Could working at the FBI ruin my future?
I don’t know about the FBI, but there’s a guy working for Human Rights Watch now who, during the first year or so of the Iraq war, worked for the CIA as a targeting analyst. He helped conduct HRW’s survey on civilian casualties in Iraq. Basically 3 years ago he sat in an office in Washington and chose targets for our “smart bombs;” then he switched jobs, went over to Iraq, and tried to assess the collateral damage done by the bombs he had helped target. Heard about him from a report on NPR’s Morning Edition a few months ago. It would seem that working for the government might be a perfect step towards working for HRW.
Working at the FBI could hurt your eligibility for the Peace Corps if you work on intelligence (or terrorism) matters. But working solely for them in their law enforcement capacity should not. The Peace Corps is a special case, because they want to avoid any perception of having spies among the people it sends abroad. I don’t know of any other employer who would actively discriminate against someone who had worked at the bureau. Almost everyone will look upon this line on your resume as a serious plus. The FBI is extremely selective and highly regarded. Is it really true, as people tell me, that “once a member of the Bureau, always a member of the Bureau”? FBI guys look fondly upon former FBI employees. But this isn’t the Mafia we are talking about. Of course you can quit.
