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Career

First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipHigh pressure

What they do

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of security workers and security guards.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $55,940 Median per year · $26.90/hr Most earn $37,300–$92,260

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Recruit, interview, and hire security personnel.
  • Monitor the behavior of security employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, or procedures.
  • Assign security personnel to posts or patrols.
  • Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire, bomb threats, and presence of unauthorized persons.
  • Write and present department budgets to upper management or other stakeholders.
  • Log items distributed to persons, such as keys and key cards.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 6,800 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Investigation, guard, and armored car services52.9%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals5.3%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals5.1%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools3.2%
  • General merchandise retailers3.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

This isn't usually a job you start straight out of school. Most people first work as security guards for about 1 to 2 years, earn a short security training certificate, and then move into a supervisor role.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school gives you the basic requirement for security guard jobs and the foundation for later training.

  2. Security training certificate

    Less than 1 year

    A short certificate or apprenticeship in security or guard work teaches the basics of patrol, safety, and reporting, which employers look for when hiring and promoting.

  3. Security Guard

    1-2 years

    Working as a guard lets you learn the job on the ground, build a record of reliability, and show you can handle responsibility before you lead others.

  4. First-Line Supervisor of Security Workers

    Ongoing

    As a supervisor, you schedule and coordinate guards, train new staff, check their work, and make sure the site is secure.

Where it can lead

  1. Security Manager

    4 to 6 years of experience first

    You move from supervising a shift or team to running the whole security program, planning budgets, policies, and risk, and this role usually calls for a bachelor's degree.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English and speaking classesClear written reports and calm, confident speaking are everyday parts of directing security staff.
  • Take a health or physical education classSecurity work often involves being on your feet for long shifts, so staying fit and learning first aid basics helps.
  • Join a student leadership group or teamCaptain or officer roles show you can organize people and take responsibility, which supervisors do every day.
  • Volunteer for school events or community safetyHelping with hall monitoring, event crowd control, or a neighborhood safety group gives you real experience working with people in a safety role.
  • Get a part-time job that involves customer service or responsibilityJobs in retail, food service, or a parking lot show you how to stay alert, follow rules, and handle problems calmly.

In college

  • Take criminal justice, business, or management coursesCourses in security, public safety, or basic management give you knowledge of how security operations and teams are run.
  • Look for a campus security or public safety jobMany campuses hire student staff for patrol, dispatch, or event security, which gives you hands-on experience and a reference.
  • Earn a basic security or first aid certificationShort certifications in guard basics or first aid show employers you are prepared and take the job seriously.
  • Take a leadership role in a student organizationLeading a club or committee teaches you to plan, delegate, and solve problems with a team, which is central to supervising.
  • Pursue an internship with a security company or facilityA summer or part-time internship lets you see how supervisors schedule guards and respond to incidents.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask your current employer or a supervisor what training or certifications they value, and ask to take on small leadership tasks like training a new guard.
  • Keep a clean record of attendance, reports, and incidents you handle, since supervisors are often chosen from the most dependable guards.
  • Look up the typical pay for this career near you on its career page, which shows the full range and how it compares nationally.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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