I am interested in a distance program that can land me a job in the intelligence community. Do you guys have any ideas of what the best schools to attend online that can get me in the door? It appears that I need to study a foreign language as well. Any input would be fantastic. I believe, I would study an Asian or Arabic language. I just want to get into a good program that is reputable and regionally accredited. When I get an interview one day.. I want to set any fears aside that the potential employer may have regarding a DL degree. Thank you in advance. cb3
You may try/study this link http://www.apus.edu/APU/Academics/Programs.aspx?pt=12 I came across it, but Know nothing about the institution and how reliable it is. Good luck, YSM
If you go to the FBI website I think you'll see that the coverstory is related to all the jobs they've got open and how eager they are to fill them. These jobs are quite diverse. I would guess that it is less important which school you attend and more important which specific degree you earn and what specific skills you bring to the table. Language skills would be an asset I'm sure. I have also had the idea that, at least at times in the past, military experience was valued as was any other sort of law enforcement experience. For now, if you know what you want to do/study then it will be easier to decide on which school to attend. Jack
You could try this direct link to the intelligence community. While it doesn't list any distance learning programs, it could give you an idea of what type of degree to pursue. http://www.intelligence.gov/3-career_mediasvs.shtml
Acording to that intelligence community link: Foreign Language Position Agencies often require a bachelor's degree in foreign language, area studies, international studies, or other related disciplines. Continual learning is encouraged within the Community. You may be asked to learn another foreign language or to further your understanding of a culture in which a certain language is spoken. Intelligence Collection Position language proficiency in one or more foreign languages is desired, and a bachelor's degree is often required. Individuals within this career come from a variety of backgrounds such as nuclear, biological, or chemical engineering; international economics; business; or the physical sciences. Prior foreign travel, residency abroad, or military experience is a plus. It appears that I need to be fluent in a foreign language which one I have no idea of what to do? Perhaps, Arabic or an Asian language? And try to find a Bachelor's degree program that can get me in the door for an interview. I have a better idea of what to try and go for here. The thing is where can I find a distance program to allow me to get this job that I am seeking. I might try and find an International Relations degree or Area Studies with the addition of a Foreign language maybe get two four-year degrees at once. I already have a A.S. degree from a B&M school with military experience and foreign travel. I just wish now that I would have gone into intelligence while in the military. I suppose now I will look for some universities or colleges that can help me. Thank you Tcord.
I don't know anything about working in defense, but when I was studying language pedagogy we had a very interesting list created by the State Department. It was a ranking of 4 different levels of language difficulty for the typical native English speaker. For example, Spanish was on the easiest level. Almost every Romance language (French, Italian, Romanian, etc.) was on the same easiest level. There are quite a few words in common with English because of the Latin connection, and grammatical rules are quite different from English but not as different as German. Germanic and Scandinavian languages were up a level of difficulty. Non-Indo-European languages were even more difficult. However, even among these there are strong differences. The most difficult languages to learn were Chinese and Arabic! Japanese was a level below Chinese, undoubtedly because Japanese does not have 3 tones for every syllable and is therefore much easier to learn how to pronounce. Farsi (spoken in Iran) and Dari (closely related to Farsi and spoken in Afghanistan) I believe are both easier than Arabic according to the scale; Hebrew is also easier. You might want to find this State Department scale and think about it in terms of what foreign language you are going to start learning. I have heard it is easier for the military to train someone to fly an F-14 than it is to train them in fluent Arabic.
That is incredible insight that you have provided me with here. That gives me another way to look at things in terms of difficulty in languages and how to proceed in learning. I came out with the idea of learning Arabic or Chinese to boost my chances of getting a job in the defense area. However, I am sure they look favorably on other languages as well. I really do need to find me a good place to learn. I have an excellent recall ability, but wow the thing you said about the F-14! I love a challenge like that. On the other hand, I would like to finish a degree quickly and learn a foreign language as quickly as I possibly can to go ahead and start work. I really have some things to think about on all this. I appreciate your help qvatlanta. I have a lot of research and make an expedient decision concerning a school to choose. Perhaps, the fastest way is to go through Excelsior? Maybe a big name school? I don't know if it matters or not as long as I am qualified for the position.
If you are up to the challenge of learning Arabic, I can recommend one school very strongly because I know several people who went there. It's the Middlebury Language school: http://web.middlebury.edu/ls/arabic It's an intensive 9-week immersion program with a completely fascist structure; every waking hour is supposed to be devoted to language learning. You are boarded in a dormitory and only allowed to watch Arabic satellite television. They will whip you with scorpions if they suspect you of even THINKING in English. It is like military boot camp in an academic setting. Barring actually going to an Arabic-speaking country, it is probably the most effective way to quickly learn Arabic. Opportunities for learning a language like Farsi are a lot more limited. However, it's also a very important language spoken by about 40 million people, and probably more feasible to study by distance or self-study than the more demanding Arabic language.
Thanks for the information concerning this great college. The price for a 9-week study in the language of choice is $7,410. They must really know their foreign language. I am quite interested in attending this college. You weren't kidding about the fascist style of learning. If you are caught talking in anything other than your target language you will be expelled without refund. Of course, they do make exceptions in emergencies. I believe if I have this training from Middlebury College and complete a degree in International relations there may be hope for me to get into one of the defense intelligence agencies. Thanks once again qvatlanta.
