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. You may even be able to afford some luxury and some insurance agents even make a six-figure income. Yet M said he felt strangely reassured because these accusations were not specific they were meant to provoke him. The operation, codenamed RACKETEER by the CIA, used the Personality Assessment System designed by the agencys former star psychologist John Gittinger. In the end, with a bit of luck, M managed to find help at an institution that specialises in the treatment of war veterans. He spoke about issues he hadnt even told his wife about. A new book written by . In later years, he would ask himself these questions repeatedly. Every creative is familiar with the nagging worries about a potential creative block. The Hohenschnhausen Memorial in Berlin, a former Stasi prison. By then, he had already become familiarised with the practice of espionage, including its basic techniques, during his military service. 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. You can make decent money as an insurance agent, You will not have to work on weekends or holidays, Insurance agents have the privilege of working indoors, You can help people make better decisions regarding insurance, Good job if you like to sell things to people, Insurance agents can build a strong business network, Becoming an insurance agent can also help you in your private life, Disadvantages of Working as an Insurance Agent, You have to sell products you dont believe in, Insurance agents dont have a high social standing, Your success as an insurance agent depends on your trustworthiness, Rather questionable future job prospects for insurance agents, Working as an insurance agent may become boring in the long run, Some insurance companies require you to get a college degree, You may not even understand the products you sell, Top 10 Being an Insurance Agent Pros & Cons Summary List, salary, future outlook, duties, job satisfaction, working hours, work-life balance and educational requirements of insurance agents, 10 Things To Do After Failing A Computer Science Degree, 10 Smart Things To Do After Failing An Art Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing An Economics Degree, 18 Things To Do After Failing Your Communication Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Education Degree, 19 Things To Do After Failing Your Engineering Degree, 19 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Biology Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Psychology Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Business Degree, 33 Key Pros & Cons Of Being A Casino Dealer, 31 Key Pros & Cons Of Being An Underwriter, 30 Noble Pros & Cons Of Working For A Hedge Fund, 32 Nerdy Pros & Cons Of Being A Data Scientist, 31 Key Pros & Cons Of Being A Loan Officer. But throughout this time, his primary loyalty was to the Dutch service and the CIA. He told us: The BVD abandoned me completely after all those years that I had risked my life This document came to play a role in his dealings with the Dutch service after his spying career had ended. Border officials of the German Democratic Republic on the Berlin wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in 1980. He currently owns and operates a vending business. Potential approaches of KGB officers were preceded by psychological assessments that could estimate their willingness to collaborate. Instead, you can work from home in a rather quiet and cozy atmosphere and this also gives you more flexibility to do your private work. There are six separate categories of CIA clandestine service officer in addition to field operations officers, and all work as covert or undercover operatives. I advise you to contact your GP, so he/she can put you in touch with a regular therapist.. With all of the intelligence policy debates of the last few years, people sometimes forget the CIA has a kinetic, operational role in dangerous places throughout the world. If a target is in a very stressful or frightening position, for instance, the first person they talk to who shows them kindness and compassion is in a great position to glean information. While you may take this for granted, there are still many people out there who are not able to enjoy the luxury of working indoors. The CIA Eligibility Requirements Are Flexible The requirements of some accounting certifications, such as the CPA and CFA, are very demanding and very strict. 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. However, everything comes with a price. By 1985, M was a seasoned double agent and seemingly getting on very well with his Stasi handlers, Wolfgang and Heinz. This is a disadvantage that doesn't affect everyone equally. A real estate agent refers to an individual that represents real estate sellers or buyers. Instead, you can use your own common sense and your knowledge from your job to make the right decisions in this regard. Bedford Square M could easily make such trips behind the Iron Curtain without raising suspicions. Additionally, an FBI agent's family may be placed in harm's way if a criminal or terrorist decides to target the agent personally. When improvements can be made, they take time. Now advances in technology mean maintaining people's covers has become a specialist area and it is a much more sophisticated operation. Creative freelancers have to worry about marketing themselves, handling their financials, and finding new clients. 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. If you are producing an easily recognisable product or service for a local market then there may be little point in appointing an agent. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Japanese from the University of Hawaii, as well as a Master of Arts in forensic psychology. M feels the CIA abandoned him after the cold war, when he was no longer useful for them. In some cases, using an agent can be a cost-effective way to test a new market. You can avoid physical work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), police officers and detectives have one of the highest rates of on-the-job injury and illness. 7. CIA operations officers belong to the agency's clandestine service, which the CIA bills as "the ultimate international career." Many hardworking advertising professionals often feel underpaid compared to the long hours they work. As you can see from the previous discussion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to working as an insurance agent. He loves to dig into behavioral economics to uncover the irrationality in our daily behavior. Not everybody can handle this. Little Public Recognition CIA clandestine service. Others are emotionally scarred by such encounters. Be on such a high intellectual plane that you forget to bathe, brush your teeth, wash your clothes, etc. Job Satisfaction. The requirements for special agents are considerably more stringent. Operations officer 2. CIA field agents captured in hostile territories or nations have been imprisoned, tortured and even executed. Working for the FBI means dealing with bureaucracy. In the winter of 1967-68, during an internship in Israel that was part of his studies, a somewhat older German-speaking man introducing himself as Gerber approached M and invited him for dinner. Was there a suspicion on the part of the HVA, based on a lead from a KGB mole in the CIA? All that has changed since the 1990s. Long hours and little down time can also take a toll on family relations. To sleep in and to start late is possible in most agencies. What other pros and cons do you see? M was forced to undergo a degrading and extremely painful cavity inspection, before being taken still naked to an interrogation room. He added: You become totally demoralised. She is currently pursuing Medical and PhD programs. (or at least you like to blame this on your smarts). 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. Not only can this be quite interesting, but it also gives you the opportunity to really develop your people skills and to get to know how the human psyche really works. As an insurance agent, you will also have to work in a classical office job. In 2005, he starred with Mike Baker of the CIA in the BBC2 series Spy and wrote the book accompanying the series: Spy A Handbook. Changes in the needs of the government can result in agents being transferred, and not always to a desirable location. Once your life is stable and you have done other things you are going to make a much better agent and operational officer. 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. 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. The media and communication industry is infamous for its low salaries. Yet, you will still spend most of your workday in a rather artificial office environment while foresters and many other people are able to work in a more interactive manner outdoors. All body openings are being inspected rather roughly. Our research has found that agents and double agents desire a relationship with their handlers that involves trust and gratitude, not just one based on financial compensation. Besides, to improve your creative workflow, our web application Filestagestreamlines your client reviews on videos, pictures and documents. M worked for the Dutch service for many years and subsequently for the CIA. You could get called out anywhere and your target could be anyone. 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. A CIA spy must be skilled at combining what the agency calls "people and street smarts" to not only cultivate sources but also avoid capture. But his attempts to contact them were unsuccessful. Agents working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, for example, make $151,000 annually. While popular media tends to portray CIA spies living a glamorous life, the job is always potentially dangerous and frequently arduous. He studied journalism at the Community College of Allegheny County. CIA field agents operate in both friendly as well as hostile nations. 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. This treatment is still ongoing. After completing his secondary education in the Netherlands, he spent a year at a high school in the US which proved to be a formative experience. I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice. Working as a real estate agent is pretty relaxed. Button spy camera on display at offices of East German secret Police (STASI) Museum in Berlin, Germany. Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo / Alamy Stock Photo, in an episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature. You would be laughing if you could look around a room, point and say: "That's the type, that's the person." And, depending on your position, it can even put your life in danger. The Hohenschnhausen Memorial in Berlin, a former Stasi prison. 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. During the cold war, the KGB, of course, worked very closely with the Stasi. How Much Money Does a Lieutenant Make in the Marine Corps? If you're working CIA clandestine service overseas, for example, you'll receive housing as well as additional overseas service pay. This information can help you make a fairly well-informed decision about applying to the FBI. M received messages from the Stasi through short-wave radio transmissions in code from a so-called numbers station in the GDR. Do All Jobs With the CIA Need to Be Kept Secret? The main benefits of using a commercial agent to sell your goods are: Some of the downsides of using commercial agents are: For more information on how we use your data, read ourprivacy policy. M gave us a truly unique insight into the secret workings of three different intelligence agencies. This is not how they should treat people that have worked for them for so many years. 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. CIA field agents serve within the agency's National Clandestine Service, or NCS, branch and are the true spies within the CIA. Quite often, you will sell insurance products to influential people who are in leading positions in their companies. Before you go ahead and sign that contract, remember everything comes with a price. 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. This makes the job challenging for the creative and the account manager. Agencies exist solely to serve their clients. This could place additional strain on a a family. At an agency, all of that is taken care of for you. Many jobs in the FBI require mandatory travel. I knew very little really. Can invent something cool, have a legacy. 0800 181 4422. Even better, there is no real upper-income limit for real estate agents. I was a soldier in the cold war.. His captors intimidated him by pouring cold water over him from a bucket until the afternoon. This episode ushered in a period when both Wolfgang and Heinz became more distant. Some agencies are known to have more of a conservative hardworking ideology. Opportunities are almost endless in this regard and this means that you will be free to specialize in the field you are interested in most. More and more now, the secret service looks at people who have established themselves in other careers and are looking for a change. Hence, the mental pressure can be enormous for insurance agents and you should not underestimate the stress that comes along with it. FBI agents are well trained and carry firearms, but they are also put in harm's way whenever they are investigating crimes. 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. Feel inferior to people who are still smarter. Thus, you will also not be stuck in your job forever when you first start as normal insurance agent. Creative agencies offer relatively safe jobs. This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. His former CIA handler (who M managed to get back in touch with in recent years) advised him in an email: Let it go, man, let it go. But this was clearly to no avail. Tony Guerra served more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy. Increased ability to get high and fuck around through all of college vs. having to study to maintain average GPA. Working in an advertising agency comes with lot of advantages and disadvantages. 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