Letter to a Young Security Operative

For decades, the security industry has banged on about creating a proper "career ladder." If retail can be a career, why not security?

Well, let me explain why: security is what I call a basement occupation. In the corporate pecking order, that's where you live —?sometimes?literally.

There are precisely three rungs on this particularly short ladder: Guard/supervisor/manager. (If you're in electronics, think 'on the tools/supervisor/manager' — same difference.)

The brutal truth is that once you hit manager level, there's nowhere to go but sideways. You'll have a?minuscule?budget, zero actual power, and enough responsibility to sink a battleship. Oh, and watch those budgets shrink year on year while expectations grow.?Marvellous.

I've observed security managers of all stripes over the years, and frankly, the competition isn't exactly fierce. Some are rusted-on ex-coppers who view security as somewhat beneath them (charming), waiting to fall off their perch.?

Speaking of which, I once gave a talk to a couple hundred security managers and pointed out that statistically, half the room would get cancer, and a good portion of the remainder would be retiring. Once the room was emptied of cancer patients and retirees,it would be pretty much empty. (If you think that's crass, I speak as a cancer survivor who's watched at least three good colleagues from that very room shuffle off this mortal coil.)

So, is security worth pursuing as a career? Not likely. But — and here's the clever bit — it's a brilliant place to START a career.

First, consider this lot:

• Alan Sugar started as a statistician in the civil service earning ￡6 a week before selling car aerials out of a van — eventually founding Amstrad and becoming a self-made multimillionaire.
• Simon Cowell started in an?EMI Records post?room runner?before climbing to become one of the most powerful figures in entertainment.
• Richard Desmond started working in the classified advertising department of a local?newspaper. He then went?on to own the Daily Express and OK! Magazine, making him one of the richest media moguls in the UK.
• Talk of s*#t jobs, Charlie Mullins started as an apprentice plumber and eventually built Pimlico Plumbers into a multimillion-pound business.

It’s not where you start or even where you are that?counts. It’s?where you finish.

Here's what makes security uniquely brilliant as a starting point: apart from the accounts department, security are the only ones with genuine access to all areas. While others are stuck in their departmental silos, you can observe, learn, and understand how the whole business works.

My advice is learn everything you can about the business you're in. Get to know it better than the people who actually work there. Study communication skills and business principles. Don't just Google things — read proper books, build your knowledge base. Talk to people. Ask questions. Offer help.

You see, while there might not be much headroom in security itself, there are plenty of escape routes — if you're clever enough to spot them and?smart?enough?to?attract attention.

Trust me on this. I've seen it happen.

P.S.?And yes, I know about all those fancy job titles like "Director of Corporate Security" and "Chief Security Officer."?But let's?be?honest,?they're still in the basement, only with marginally better furniture.

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