Old Dogs & New Tricks (or how to stay relevant in this industry)

I received my first security training certificate in 2010. 28 years AFTER I started my security career. Back when I started in security (1982), all you needed to do this job was to be big, own a suit and have a willingness to fight. There were no standards. No schools of thought. In fact, there was no training at all that I was aware of! But, I was big, I could fight, and I could fill out a suit. I fit the image of a ‘bodyguard’ so I got work. I worked my way up in the world because I carried myself well and was articulate. I had no formal training and never even heard of perishable skills. I certainly couldn’t identify what soft skills were even if I was unknowingly doing them!

But that was the 80’s. I eventually went into law enforcement even though I was doing quite well for myself in security at that time. However, the security world changed quite dramatically during my tenure in law enforcement from the way I remembered it by the time I retired in 2006. I started looking for work and was reading job posts that said, ‘Medical training preferred; Former law enforcement or military; Graduate of recognized EP school’. When did employers start demanding that we be trained and not just be a ‘knuckle dragger’ in a suit?!? I had my law enforcement background so I got some work, but I did start to notice that I was never rising above mid-level type jobs or ODO (Off Duty Officer) specific jobs. I just couldn’t land the higher end details. The industry changed and if I was going to survive then I needed to change with it. 

So, I decided to reinvent myself and started training. I went to a defensive driving/protective security driving school. I put it on my resume and started getting security driving details. I went online and took some FEMA disaster security courses, then I worked as a supervisor (because of my training) for a security company during the Hurricane Florence disaster. I started taking the internal online courses at some of the companies I was working for. Things like Customer Service, Dealing with Conflict, Active Shooter. A lot of soft skills. I was still qualifying with my weapon through the Police Department, but I was really starting to see the phone ring more and more each time I updated my resume with a new skill set or refreshed my perishable skills. Then I took my first dedicated EP course and that was a game changer for me on a lot of different levels. Not only did I see how much I DIDN’T know, I saw how to do things better than I was already doing them. There really was a right way and a wrong way to do this job. There was a level of professionalism way above just being an aggressive bodyguard yelling at people to get out of the way. It opened my eyes and reenergized me. I became a graduate of that recognized EP school and my phone continued to ring. I thought I was golden with my newfound job offers but I quickly learned that even with training you can still become stagnant if you don’t continuously refresh those perishable skills and/or stretch yourself in different directions. This was the case when I took a Covert EP Course with a recognized company. I am 6’6” tall with a healthy command presence from my law enforcement days and I had to unlearn that in order to put into play the principles that were taught. Very hard, very uncomfortable, very worth it! These days I try to work as much as I can like the next guy but when I am between details (or when we have a pandemic), I am training, reading an industry related book or networking like a fiend!

A quick note on networking: I was introduced to this concept during that first EP course I took. I guess I was already doing it to a small degree; Calling my other law enforcement buddies to see if anyone had work and needed an extra guy, but actively networking was a new concept to me. So, I decided to give it a try. Afterall, I am a freelancer so having my phone ring with work is important for my survival. I started going to security conventions, I would be the first to go shake someone’s hand, I would grab a drink or a cigar with someone or a group of people. I would hand out my business card. I would see or be seen. I became active on the social media security groups contributing where I could. I promoted every job I saw, even jobs I couldn’t take because I was booked, because after all, that’s why we are here right? To work in this industry? A smart man once told me “High tide lifts all boats” but I digress…. Since I travel a lot personally and for work, I would let it be known in the social media groups that I would be in a particular state or city and try to get together with other practitioners and discuss work, trends, equipment and training. I started getting calls from those I’d networked with telling me their client would be in my city and was I available for work.  During a recovery period after a surgery, I studied for and obtained my CPP credential which opened up a whole new world. I now had access to practitioners and resources from all over the world. 

Just recently, I graduated an amazing five week EP program that went into depth on a lot of topics that are just not covered in some of the shorter duration courses. Five weeks was a commitment for sure but I learned a lot I didn’t know, I refreshed what I did know, and I networked with subject matter experts with real world experience. It is helping to keep me relevant in this industry and I have no doubt that some work details will be forthcoming just from being in this EP academy. Quick tip for those of you on the fence because of pricing, In the last 10 years, I have done a lot of training and gone through a lot of courses, Most of it I paid for out of pocket. If you are worried about the cost especially during these lean times all I can tell you is that every course that I have taken has more than paid for itself with work, networking with the promise of future details, knowledge base and resume builder. Training is the classic example of spending a little to get a lot. You get a huge return on your investment.

So, what are you doing to make sure your phone rings? With COVID right now, a lot of people are hurting. A lot of the work has gone away temporarily. If you ask me, this is the perfect time to train; To network; To read. To better yourself and stay relevant. That’s what I am doing and my schedule is filling up fast. Once this pandemic is under control, security jobs are going to come back in a hurry and since there are so many security practitioners out of work, it will be a buyers market. The companies and clients will be able to pick and chose who they want because there are so many out of work. So what are you doing to stand out from the crowd? 

In 10 years, I have over 100 different certifications from/in different schools, different skill sets and different schools of thought. I’ve read over 60 books and networked with dozens if not hundreds of fellow practitioners. What does that all mean? It means my phone keeps ringing and I keep working. I carefully choose what works for me and put those skills in my E.P. toolbox. I have a very heavy toolbox these days. And getting heavier. I’m an old dog learning new tricks and hopefully I am making myself stand out from the crowd.