Those interested in law enforcement get tips on how to apply
Students interested in law enforcement careers with the government learned firsthand what it takes when several federal agents visited Del Mar College’s West Campus Nov. 30.
Agents from the FBI and ATF, as well as immigration agents, came to share how to get into their agencies and also tell their personal experience going through the process of becoming being agents.
Education was the most important issue that all the agents hit on at the event.
Del Mar College alumnus Larry Gamboa, now a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agent, enjoys giving back to his local community.
“Being from Corpus it’s good for me to be able to share my experience with the people of the community so they know they can do this too,” Gamboa said.
Becoming a federal agent is an arduous process that requires a lot of waiting and determination.
“It was constantly getting the emails saying thanks for applying but your not among the top qualified,” said Jacob Garza, an industry operation investigator with the ATF. “This was my 89th job application through USAJOBS before I got referred for a job.”
The agencies have pushing hard at recruiting college students.
“Right now we’re in national recruiting strategy looking to hire around 2,000 officers for this fiscal year,” said Al Fonso Silva Jr., with Customs and Border patrol, or CBP. “Del Mar students are important to us because we need the workforce out there. We need qualified candidates and we know we have potential candidates here at Del Mar.”
With Del Mar being in South Texas it can lead to some advantages for students who speak Spanish.
“Being bilingual and being in the southern border communicating with people from Mexico and South America will be very beneficial,” Silva said.
If you looking to apply for these federal jobs, they will all be found at USAJOBS.com.
