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Career

Security Guards

Typical education: High school diplomaHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

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 $38,020 Median per year · $18.28/hr Most earn $30,210–$58,840

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Inspect and adjust security systems, equipment, or machinery to ensure operational use and to detect evidence of tampering.
  • Inspect and adjust security systems, equipment, or machinery to ensure operational use and to detect evidence of tampering.
  • Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
  • Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.
  • Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
  • Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
1% more jobs by 2035, slower than average · about 156,000 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 services58.4%
  • Elementary and secondary schools4.5%
  • General merchandise retailers4.0%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals3.8%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals2.7%

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

Experience before this job: 1 to 3 months

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: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 3 monthsEntry-level

Security guard is an entry-level job. You can usually start with a high school diploma, and most people learn the rest on the job over about 1 to 3 months.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school gives you the basic education most employers ask for, and it's the main requirement for this job.

  2. Security Guard

    1-3 months of on-the-job training

    Employers usually train new guards on patrol routines, reporting, emergency procedures, and how to use equipment like metal detectors before they work alone.

Where it can lead

  1. Security Supervisor

    1-2 years of experience first

    You would lead and schedule a team of guards, handle shift problems, and train new hires, which takes good communication and reliability.

  2. Security Manager

    Several years as a supervisor of experience first

    You would oversee security for a whole site or company, plan safety policies, and manage budgets and staff, which usually takes more experience and often additional training.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English and speaking classesWriting clear incident reports and calmly explaining rules to people are big parts of guard work.
  • Join a student leadership group or teamBeing a team captain or club officer shows you can be responsible and work well with others.
  • Get a starter job that involves customer serviceWorking at a store, restaurant, or front desk teaches you to stay calm and helpful with all kinds of people.
  • Volunteer at a community event or school safety programHelping with crowd control or event check-in gives you real experience watching for problems and following procedures.
  • Take a health or first aid class if your school offers oneMany security jobs want guards who can respond to medical emergencies, so this is a useful skill to have early.

In college

  • Take courses in criminal justice, public safety, or businessThese classes teach how security works, the rules around it, and how businesses manage risk.
  • Get a part-time job in campus security, a building, or an event venueReal experience watching a site and following security rules is what employers look for on a resume.
  • Earn a first aid or CPR certificationMany security employers prefer guards who can handle medical emergencies, and this is often quick and affordable to get.
  • Join a student safety, leadership, or service organizationLeading a group builds the supervisory skills that can help you move up to a Security Supervisor role later.
  • Look into state guard licensing requirementsEach state sets its own rules for guard licenses and training, so knowing them early helps you plan and apply faster.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for guard jobs that offer paid training. Many employers teach you the job, so you don't need prior experience to get started.
  • Get a clean record and keep it that way. Security employers often check background history, and being honest and dependable matters a lot in this work.
  • Build calm, clear communication skills now. Guards often have to explain rules to people and write incident reports, so practice both.

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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