Security Guard
Security Guard
Career Overview
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers patrol and protect property from illegal activity.
Education
Most security guard jobs require a high school diploma. Gaming surveillance officers may need experience with security and video surveillance, depending upon their work assignment. Most states require guards to be registered with the state, especially if they carry a firearm.
Future Outlook
Overall employment of security guards and gaming surveillance officers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2019 to 2029, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Security guards will continue to be needed to protect both people and property because of concerns about crime and vandalism.
Work Environment
Security guards work in a wide variety of places, including public buildings, retail stores, and office buildings. Gaming surveillance officers work mostly in casino observation rooms, using audio and video equipment. Because many buildings and casinos are open 24 hours a day, security guards and officers must often work around the clock.
Recommended High School Courses
- Psychology
- Criminal Justice
- Communication
- Foreign Languages
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Block physical access to restricted areas.
- Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
- Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
- Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
- Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas.
- Write operational reports.
- Operate surveillance equipment to detect suspicious or illegal activities.
- Patrol properties to maintain safety.
- Request emergency personnel.
- Maintain public order or security.
- Provide first aid or rescue assistance in emergencies.
- Use weapons or physical force to maintain security.
- Warn individuals about rule violations or safety concerns.
- Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
- Drive vehicles to transport individuals or equipment.
Schools
Schools
American University
Cuny John Jay College Of...
Cuyahoga Community Colleg...
Florida State University
Liberty University
Northeastern University
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Suny Adirondack
University Of California-...
University Of Maryland- C...
University Of Miami
Athabasca University
Carleton University
Medicine Hat College
Nipissing University
Simon Fraser Universit...
University Of The Fras...
University Of Toronto-...
University Of Winnipeg
Approx Salary Expectation
Currency:
Low End:
$21,150.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$29,680.00 /yr
High End:
$50,310.00 /yr
Related Careers
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.