A private eye is someone interested in and knowledgeable about the law, proficient in research and investigation, and capable of working extensive hours. A private eye is sensitive but confident, flexible and resourceful, and with good memory and communication skills. You have all that it takes to be a private eye, even the educational qualifications, but for one reason or another, you just know a career in P.I. isn’t for you. If so, here are other career options you could consider.

Paralegal / Lawyer / Judge
You can take your education to the next step and pursue a career in law. You can be a paralegal if you like the analytical aspect of law practice but you don’t fancy making speeches in court. Of course, you can go all the way by becoming a lawyer or even a judge. You have all the traits required for these positions. All you lack is the final choice: what do you want to be?

Secret Shopper
Is the life of a private eye too exciting and dangerous? Then perhaps you’d like something safe but still fun by working as a secret shopper. Companies hire secret shoppers to evaluate the quality of service offered in their stores. This job doesn’t pay as well as private investigation does, but at least it allows you more hours to enjoy with your loved ones.

Government Agent
Perhaps it’s working for the private sector that you object to? Then of course you should try working for the public sector, particularly the CIA or the FBI.

CIA agents are highly paid, but they’re also required to meet high exacting standards for the job. CIA agents are primarily responsible for all activities related to foreign intelligence and national security.

FBI agents, on the other hand, may not be as low profile as the CIA but they’re well-paid too, with an annual salary ranging from $40,000 to $100,000. Their job scope is concentrated on infringement cases, but they could also be called to task for cases related to national security.

Forensic Scientist
Think CSI. You can still hold a gun during investigations, but it’s doubtful you’ll have a chance to use it. Most likely, you’ll have to whip out gloves to keep from contaminating physical evidence. As part of the forensic science crew, it’s your job to determine the relevance of evidence to the case as well as possible sources.

There are other possible careers for you out there, including but not limited to working in other positions in the government or working as an auditor for private and public sectors. Just remember to match your traits with the job specifications and you’re sure to find your ideal career.

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Being a private investigator can be tedious and tense all at the same time, and you will need to learn a lot before you can be a professional. You also need to be trained in many different aspects of private investigation before you can start your practice. However, do not be fooled by Hollywood or television and all its portrayals of glamorous private investigators who do sophisticated surveillance and follow people around. Private investigation is more than just spying and looking for answers to marital insecurities. It can be as simple as working for a company that needs to investigate fraud in its clients, or as complex as a collaboration among the police forces of different countries.

You will need to be trained as a private investigator, and there are many different training methods, not to mention courses. For instance, if you are good at electronics work and the Internet, then you may want to get training in how you can use your cyber skills to investigate people. This will involve using databases and search engines, going undercover in Internet chat rooms and forums, and even joining mailing lists and baiting potential suspects, all in the name of getting answers to certain questions. In your training, you will need to get legal training as well, since you could be skirting the bounds of the law with your cyber skills.

Surveillance is another type of private investigation training, and it can be as simple as carrying out a stakeout, or as complex as bugging, listening in on conversations, and planting cameras in order to spy on people. There are many ways that surveillance can get out of hand, and you could violate many different laws if you do not carry out proper surveillance. You need training in this part of private investigation so that you can get evidence that is admissible in court, and that will actually provide answers to questions.

There are many different investigations that you could get involved in, and these investigation types could dictate what kind of training you should receive. For instance, in divorce investigation, you could look for grounds for divorce, and you would need surveillance skills in order to do this. In insurance investigation, you may need shadowing skills, along with knowledge of the law and finance. In arson or homicide investigation, you would need skills in collecting evidence, examining evidence, and knowing what different artifacts indicate. All of these can be received with the proper training, so pick training that will suit your dreams as a private investigator.

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Being a private investigator can be difficult. You need to be constantly on your guard and you need to guard yourself against suspects who may be out for revenge. You need to be allied with the right people, talking to the right law enforcement officials, and constantly networking. Moreover, you will need to update your private investigation wisdom through many different means. You need new research, advice from the pros, and a whole lot of persistence.

If you are a newbie, you need to talk to older private investigators, especially those who have spent a lot of time in the field and have been involved, and successfully, in many different cases. You will want this person not only as someone to help you in your cases, but you will need him or her as your mentor. A mentor is different from a mere teacher. Mentors will guide you through the ropes, and will not only provide knowledge, but wisdom and street smarts that can help you get through your own training and tough times as a private investigator. A mentor, moreover, could be your first link in your efforts at networking.

Do not be afraid to attend conferences and seminars on topics related to your field. For instance, if you specialize in cyber crimes, go to a conference where Internet skills are updated and tested. If you are in security, go to conferences or sales and trade shows where the latest in security and surveillance are shown and sold. If you are teaching the next generation of private investigators, go to an education conference where you can hone your teaching skills through side workshops.

If you are a veteran in the field, be a mentor. Read the latest on private investigation, and learn from new and emerging cases by reading newspapers and connecting with colleagues. Set up meetings with private investigators who specialize in fields other than yours, and make these collaborations regular so that you can continue honing your skills. Do not be afraid to consult, and do not be afraid to collaborate with other private investigators.

These are only a few tips that you can take note of when you are a newbie or if you are a veteran in the field of private investigation. For more information, update yourself on the latest in your field by visiting various Internet websites and reading magazines with the latest news. This way, you can continue your craft and be an expert for a long time.

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Being a private investigator can be both an emotional and physical challenge. You will need to invest a lot of time in going after people, doing stakeouts, disguising yourself, listening in on everything from conversations to hastily hidden phone calls, and, in the end, being the silent and anonymous discoverer of nasty little secrets. How well you do this depends on your abilities and persistence, and you can get awards for a job well done.

How can you, as a private investigator, get these awards? Most of the time, private investigators do not specialize in just one branch of knowledge or do not know just one skill. Some private investigators have worked in insurance companies, private security, computers and information technology, and even in the social sciences. If you would like to start off a great career, choose from one or more among these fields for something that you would like to specialize in. You can be great at computers and going into databases in order to look for something, and you can get awards for such services especially if you do it in light of a criminal case. You can also be great at going undercover and interviewing people without sounding probing.

There are many ways for you to succeed, so you will need to get the right training and education. However, your abilities should not trespass the bounds of the law, so you will have to also get some good legal training. Great private investigators do not get awards because they broke laws; these private investigators, in their quest for upholding the law, were great followers of the law themselves. This means that you should never stop checking for whether you are following the law or not.

If you are a novice private investigator, then the best way for you to truly learn the ropes is to get a mentor. If you want to have awards in the future, you may as well pick an award-winning mentor to help you out. Of course, when you pick this mentor, do not pick him or her because of his or her awards. Great private investigation happens when your goal is to help people and to get the law on your side. When your sole purpose is to get awards and get your name in the papers, then you may as well give up your job and be an actor. Many private investigators remain anonymous because getting their names out will compromise their credibility and their ability to do their job well.

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