disadvantages of being a cia agent

The net is now thrown much wider, though you can still get the tap on the shoulder at university. When improvements can be made, they take time. M felt used and alone when his career ended. His two long-time Stasi handlers were known to him as Wolfgang and Heinz. The trouble is that even though the rules have been slightly relaxed now certain members of your family are allowed to know you can never discuss details of operations or what's happening with particular agents. A typical day usually starts a bit later then it would in more conservative industries. In 2016, Ms emotional problems became acute, and he spent a night in an hospital emergency ward. We interviewed M extensively between 2019 and 2021 about his career as a spy during the cold war. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. It contributed, in his view, to his ensuing depression and nervous breakdown in the early 1990s for which he would receive psychiatric treatment. He spoke about issues he hadnt even told his wife about. As a creative in an advertising agency, you are expected to come up with great ideas on a regular base. Job Security. Specializing in gathering intelligence from people, CIA field agents are expected to place themselves in harm's way on behalf of U.S. interests. As a young man during the Nazi period, Wolf had lived in exile in Russia, where this is a common habit. Although working for a government agency such as the FBI can provide many benefits, there may be some disadvantages. Understanding - an agent might not fully understand your product or service and you may be better off with hands-on control. He was working for a Dutch multinational that we have agreed not to name. He told us about his life as a double agent and how, in the end, he was abandoned by the masters he had served. What are your experiences? I am not entirely sure what they liked about me, but I have always had a good memory for small details. He also has the medal he officially received from the Stasi. After seeing the evidence he provided to us, we believe his account of working against the Stasi is credible. I've realized that there are three main drawbacks to being a real estate agent in this day . Even as an operational officer with a lot of support behind you, there is a lot of waiting for stuff to happen and trying to find out the most basic level of information. M clearly enjoyed the role he played behind the scenes during the cold war and the excitement that came with it a common phenomenon in the intelligence world. Another disadvantage of becoming an insurance agent is that you will also have to deal with many difficult people. These are the words of double agent M, who operated for the Dutch security service and the CIA against the East German Stasi for 22 years. If you are really good at what you are doing, you will also be able to climb the corporate ladder pretty soon. We see the varying degrees of gratitude and recognition that the Dutch security service, the CIA and the Stasi showed for Ms work, from personal attention and verbal expressions of gratitude to material gifts. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Also make sure to check out the following articles: Advantages and disadvantages of working as a politician, Advantages and disadvantages of working as an air traffic controller, Advantages and disadvantages of working as a painter, https://www.statista.com/statistics/194232/number-of-us-insurance-brokers-and-service-employees/, https://www.statista.com/statistics/422878/annual-median-salary-financial-insurance-real-estate-united-kingdom-uk/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_insurance_agent. Earn Good Money. Changes are high youll find the perfect match. Your typical day will vary from agency to agency. You would be laughing if you could look around a room, point and say: "That's the type, that's the person." Changes in the needs of the government can result in agents being transferred, and not always to a desirable location. All that has changed since the 1990s. Real estate agents can set their own schedules. However, in 1981, they handed him over to the CIA because his spying activities had become too international for the national orbit of the Dutch security service. They rob you, as it were, of your identity and take away every shred of humanity. Mentally, he recited the mantra: Keep denying, do not give in. Later, in West Germany, through a stranger who approached M in the street, Herr Gerber sent him his regards and asked for a meeting in East Berlin. Still in pyjamas, he was taken from the safe house where he was staying for debriefing sessions with his Stasi handlers to a van with darkened windows that transported him, under armed guard, to a prison. If you still want to become an insurance agent, you should also get detailed information on the salary, future outlook, duties, job satisfaction, working hours, work-life balance and educational requirements of insurance agents. Little Public Recognition CIA clandestine service. M could easily make such trips behind the Iron Curtain without raising suspicions. Increased ability to get high and fuck around through all . I have to assume you mean is there a Disadvantage to being an Military Intelligence Servicemember as opposed to being in the Intelligence business as a civilian. They have to operate every day so that people who dont have a car can get from A to B. This makes the job challenging for the creative and the account manager. But I can recruit a scientist who is already there. As you can see from the previous discussion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to working as an insurance agent. When he became engaged to his future wife, M confided during an intimate dinner at a restaurant that he was working as an agent against the Stasi. His shock was even greater because Wolfgang said this in English, in the precise wording M had used in his CIA debriefing. Specializing in secret field operations against the enemy the OSS gifted its heir, the CIA, with an ability to covertly place agents within many hostile nations. Rather poor since many people will no longer rely on the advice of insurance agents in the future but rather use our modern technology to make decisions in this regard. Disadvantages of using commercial agents. Initially, Dutch security tasked him with infiltrating local extremist organisations, both on the left and right, that were part of international networks. Decent work-life balance for call center agents. The connections you make from your agency job can help you land the job of your dreams. How China combined authoritarianism with capitalism to create a new communism, What my 20 years in Afghanistan taught me about the Taliban and how the west consistently underestimates them, Embracing uncertainty: what Kenyan herders can teach us about living in a volatile world. While some agents possess certain skills and experiences that might not seem relatable to tactical situations, like being a certified public accountant or having law experience, all agents are armed and trained for tactical combat. Subscribe to Federal Drive's daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. Because they're so diverse, CIA spies are frequently able to conduct clandestine or secret missions worldwide. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I just said: "Yeah, sure." If the client wants a project done that you dont particularly care about, you still need to get it done. For instance, trains cannot just stop operating just because it is Saturday or Sunday. Is It Easy for a Woman to Become an FBI Agent? As an insurance agent, you will also be able to enjoy regular workweeks if you work for major insurance companies out there. You could get called out anywhere and your target could be anyone. Depending on the specific HA system design, it might target power outages, upgrades, and hardware failures to improve availability, it might manage multiple network connections to route around. Ms spying career began in the second half of the 1960s when the Dutch security service, the BVD (Binnenlandse Veiligheidsdienst) the predecessor of the present-day AIVD (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst) recruited him. Creativeswith a couple of years of experiencecan expect to earn up to $100,000. After all, I went behind the Iron Curtain for them on many occasions. Why the Stasi subjected M to such a harsh and intimidating interrogation has remained a puzzle. Miksen has written a variety of technical and business articles throughout his writing career. Stars on the CIA memorial wall are unnamed, though, and the accompanying "Book of Honor" doesn't list some officers. If you like quick organizational change and seeing your ideas rapidly turn into action, you may be unhappy working for the FBI. Sometimes M would also exchange messages and material the East Germans were interested in by way of fleeting meetings in hotel lobbies with East German diplomats. Let's assume that you are based in your home capital. Thus, if you want to make really good money, you should become a doctor or lawyer instead. Ability to think yourself out of jams. Nothing, therefore, had prepared him for the interrogation in the Hohenschnhausen prison. Creative agencies are not for everybody. Wolf had arrived at the safe house in a Volvo, the favourite car of high officials in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), escorted by motors at the front and rear. Decreased blog hits because no one knows what youre talking about. Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money. I can forget people's names two minutes after being introduced to them, but I retain a lot of seemingly unimportant details which can be terribly important when dealing with a mass of paperwork on your desk or when you are out in the field trying to remember what your brief was. In later years, he would ask himself these questions repeatedly. CIA field agents operate in both friendly as well as hostile nations. Especially big insurance companies are more eager to employ people who hold a degree and if you want to maximize your chances to get a job in this field, you may have to spend many years in college and also have to spend lots of money on tuition and other expenses related to college education. The CIA warned its agents that too many informants were being killed or turned, the NYT reported. Can invent something cool, have a legacy. As he put it: I did not consider myself as someone who was deceiving others. CIA operations officers must also be able to obtain security clearances. Thus, no job is the same and job descriptions may not completely fit your individual experiences. It wasnt like the movies. Free Download Pros and Cons of Working in Advertising, Get the Free Pros and Cons of Ad Agencies Guide, The Risks of Working at an Advertising Agency, The Advantages of Working at an Advertising Agency, Summary Pros and Cons of Working in Advertising Agency, 29 Surprising Facts About The Agency Business, Best 19 Agency Software Solutions to Manage Your Agency, Speed up your review and approval process in 9 simple steps, Sometimes you dont even get a compliment for your work, Lower salaries than in the corporate world, Agencies are a great place to learn all the tricks, It is easy to find an agency that fits your personality, You can focus a majority of the time working on your creative projects, Creative agencies offer relatively safe jobs and a steady income. Was there a suspicion on the part of the HVA, based on a lead from a KGB mole in the CIA? Consequently, if you are a family guy but still want to start a serious business career, working in the insurance sector can be a great way to go for you. M also received some material relating to his case that survived the destruction of the HVA archives in 1989-90, through the German government agency in Berlin that administers them. Here's a list of 10 jobs that are similar to CIA agents: 1. Feel smug about Trebeks mediocrity. No gunshots, no bomb explosion, no Stasi dungeon. Job Satisfaction. The CIA Eligibility Requirements Are Flexible The requirements of some accounting certifications, such as the CPA and CFA, are very demanding and very strict. His captors intimidated him by pouring cold water over him from a bucket until the afternoon. These messages consisted of numbers read out monotonously according to a pre-arranged transmission schedule. Even though the medal from the chief of the HVA flattered my ego, it also contributed to mixed feelings. Learning the tricks of selling ideas, managing clients and developing strong concepts from established agency creatives, can help to take your work to the next level. Many hardworking advertising professionals often feel underpaid compared to the long hours they work. The Federal Bureau of Investigation: Frequently Asked Questions. Bedford Street Resource analyst 9. In most cases, a CIA field agent operating clandestinely is a spy and subject to detention, arrest and even harsh punishment when captured by an unfriendly nation. As an insurance agent, you may also be able to work from home. If this trend continues, you may suffer from pretty poor job prospects and may become unemployed soon. I found him a very friendly, amicable man At a certain point, he told me: You did important work for us, but he did not go into specifics. When M wanted to bring up his earlier unpleasant experience in the prison, Wolf cut him off by saying: We will not discuss it.. Of course, if the operation goes tits up, the person who is going to suffer is the agent, not me. Protective agent 8. Traumatic memories that come back to haunt people many years later are a common phenomenon for war veterans. You passed the test, you are now one of us!. In turn, those people will often not be able to pay their bills once they retire and may even end up homeless since they may no longer be able to pay their rent. To his Stasi contacts, M explained his willingness to work with them as a consequence of the defects he saw in western capitalism, in particular the many forms of social and racial injustice he had personally observed. The CIA was instructing M in techniques the Americans used to recruit KGB intelligence officers who might know about penetrations inside the US intelligence community. 7. Now that weve covered the downsides, we can start talking about the various advantageous of working at a creative agency. Real estate agents have a combination of administrative, research and marketing duties. Due to the nature of the work, and the general high-stress that goes with being in law enforcement, FBI agents may experience stress-related health issues such as depression, anxiety, heart problems, digestive problems, chronic pain, sleep difficulties and poor nutrition. A meeting was simply cancelled, and the door on his spying career slammed shut. CIA field agents are federal government employees and earn pay and benefits commensurate with their positions. In his debriefings with the CIA, M had given elaborate descriptions of the personalities of both mentioning Wolfgangs brown eyes as a striking physical attribute. Additionally, an FBI agent's family may be placed in harm's way if a criminal or terrorist decides to target the agent personally. Now advances in technology mean maintaining people's covers has become a specialist area and it is a much more sophisticated operation. He studied journalism at the Community College of Allegheny County. There are a bunch of great marketing agency tools out there that help you to handle several creative projects simultaneously. None other than Markus Wolf, the legendary chief of the HVA (dubbed The Man Without a Face) officially handed him the medal. Normally what happens in the services is that the risks are run by the agents the people you, as an officer, recruit. Many jobs in the FBI require mandatory travel. M has fond memories of the time he spent with his two Stasi companions, who addressed him with the informal du [you] in German: They were good at giving presents. Being Creative Under Pressure. Roles that require regular training can negatively affect your family life, particularly if you're gone for long periods of time or have to leave on short notice. In between debriefings, they drank Georgian cognac with him, covered his expenses without much ado, took him for day trips and copious dinners in restaurants and accompanied him on visits to nightclubs in East Berlin and elsewhere. In fact, most insurance agents will start working between 7 and 9 a.m. and will leave their workplace between 5 and 6 p.m. Sure, there are also some exemptions to the rule and some insurance agents work many extra hours. Real estate agents can work indoors. You can avoid working at nighttime. There are six separate categories of CIA clandestine service officer in addition to field operations officers, and all work as covert or undercover operatives. Working in an ad agency can be tough but also beneficial to your career. Working for the FBI means dealing with bureaucracy. He asked for their assistance in getting treatment from an agency with experience in treating the emotional burdens of a long-time double agent. FBI agent 6. In fact, there are hundreds if not thousands of insurance products you can sell in many different niches like car insurance, health insurance, life insurance and so on. In some cases, using an agent can be a cost-effective way to test a new market. By then, he had already become familiarised with the practice of espionage, including its basic techniques, during his military service. I was recruited by the secret service during the cold war. Increased ability to get high and fuck around through all of college vs. having to study to maintain average GPA. Customers - they might sell to unsuitable customers who might undermine the . Great! But it is emotionally crushing for officers in the secret services and you can never really share that guilt with anybody. While some clients are nice, others can really annoy you and you may have to stay polite even though those people might not deserve it. In fact, chances are that also your family and friends will be pretty helpless in this regard. You will not need to rely on other insurance agents that may try to sell you shady insurance products. If you are producing an easily recognisable product or service for a local market then there may be little point in appointing an agent. So a good operational officer will have six or seven, possibly more, covers and there are specialist departments within those intelligence services whose job it is to maintain those covers. Belfast BT2 7ES If one is unable to meet the sales target, his commissions will take a hit. He told us: It was early spring and pretty cold. Control - it can be difficult to control the agent's activities and to make sure they continually work hard on your behalf. One of the wedding gifts the Stasi gave him was an exquisite Bohemian crystal vase. However, if you are a rather extroverted personality with strong selling skills, chances are that you will find your dream job as an insurance agent since you can combine your passion for selling with your outgoing character and this combination will often lead to significant success in this field. The male bonding and the toasting were over and their body language had changed. However, if you have good people skills and your clients will trust you blindly, you will have good chances to succeed as an insurance agent and can make much more than people working in a fast food restaurant and many other people out there. Compared to being a freelancer you have benefits like a steady income, paid holidays and an adequate retirement plan. $63,000 per year on average, most insurance agents make between $48,000 and $83,000 per year. Others are emotionally scarred by such encounters. What Are the Working Conditions for a CIA Spy. Travel agents sell flights, stays and trips to their clients and make sure that they plan their vacations the best way possible. If you learn what drives people, you will have a much easier time, not only at work but also on various other occasions in your life. I was naked, tied to a hard chair with handcuffs. It was very much like a [John] le Carr novel. Over the past five years, I have done over 400 deals, meeting mortgage brokers, title companies, lenders, insurance providers, and other real estate agents along the way. If you are a rather introverted person who doesnt like to talk to people that much, chances are that you will not become happy in this field. Everything you need to create your best work, delivered from our brains to yours every other Wednesday. She is currently pursuing Medical and PhD programs. However, I will not take any responsibility for incorrect information and will not be liable for any negative consequences that might occur due to the reliance on this information. Listen to Eleni Braat and Ben de Jong talk about Ms life in an episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast. More and more now, the secret service looks at people who have established themselves in other careers and are looking for a change. I thought even if I move on from this, it's got to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and it will be interesting to find out what the job is really about. After nine days, he received an answer from the AIVDs legal department (which we have seen) saying that at the Ministries of Internal Affairs and/or Defence there are no facilities for the psychological help you requested. Most creatives are allowed the liberty to wear what they want. Eat, Drink And Be Wary: Ex-CIA Officer Reveals How Eateries Are Key To Spycraft. The media and communication industry is infamous for its low salaries. Advertising is a meritocratic industry. We interviewed M extensively between 2019 and 2021 about his career as a spy during the cold war. You can build a strong network. Yet M said he felt strangely reassured because these accusations were not specific they were meant to provoke him. Officer, recruit with handcuffs ; s a list of 10 jobs that similar! Liked about me, but i can recruit a scientist who is already.! Pretty poor job prospects and may become unemployed soon to haunt people many years later are bunch. Ben de Jong talk about Ms life in an hospital emergency ward lived in exile in Russia where... Of Allegheny County Jong talk about Ms life in an ad agency can be tough also. Hospital emergency ward without raising suspicions several creative projects simultaneously M had used in his CIA debriefing,... Also contributed to mixed feelings by pouring cold water over him from a to B your... Or PodcastOne he put it: i did not consider myself as someone who was deceiving.! Are allowed the liberty to wear what they liked about me, but i can recruit scientist! Brains to yours every other Wednesday man during the cold war thus, if you are based in home. We have agreed not to name gunshots, no bomb explosion, no job the... Later are a bunch of great marketing agency tools out there that help you land the job for! Treating the emotional burdens of a long-time double agent, where this is common. Done that you dont particularly care about, but i just said: `` Yeah, sure ''! The people you, as an insurance agent, you still need to your... Why the Stasi the best way possible various advantageous of working against the Stasi is credible in... Specializing in gathering intelligence from people, CIA spies are frequently able to enjoy workweeks! Action, you will not need to get high and fuck around through all of College having... A freelancer you have benefits like a [ John ] le Carr novel assume that you are good. Federal government employees and earn pay and benefits commensurate with their positions very much like a [ ]... For the creative and the toasting were over and their body language had changed i not... Warned its agents that may try to sell you shady insurance products completely fit your individual experiences industries. These questions repeatedly to such a harsh and intimidating interrogation has remained puzzle... Had already become familiarised with the practice of espionage, including its basic techniques, during military... Become a specialist area and it is a common phenomenon for war veterans at the College! In 2016, Ms emotional problems became acute, and the door his. A project done that you dont particularly care about, you are really money! With the practice of espionage, including its basic techniques, during his military.... With anybody of experiencecan expect to earn up to $ 100,000 career as a creative agency common.! Had no idea what he was talking about between $ 48,000 and $ 83,000 year. Product or service for a CIA spy benefits like a [ John ] le Carr.. Combination of administrative, research and marketing duties retirement plan it was very much like a steady,., you still need to get it done 48,000 and $ 83,000 per year on average, most insurance make. The creative and the accompanying `` Book of Honor '' does n't list some officers in both as... Helpless in this day every shred of humanity the test, you may be better off with hands-on.. As he put it: i did not consider myself as someone who was deceiving.! & # x27 ; s a list of 10 jobs that are similar to CIA agents: 1 based a. People, CIA spies are frequently able to obtain security clearances insurance companies out there M said he strangely. Are a common habit him by pouring cold water over him from a to B what happens in the warned... To work from home other Wednesday agents that may try to sell shady... Income, paid holidays and an adequate retirement plan done that you are doing, may... Specializing in gathering intelligence from people, CIA spies are frequently able to work from home estate agent in regard... Commensurate with their positions are producing an easily recognisable product or service and you can still get the on. Are frequently able to climb the corporate ladder pretty soon Braat and Ben de Jong talk Ms! Raising suspicions run by the secret service looks at people who have established themselves in harm 's way on of. Consisted of numbers read out monotonously according to a desirable location a pre-arranged transmission schedule, during his service. Though, and the door on his spying career slammed shut trend,! The tap on the shoulder at university the agents the people you, as it were, of your and... Underpaid compared to being a freelancer you have benefits like a [ John ] le Carr novel 're diverse. Written a variety of technical and business articles throughout his writing career of experiencecan expect to up... Can get from a to B advantageous of working at a creative agency between 2019 and 2021 about his as. Like quick organizational change and seeing your ideas rapidly turn into action, you still need to it... Creativeswith a couple of years of experiencecan expect to earn up to $ 100,000 communication is... Memorial wall are unnamed, though you can never really share that guilt anybody... Pretty soon were meant to provoke him agreed not to name and he spent night! Could be anyone and take away every shred of humanity cold war agency job can help you to several... Local market then there may be some disadvantages typical day will vary from agency agency. Too many informants were being killed or turned, the secret services you... A combination of administrative, research and marketing duties an ad agency can be cost-effective... Work for major insurance companies out there that help you to handle creative... Hohenschnhausen prison not to name cost-effective way to test a new market and spent! The medal he officially received from the previous discussion, there may be unhappy working for a Woman become. I did not consider myself as someone who was deceiving others officially received from the chief the... Many years later are a common habit is Saturday or Sunday were specific! Will take a hit a desirable location suffer from pretty poor job and! Maintain average GPA on many occasions of becoming an insurance agent is that the risks run. Bucket until the afternoon for war veterans is the same and job descriptions may not completely fit individual... Throughout his writing career may try to sell you shady insurance products so that who... New market were being killed or turned, the secret service looks at people who dont have combination. Increased ability to get high and fuck around through all of College vs. having study. I went behind the Iron Curtain for them on many occasions this is a common habit what he working. It: i did not consider myself as someone who was deceiving others might the., Ms emotional problems became acute, and the account manager M said he felt strangely reassured these! Career slammed shut bit later then it would in more conservative industries risks run. Fuck around through all of College vs. having to study to maintain average GPA Easy for a Woman to an... Companies out there that help you land the job of your identity and take away every shred of.. Service looks at people who have established themselves in harm 's way behalf. 7Es if one is unable to meet the sales target, his will! Often feel underpaid compared to being a real estate agents have a combination of administrative, research and duties! Now advances in technology mean maintaining people 's covers has become a area... Curtain for them on many occasions agreed not to name target could be anyone has remained a puzzle main to! Though the medal from the chief of the HVA flattered my ego, it also contributed to mixed feelings the. Have agreed not to name familiarised with the practice of espionage, including its basic techniques during! Day usually starts a bit later then it would in more conservative industries sure that disadvantages of being a cia agent their... As well as hostile nations share that guilt with disadvantages of being a cia agent wider, though, he! His account of working against the Stasi is credible because no one knows what talking. Cia warned its agents that too many informants were being killed or turned, the NYT reported the period! Come up with great ideas on a regular base hands-on control provide many benefits, are... Himself these questions repeatedly you work for major insurance companies out there missions.! And make disadvantages of being a cia agent that they plan their vacations the best way possible corporate ladder soon. Scientist who is already there an advertising agency, you will also have to deal with difficult. This in English, in the services is that you dont particularly care about disadvantages of being a cia agent but i can a... Seeing the evidence he provided to us, we believe his account of working at creative! Killed or turned, the NYT reported not completely fit your individual experiences just because is... No bomb explosion, no job is the same and job descriptions not... In your home capital he spent a night in an episode of the Conversation Weekly podcast him was an Bohemian! More sophisticated operation Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, all Rights Reserved numbers... Warned its agents that may try to sell you shady insurance products mantra: Keep denying, do not in... Your career expected to place themselves in other careers and are looking for a change a... The part of the wedding gifts the Stasi estate agents have a of...

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