[warrior of ruin]

i am a security supervisor at the moment and it is the best job anyone could ever hope to have... but that is because the site i am at is great..

security all depends on the site / client... some sites are great and can actually be fun... some can be boring as hell or non stop work... it also depends if you like doing shift work.. my first 5 years of security i did the graveyard shift, and that can be very tough on your life... now i have it made in the shade.. i work monday - friday 4 pm till midnight with weekends off... but trust me this is hard to come by... i have been doing this for about 7 years now..

when all is said and done security is the right way to go to pay the bills and get paid better then most average jobs. but it is what it is...

[fightingrabbit]

Originally Posted by warrior of ruin

i am a security supervisor at the moment and it is the best job anyone could ever hope to have... but that is because the site i am at is great..

security all depends on the site / client... some sites are great and can actually be fun... some can be boring as hell or non stop work... it also depends if you like doing shift work.. my first 5 years of security i did the graveyard shift, and that can be very tough on your life... now i have it made in the shade.. i work monday - friday 4 pm till midnight with weekends off... but trust me this is hard to come by... i have been doing this for about 7 years now..

when all is said and done security is the right way to go to pay the bills and get paid better then most average jobs. but it is what it is...

Is there a good chance of getting a steady 9-5 shift?

[WorldofWarcraft]

Just got a job working as a security guard at a casino. It's super boring, but the pay isn't too bad. $15.70/hr. plus benefits (after 3 months) just walking around doing nothing.

[TTrent]

i've never worked in security but i've made a lot of friends who do at the places i've worked. retail security seems to suck from what i've seen. i use to work in a pharmacy and every week the security guys would come over for medication because someone dug their fingers in their eyes, bit off parts of their skin, etc. this was a while ago at a retail pharmacy and in a pretty safe city (voted one of the safest big cities in the country). it's probably others have said, depends a great deal on where you're working.

[fightingrabbit]

Originally Posted by WorldofWarcraft

Just got a job working as a security guard at a casino. It's super boring, but the pay isn't too bad. $15.70/hr. plus benefits (after 3 months) just walking around doing nothing.

Doesnt sound too bad. Im assuming you gotta be 21 and armed though huh.

[Valiss]

Originally Posted by fightingrabbit

Doesnt sound too bad. Im assuming you gotta be 21 and armed though huh.

What, you dont take your kung-fu everywhere with you?

[Nihilistic]

well, I guess I will actually start to reply right now since I am on until 23:00 tonight.

Security has its ups and downs and depending on your age can make for a magnificent career if you are self motivated.

I will go ahead and get all the bad things out of the way off the bat. First thing is first, VERY few people like, or even treat a guard like a human being. I have worked all sorts of sites and this is the only site (a high tech place) where I have ever been treated fairly or even close to being equal to the common man. In fact I get treated VERY well here which is why I love this site. However this is NOT the norm. Most sites you will have to deal with the public and as you likely know, guards are not respected by the public as far too many guards (especially in the states) seem to think they are the police. A guard is to be the eyes and ears for the law. Simple as that, see something happen, report it and get a good description. If its something you can stop from happening without getting yourself charged than by all means intervene. However note that in alot of place (again especially the states) the cops dont like guards as guards there are wannabes. Depending on how your company's relations are with the police you can either get away with some little stuff (ie physical confrontation) whereas if you dont have good relationtions with police you could easily find yourself hit with assault or battery charges.

Besides the politics with police and the lack of respect a guard also has to put up with 2 other very shitty aspects to the job. Those being low pay and crappy hours. Both of these really depend on the company you work for as there are some companies which only hire proven guards and as such demand more money per contract. The hours all depend on the contract as well. Some places are 24 hour coverage others are as little as 4. I prefer the 24 hour coverage as you can manage to get yourself new hours after you have proven your not a lazy bastard.

The pay around these parts ranges from minimum wage ($8.75) to $22. This is solely for guard work. So you are looking at roughly 18k minimum to a 44k cap around these parts. I am sure in socal the minimum is much lower as I believe the US minimum wage is something rediculously low. You can earn a better dollar for yourself by taking different courses or by becoming an armed guard. If you are EMT certified you are looking at an easy $1-$5 per hour increase, and if you can handle K-9 you can see a slight increase as well, again dependant upon your company as many companies do in fact carry different divisions of guards.

The hours I have noticed are usually 12 hour shifts, so if you are one of those guys who enjoys partying like a madman, do yourself a favor and avoid this industry. If you are like me and enjoy educating with literature or enjoy time alone this can very well be a great career path. This also reminds me, if you get bored easily this is without a doubt the WRONG path to take. The hours are long and most sites are boring.

At the end of the day the job is about securing an area. Alot of people get into this thinking they will sit around and do nothing, these people are weeded out pretty quickly and dumped onto shitty sites rather fast. You have to put in some time at the shit sites before you get moved up but once you do it really pays off.



So pay, hours, no respect... sounds like a shit job right? No no.

The trick to security to work contract security for a short time and really build a name for yourself within the company. Keep track of clients names and numbers and use them as character references when looking to do in house security work.

In House security is much better as you are hired by that company and get a much better pay as well you get their benefit packages as well. In the states the Hospitals are an AMAZING security option. If you work in a hospital you get the same benefits as the doctors and nurses which are simply amazing due to the fact that health coverage is such a pain in the ass there.

Along with the benefits you usually get a much better pay, over here the lowest in house pay I have heard of is $17 an hour which is around 34k a year. Remember that is the lowest I have heard of. Depending on where you work there can also be amazing opportunities for advancement.

A great example is the building I work at. My boss loves me because I get my work done every night, have no problem covering for others if need be and am always looking to learn something. Due to this he has begun to mentor me and teach me the ins and outs of the industry. This comes in very handy as down the road I am hoping to start my own contract company as the profit from those can be simply amazing.

Another great thing about security work is all the fringe benefits, I have access to a gym for $16 a month, I have a gourmet chef on site, all the soft drinks, coffee or tea I want for free. Best of all is that I am constantly learning and am allowed to surf the net during the down times. This is great as I can spend time learning while at work.


All in all, this is the best job I have ever worked. I love my coworkers (except one), my boss is quickly becoming a close and trusted friend, the pay isn't that bad right now and I am pretty much ensuring that I get at least 60k when I am off this site through the knowledge I am recieving from my boss. I don't have to write reports here unless something major happens. But without a doubt the best thing about this job is that you work at your own pace. There really isn't that much stress (depending on the site) and I would gladly trade money for less stress. I have friends who make 50-90k a year but hate their jobs and are stressed to shit every day. When I get off work I leave with a smile, and know that my day is over. I never bring work any part of my work home with me and I can always enjoy myself. Hell I even goto work with a smile on my face every morning.

[M.o.A]

More opportunity for ass!

[David Koresh]

I did for a short time. I thought it sucked. Most of the guards were strange people. Pay sucked. Mindless work for the most part. I would only recommend it if its part time or for a short while while you're in school. Don't even think about making a career out of it unless you have absolutely no skills, education, or drive for any kind of success in life.

[fightingrabbit]

thanks for the input Nihil. Answered pretty much all the questions i can think of atm.

Cept one. You said the hours are pretty bad. So im guessing it wouldnt be ideal for someone who is training? Are there good chances of catching morning shifts so i can train 5-8 pm ?