Introduction
Today, U.S. National Security Agency is one of the most important governmental entities in the United States of America since it focuses on providing information security of national systems, analyzing online activities and telecommunication, decoding of data, and offering intelligence service while often being referred to as a key intelligence agency of the country (Endicott-Popovsky 90).
The rising popularity of the Internet and cloud storage emphasize the need to devote even more attention to national security to prevent leakage of information and cyber-attacks (Endicott-Popovsky 90). These matters underline the paramount importance of the U.S. National Security Agency and make it one of the prestigious employers for job seekers. Consequently, in the context of this paper, it will be essential not only to analyze personal skills, determine career tracks, and define strengths and challenges faced by intelligence communities but also propose ways that my traits can help the selected agencies overcome challenges and take advantage of benefits. In the end, conclusions are drawn to summarize the main findings of the paper.
Personal Skills, Abilities, and Interests
To establish a foundation for discussion, it is vital to describe my traits, skills, interests, hobbies, and abilities. It is apparent that presenting skills and experiences in the right form can increase the chances of being hired by the desired employer. In the first place, I am highly interested in the cultures of different countries. Today, I do not have many traveling opportunities, but I tend to discover cultural specifics and customs with the help of textbooks and various literature. Along with that, I am fond of learning something new about history, politics, and foreign affairs. My interest in these spheres and desire to continue to gain more knowledge in them explain my desire to choose International Relations as my major.
As for my skills, I can freely state that one cannot become a successful specialist without critical thinking and analytical skills. It is the reason for my desire to focus on the development of these abilities during my years of high school and college. For example, I am able to analyze different cases and situations and make conclusions based on my interpretation and critical evaluation. It helps me design effective solutions to diverse and controversial situations and improves my decision-making.
At the same time, I have good communication skills. For example, I am fond of giving presentations, and I am able to express my ideas concisely and clearly. People often find my presentations easy to follow and creative. Nonetheless, I consider constructive criticism as an important part of learning, as it is the only way to improve the outlook and flow of my presentation. At the same time, I can say that I am a good listener and have good written communication skills since I tend to write using well-developed sentences while constructing a text that is interesting to follow.
Furthermore, nowadays, many employers not only focus on the experience of a potential candidate but also evaluate his/her potential and desire to grow and develop as a successful professional. In this instance, I can admit that my eagerness to continuously grow and develop can be viewed as an advantage. I will always be interested in learning something new such as discovering new places and using new software.
Lastly, I also consider being flexible with paramount importance. For example, I easily adapt to changes in the working environment, and I am prepared to take risks and be responsible for their consequences. Along with that, I am highly responsible and tend to meet deadlines and complete the tasks on time. Apart from these essential characteristics, I have a tendency to be creative and think outside the box, and this skill assists me in becoming a valuable professional, who can improvise and use brainstorming to develop an interesting solution. Overall, I could say that these skills have a beneficial impact on my development and growth as a qualified and skilled professional, and I will continue working and improving them to become an interesting person and valued employee.
Intelligence Agencies
When referring to the structure of the U.S. National Security, it is apparent that there is a diverse range of institutions that ensure the protection and security of national systems. The most common ones are CIA and FBI, but other entities also include the Department of State – Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Director of International Intelligence (ODNI), Defense Intelligence Agency, and many others (Agrawal). A plethora of these organizations can be explained by the need to protect a national system from different angles, as, otherwise, it will be exposed to the threat. In this case, delegating tasks and duties between different departments is of high importance due to the necessity to meet the set goals and comply with the perceived expectations of clients, government, and society.
Nonetheless, in the context of this assignment, I have selected only two of them to perform sufficient analysis. One of them is ODNI, and it is considered as a head office of intelligence agencies and communities (Office of the Director of National Intelligence). It plays the role of a leader and advisor, as it guides the governmental entities such as the National Security Council in making various decisions and introducing changes (Office of the Director of National Intelligence). Its well-developed infrastructure and a strong connection with other departments can be discovered as the major benefits, as a combination of these aspects ensures a sufficient flow of information and increases the responsiveness to changes. These characteristics along with using advanced technological solutions provide a rationale for selecting this agency as ahead of the intelligence community, as the effective delegation of responsibilities assists the country in maintaining its security at high levels. Nonetheless, the need to take responsibility for the risky decisions is one of the challenges, as a wrong solution may lead to adverse consequences.
Another agency selected for analysis and discussion is National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and this entity specializes in providing information about geographical landscape and video intelligence services to the different military, political, and civil organizations (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency). Its specialization in geography can be considered as its major benefit since it can devote substantial financial resources to the improvement and development of these procedures.
It can help them become more effective while positively affecting not only the level of national security in the United States of America but also worldwide, as many international agencies use these services actively. At the same time, other advantages include working in collaboration with other intelligence agencies and taking advantage of information technology to optimize procedures. These matters help the entity reach its goals and become one of the trusting sources of information worldwide.
Apart from the benefits of each agency, they tend to face obstacles as the world continues to evolve while having both negative and positive effects on everyday transactions, operations, and activities. For example, social media increases interactions between citizens of different countries and allows them to communicate with the governmental authorities and share information and ideas very fast (Liaropoulos 5). On the one hand, the benefits are clear since they help increase awareness of the society about different actions of the government and make their campaigns and programs more effective and recognized (Liaropoulos 5).
However, one the other side, both NGA and ODNI have to analyze high volumes of data daily to ensure the safety and spot any suspicious changes. It is difficult to accomplish, as different conversations and transactions take place online every day. For example, the age of the Internet created a well-established network that could be used for wrongful purposes such as financing and spreading information about terrorism (Rediker 322). It is one of the most critical social problems and issues to resolve since it may have a negative impact on well-being, prosperity, and safety of the population.
At the same time, another consequence of this era is the fact that constant interactions online and continuous growth of information base create a favorable environment for the development of malicious software and viruses and decrease the effectiveness of these agencies. A combination of these factors triggers a rise and growth of cybercrime and implies the need to devote even more attention to cybersecurity (Matrellozzo and Jane 55). For example, the development of social networks online can also become a source of cyberhate, spread the ideas of racism, and cause international conflicts (Matrellozzo and Jane 55). Based on these factors, it is evident that this technological advancement increases the number of problems that have to be considered and studied profoundly, and it is a new challenge for these agencies and organizations.
Consequently, potential employees have to propose different ways to overcome these problems and have a beneficial impact on their functioning and recognition worldwide.
Careers of Interest
As it was mentioned earlier, both ODNI and NGA had to complete different activities at the same time, as, otherwise, it would be impossible to meet set goals and objectives. To fill these needs, these organizations have to have a diverse range of the employees, as to make effective solutions, collaborative decision-making is essential. For me, it was difficult to select the right career tracks that would comply with my professional and personal goals and skills. In this case, within the described agencies, I will be interested in Intelligence Analysis and Communication and Public Affairs career tracks since they entirely comply with my educational focus – international relations and affairs.
After the evaluation of an extended variety of jobs provided, I decided to pursue a career as All Source Analyst with specialization in politics in ODNI. This job highly focuses on research of different geographical areas or projects while covering various aspects including counterterrorism, cultural expertise, and foreign languages (The United States Intelligence Community).
This profession requires a profound knowledge of this sphere and well-developed critical thinking and analytical skills, as it will not only be necessary to conduct research by using various technologies and techniques but also propose different solutions and evaluate the current situation. Additionally, interpretation, evaluation, and analysis of data collected are essential parts of this profession. Along with that, it is vital to have a high level of command of the required software and previous experience in this area as an analyst. I have selected this profession because it will have a beneficial influence on the development of my personality, as I will have to face a number of challenges to become a valuable specialist in this sphere.
As for another career opportunity, I discovered Public Affair Officer in NGA as one of the most interesting ones. One of the major goals of this profession is to develop effective communication plans while focusing on both internal and external means of communication (The United States Intelligence Community). At the same time, it will be necessary to write articles and produce press releases that will help increase awareness of the public (The United States Intelligence Community). Consequently, the main skills required for this profession include good both verbal and written communication and the ability to express opinions and ideas clearly to avoid misunderstandings. In turn, it implies creativity, responsibility, and adaptability, and flexibility.
Matching Agencies’ Needs
The previous sections provided a clear analysis of individual skills, abilities, and interest and described careers within the selected intelligence agencies. Nonetheless, in this case, it will be vital to conduct a critical assessment and provide a rationale for the ability of the described skills to have a beneficial impact on agency’s performance, development, and growth. In the first place, it is evident that both careers tend to highlight the importance of critical thinking, decision-making, and analytical skills. This set of characteristics entirely matches my profile since I tend to conduct research regularly and attempt to interpret the findings and propose the most effective solutions. This matter is crucial for the selected career tracks, and having well-developed skills in this sphere makes me a potential future professional.
In turn, both internal and external communication for the selected careers has to be discovered as vital since these specialists have to show a presentation to the public and their co-workers precisely and concisely. Focusing on these skills will help avoid misunderstandings, and it is one of the main reasons for selecting me as a future professional. In this case, I will be able not only to present the acquired data in the entirely new format but also devote more time and attention to research and discover current problems such as cybercrime and terrorism in detail. Consequently, using me as a professional will assist the agencies in increasing their efficiency and discovering new insights of the constantly evolving world of information technology.
At the same time, working in the chosen spheres implies a high level of responsibility due to a plethora of risky decisions that have to be made. I am as a future specialist prepared to take these risks and meet the set deadlines. It will speed the process and help evaluate all options, as every decision has associated consequences. In turn, apart from the fact that I do not have a high level of command of the specialized software, I am eager to learn and grow. In turn, my high level of flexibility will not only help me take advantage of new equipment but also help others adapt to changes. These characteristics will assist me in becoming a trusted and valuable professional and creating friendly working atmosphere.
Due to the need to address the challenges that the organizations have to face, I can state that creativity can also be viewed as a benefit. For example, with the help of creative thinking, I will be able to discover problems from new sides and think outside the box. For example, intelligence agencies can see social media not only as a threat but also as an instrument to increase the awareness of the population (Landon-Murray 67). It will assist me in discovering new approaches that were never applied in the selected context. This skill makes me a unique and suitable candidate since employing these methods wisely will revolutionize the sphere of the intelligence community, make it work more efficiently, and address the most important modern social issues.
In turn, being interested in the sphere of international relations can also be considered as a characteristic that caters the needs of the chosen agencies. As it was mentioned earlier, I am highly passionate about politics, history, and foreign affairs, and I am constantly discovering new opportunities to review these fields from both practical and theoretical perspectives. This method helps me unveil the hidden mysteries of these sciences and become an interesting person to talk to and a specialist, who discovers his/her professional sphere through different lenses. My interest in the related career tracks made me a motivated and committed professional, who could highly contribute to the intelligence community by sharing his/her ideas, perception, and knowledge with the rest of the co-workers.
Nonetheless, apart from the fact that the majority of my skills and personal needs comply with the main requirements of organizations, there is room for improvement. For instance, it will be essential to focus on the development of my writing skills, as I have no experience writing press releases and articles for a diverse audience, and, as a consequence, it will be essential to become more educated about specifics of these genres. Putting emphasis on these writing standards will help me become more persuasive and develop as a writer. Simultaneously, it will be essential to learn how to use different software programs required for the chosen career tracks, as it is one of the important factors to succeed in this sphere.
Conclusion
In the end, apart from the development of technology, the agencies operating and functioning under intelligence community have to face some challenges including cybercrime and spread of terrorism. It is of paramount importance to resolve them as fast as possible, since, otherwise, it will damage not only the reputation of the United States of America in the security sector but also pose a threat to different welfare and security systems. In the context of this paper, I selected ODNI and NGA as the organizations for the analysis, as ODNI is considered as the main office of the intelligence community while NGA specializes in geospatial services. Within these agencies, I chose two career tracks including All Source Analyst with specialization in politics in ODNI and Public Affair Officer in NGA. Both of these professions require a profound knowledge of foreign affairs, exceptional communication skills, critical thinking, and good command of related software.
Before conducting the assessment of the agencies, I highlighted responsibility, good verbal and written communication skills, flexibility, creativity, responsibility, interest in public and foreign affairs and history, and eagerness to learn as my main advantages. During the analysis, it was revealed that my profile entirely satisfied the needs of these career tracks, as I would not only be a hardworking and responsible specialist but also I would motivate others, pay more attention to research, and propose creative solutions to the existent challenges. Along with that, I plan to improve my communication skills and discover the advantages of specialized software. Overall, a combination of these factors makes me one of the most suitable candidates for these positions.
Works Cited
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Endicott-Popovsky, Barbara. Proceedings of International Conference on Cloud Security Management. Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited, 2014.
Landon-Murray, Michael. “Social Media and the U.S. Intelligence Agencies: Just Trending or a Real Tool to Engage and Educate?” Journal of Strategic Security, vol. 8, no. 5, 2015, pp. 67-79.
Liaropoulos, Andrew. “The Challenges of Social Media Intelligence for Intelligence Community.” Journal of Mediterranean and Balkan Intelligence, vol. 1, no., 1, 2013, pp. 5-14.
Matrellozzo, Elena, and Emma Jane. Cybercrime and its victims. Routledge, 2017.
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: About NGA. (2017). National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 2017, www.nga.mil/About/Pages/Default.aspx. Accessed 30 May 2017.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence: Who We Are. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2017, www.dni.gov/index.php/who-we-are. Accessed 30 May 2017.
Rediker, Ezekiel. “The Incitement of Terrorism on the Internet: Legal Standards, Enforcement, and the Role of the European Union.” Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 36, no. 2, 2015, pp. 321-351.
The United States Intelligence Community: Intelligence Careers: Careers. The United States Intelligence Community, 2017. Web.