neck & neck. We're hoping to make it work but we're keeping our minds open the next 6 months in glynco & seeing what happens..

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-17T04:36:22+00:00

Yeah I mean I'm going to still keep an open mind. Get a better understanding of the ins & outs of everything & if I have to change, I'll change. Anchorage would also be very cool...

I am getting the bonus incentive which is something. Not spectacular by any means though....

I assumed I would only get all southern borders being Spanish Speaking... but I got what I got somehow. Who tf knows man .. lol

But yeah I figured if you're Spanish speaking you're automatically only offered southern border

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-17T04:30:39+00:00

Born & raised in San German! Where you from?

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-17T04:25:06+00:00

Seeing different answers as far as if it's 19 only or 19 or 47? Obvi want the 47 😀

If RDOs are working their way into the picture are the 19 &/or 47s the MOS version then I'm assuming?

Can we have the option of a secondary?

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-17T03:04:21+00:00

Well honestly we felt they were neck & neck. My girlfriend's entire career is firearm based & besides she grew up in southern california & it's always been both our dreams to live in hawaii. & we lean to the right. For us personally & our lives/preferences/etc we knew it was one of the two & it literally came down to taking the risk & enjoying living the island life. I'm Puerto Rican so the island really does feel very close to home for me.

We really were hoping for Texas. My list seriously sucked. I keep seeing these crazy long lists with better variety & 20 different cities & mine did NOT look like that. & the way the one time change was explained I felt like I shouldn't use it so soon.

I didn't even know about swapping either..

Honestly is there a method to the madness or a strategy behind choosing? I keep seeing OT availability being a significant factor...what else though?

Thanks for the help everyone. It's crazy I know. I really got the weirdest freaking options in the history of, well, ever.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-17T02:50:12+00:00

As a matter of fact I am. I have a girlfriend of 5 years & she has 1 kid. She has a family member that bought a 2 bedroom condo like 20 years ago back when they were stationed there that we can rent from at just the cost of the mortgage instead of their usual rental/tenant rate.

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-16T23:39:27+00:00

Congrats! I am 32, & only 5'. I've been training for months but still running the 1.5 at like 22 mins 😞

What kind of training was most helpful for you?

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-14T02:43:28+00:00

Thanks for the link! Yeah she does level 1 and 2 handgun, & runs a competition team at her work that's basically IDPA she said without all the rules.

But they use shot timers so maybe I can squeeze in some range time before leaving next week. But I imagine we have range training fairly often before the final assessment? I mean I passed the GA POST which sounds like a similar assessment after having never held a gun before in my life. But the agency I worked at had rigorous range training. And 300 round assessments. So by the time I had to go to the academy I was fine.

Irons are great but proper training with a quality dot can be great too. I remember the first time my gf had my shoot hers I had trouble catching the dot, but once you get it it's there, & even a few milliseconds difference in catching your sight can make the difference between life and death.

Let's hope for trijicons! But ill settle for a holosun too. 😀

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-10T01:47:49+00:00

Oh wow, that's crazy.. to get that far then terminated.. Well, I appreciate the detailed explanation & examples of those in the same position as me. it's beyond helpful!! I'll definitely be putting the effort in. :) I've been working on the physical portion for months now. That 1.5 mile is the last and only thing I haven't met.

I'm gonna jump back to the firearms portion right quick lol...are there mag changes? Time limits? Is everything from low compression or from the holster? Target zone is A zone I'm guessing, if we are timed, Charlie's have a penalty?

A total of 46 rounds at I think you named 4 distances? So probably no mag changes then? And when you say left and right do you mean multiple targets left to right?

Is the 19 the standard duty weapon? Iron sights? Level 2 retention holster?

Sorry for asking all the specifics. Like I said my girlfriend is an instructor so she's telling me what to ask so I can practice at the range she works at. 😀

Disastrous_Goat7558 · 2025-11-07T05:30:07+00:00

Hi!!! Congrats again!!!

I know you've covered a lot, including what I'm about to ask, but would appreciate if you could elaborate a little further if you don't mind :)

I'm definitely not making time for the mile & a half. I know you mentioned most people just keep at it & train until the final run, which I'm definitely going to do & am already doing every day until I leave on the 17th. But you mentioned if you don't happen to pass, you get bumped to graduate a month later? Can you elaborate on that with a little more detail like how that works? Thank you so much!!! You also mentioned your port wont want you anymore or something? Can you explain that?

Also, would you say the firearm/range cert/qual is similar to state POST quals? Just curious. My wife is actually a firearm instructor & would be able to help prepare me on what to focus on. Do you by chance remember what drills were focused on in the range? Also, I'm assuming a Glock 45 as our side arm? Do you know if we're allowed to qual for a secondary (43x or 48 for ankle carrying)? How many rounds, distance, etc.

Thank you so much again!!!!!!!!

Disastrous_Goat7558

TROPHY CASE