45 DEA Agent
What a Career as a DEA Agent is Really Like
On this episode of the Unboxing Careers Podcast, Greg Zakowicz unboxes the career of a DEA agent with Brian Townsend.
Guest: Brian Townsend is a retired Supervisory Special Agent/Resident Agent in Charge with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Brian proudly served in law enforcement for 28 years; 5 years as a police officer in Joplin, Missouri, and 23 years with the DEA, where he held a variety of assignments with increasing responsibility. Currently, Brian serves as a Law Enforcement Training Coordinator for the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center (MOCIC),
Connect with Brian:
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What Does a DEA Special Agent Really Do?
Working as a DEA Special Agent is not like what you see on TV. In Brian Townsend's 23-year career with the Drug Enforcement Administration, he learned that the job blends investigation, teamwork, writing skills, and a mission-driven mindset. If you're in high school or early college and you've ever thought about law enforcement, Brian's story gives you a real look at what the work is actually like.
Some things you might experience in this career include:
Investigating drug trafficking networks
Working closely with state and local police
Managing multiple cases at once
Writing detailed reports that document every step of an investigation
Balancing desk work with field operations
How Brian Found His Path Into the DEA
Brian’s interest in drug enforcement started young. After seeing how drugs affected his community, he knew he wanted to be part of the solution. A high school career fair—something many students overlook—became the moment that changed everything when two DEA agents showed up and explained the agency’s mission.
Here’s what his preparation looked like:
Two-year degree in law enforcement
Four-year degree in criminal justice administration
A master’s degree
Five years as a local police officer before applying to the DEA
If you're in high school, Brian recommends majoring in something you genuinely enjoy instead of feeling locked into criminal justice. Skills like writing, languages, and technology can be just as valuable once you reach the academy.
What the Hiring Process Is Really Like
The DEA hiring process is long, detailed, and designed to test whether someone is ready for the responsibility of federal law enforcement. Brian’s process took 10 months, and some people in his class waited two to three years before getting hired. While today’s timelines may be faster due to agency shortages, the steps are still thorough and require patience.
Here’s what these steps actually look and feel like for applicants:
Medical clearance: Before anything else, applicants must be certified healthy enough for the physical demands of the job. This can include heart tests, vision checks, hearing tests, and a full medical exam. It’s not just about fitness. The DEA needs to know you can handle long hours, travel, and stressful environments.
Physical fitness test: This is more than simply being in shape. The fitness test evaluates strength, endurance, and overall readiness for the academy. For many applicants, this is the first major hurdle. If you're in high school or college, staying active now can give you a major advantage later.
Drug testing: Brian explained that applicants are tested multiple times, including random tests. DEA wants to see not only that you're clean, but that you can be trusted in a field where drugs are central to the job. Honesty is critical here.
Psychological exam: This assessment looks at how you handle stress, pressure, and decision-making. It's not about being perfect; it’s about ensuring you have the emotional stability needed for a job that can involve danger, trauma, and unpredictability.
Polygraph examination: A polygraph tests truthfulness on past behavior, especially involving drugs, criminal activity, or dishonesty. This step can make applicants nervous, but Brian stresses the importance of honesty over trying to "pass" the machine.
Oral board interview: This is a structured panel interview where agents evaluate how you think, communicate, and respond to difficult scenarios. They want to see professionalism, common sense, and maturity.
Background investigation: Investigators will check your employment history, talk to neighbors, look at your financial behavior, and confirm that you’re reliable. Even small jobs in high school matter because they show responsibility.
For young people considering this path, Brian’s biggest advice is to understand that patience is part of the process. Agencies move slowly, and applicants may need to wait months between steps. But showing resilience, responsibility, and honesty throughout is what makes you stand out.
What Teens and College Students Should Avoid
Federal agencies look closely at your past choices, especially involving drugs. Brian explains that experimenting with marijuana in high school may not ruin your chances, but trafficking or using hard drugs likely will.
Important things to avoid:
Drug distribution of any kind
Repeated or recent illegal drug use
Dishonesty during the background check
A pattern of irresponsible behavior
If you do something questionable as a teenager, own up to it. Recruiters prefer honesty over excuses.
What a Typical Week Looks Like for a DEA Agent
No two weeks look the same in DEA work, but Brian’s experiences give a clear picture of the rhythm and intensity of the job. A week might start at a desk reviewing phone records and end on the side of a highway during a drug seizure. It all depends on the cases on your plate and how quickly they evolve.
Here’s what these tasks actually feel like day to day:
Conducting surveillance: This may mean sitting in an unmarked car for hours watching a suspect’s home or following a vehicle without being noticed. Patience matters because you might wait all day for a five‑minute moment that breaks open a case.
Working with informants: Agents often meet with confidential sources who have connections to drug traffickers. These meetings require trust, careful planning, and sometimes creative thinking to help informants access criminal networks safely.
Analyzing communication data: Phones are a major tool for drug traffickers, so agents spend time looking at call records, mapping contacts, and building timelines. This is where an investigation often grows from one suspect to an entire network.
Coordinating with other agencies: Brian worked frequently with state police, Border Patrol, and local departments. This could mean joint briefings, planning arrests together, or traveling to another state to follow a lead.
Writing reports and documenting evidence: Every action — every interview, surveillance note, phone record, or seizure — must be written clearly. These reports become the backbone of a case in court.
If you want a job that blends quiet, focused computer work with high‑energy field moments, DEA work gives you both.
Essential Skills for Success as a DEA Agent
Brian emphasizes that success in the DEA has less to do with personality type and more to do with how well you communicate, stay organized, and make consistent, thoughtful decisions. You don’t have to be a “movie-style” agent — you just need to be dependable, steady, and willing to learn.
Here’s what these skills truly look like in everyday DEA work:
Strong written communication: Writing is the backbone of the job. A DEA report isn’t just a summary — it becomes legal evidence. Clear writing can determine whether a case moves forward or collapses in court. This means learning how to describe events in detail, explain your reasoning, and organize information so another agent or attorney can pick up the file and understand it instantly.
Clear verbal communication: Agents talk to people constantly, including informants, witnesses, other officers, attorneys, and community members. Sometimes you’re explaining complicated processes in simple terms, and other times you’re interviewing someone who doesn’t want to cooperate. You don’t need to be loud or outgoing, but you do need to express ideas clearly and adapt to whoever you’re speaking with.
Organization and case management: Juggling 15 to 20 cases at once means keeping track of evidence, deadlines, surveillance notes, phone data, and court updates. Organization isn’t just helpful — it protects the integrity of the investigation. A missed detail can create gaps in the case or delay important steps. Good agents build habits that help them stay on top of everything.
Emotional intelligence: Much of DEA work involves reading people. You may need to sense when an informant is nervous, when a suspect is holding back information, or when a teammate needs support. Emotional intelligence helps agents make smarter decisions in the field and build relationships that improve investigations.
Reliability and consistency: Brian says one of the first things agencies look for is whether you show up … literally. Being on time, following instructions, writing reports promptly, and doing your part makes you someone teammates trust. Even entry-level jobs in high school can show that you’re dependable.
If you're in high school or college, you can start practicing these skills now by writing regularly, taking group-based classes, and paying attention to how you communicate in stressful situations.
Difficult Parts of the Job
Brian is very open about the challenges that come with this career. DEA work is deeply meaningful, but it requires emotional strength, patience, and an ability to manage frustration. Understanding these challenges early helps young people decide whether this path fits their personality and goals.
Here’s what makes the job difficult in real-world terms:
Seeing the long-term impact of drugs: DEA agents don’t usually respond to overdose scenes, but they see the supply chain behind them. They investigate the cartels and traffickers responsible for thousands of deaths each year. Over time, seeing the scale of destruction can be emotionally heavy, especially when you realize how widespread the crisis has become.
“Little trauma” building over time: Brian explains that it’s not one dramatic moment that affects most agents — it’s years of seeing cruelty, dishonesty, and loss. This kind of slow, ongoing exposure can be draining if agents don’t develop healthy ways to decompress and stay grounded.
Working with difficult coworkers or supervisors: Like any workplace, some people make the job harder. That might be someone who avoids work, a supervisor who micromanages every decision, or a prosecutor who rejects a case because they’re trying to protect their win record. Young applicants should know that even dream jobs have tough personalities and office politics.
When good cases fall apart: Sometimes you build a strong case over months, only to see it weakened by a legal decision, a witness backing out, or a judge who disagrees with the charges. This can be incredibly frustrating when you’ve put in long hours and sacrificed sleep, weekends, or personal time.
If you’re thinking about this career, it helps to develop patience, perspective, and the ability to separate your self-worth from the outcome of any single case. Those traits will keep you steady even on the hardest days.
Salary Expectations and Career Growth and Career Growth
DEA agents are paid under the federal law enforcement pay scale. Brian explains that starting salaries are strong, especially after the first few years.
Here’s what the early career pay timeline looks like:
GS-9 after graduation from the academy: roughly $78–79k (higher in major cities)
GS-11 after one year: around $90k
GS-12 after two years: around $110k
Agents also receive a built-in 25% law enforcement supplement because they are expected to work at least 50 hours per week. This means your workday might be longer, but you’re paid for the commitment upfront.
How Much Moving is Involved?
In the past, new agents could be assigned anywhere without warning. Today, applicants know their first location before entering the academy. However, movement within the agency is still common.
Typical expectations include:
A first assignment somewhere in the U.S.
Staying at least 3–5 years before requesting a transfer
Opportunities to move to specialized teams or leadership roles
If you want a stable career in one city, the DEA might not be the perfect fit. But if you’re open to travel and new experiences, it can be exciting.
Difficult Parts of the Job
Brian is very open about the challenges that come with this career. DEA work is meaningful and often exciting, but it also requires emotional strength, patience, and a realistic understanding of how difficult the field can be. Many young people imagine the fast-paced moments shown in movies, but Brian explains that the real challenges are far deeper and more personal.
Here’s what makes the job difficult in real-world terms, with added context to help you understand what these experiences actually feel like:
Seeing the long-term impact of drugs: DEA agents might not respond to overdose scenes like local police officers do, but they constantly see the supply chain that leads to those tragedies. Working cases tied to overdose deaths, seeing the numbers rise each year, or interviewing people affected by addiction can weigh heavily on agents over time. Brian describes how the drug crisis has skyrocketed, and being close to that reality can feel overwhelming.
“Little trauma” building up over the years: Instead of one dramatic event, agents experience a steady stream of negativity — criminals lying to them, heartbreaking family situations, dangerous operations, or seeing communities struggling with addiction. Brian explains that this kind of repeated exposure adds up quietly. Agents don’t always realize the emotional toll until years later, which is why self-care and strong support systems matter.
Working with difficult coworkers or supervisors: Federal agencies are large systems, and not everyone you work with will be motivated, professional, or easy to collaborate with. You may work alongside someone who avoids responsibility or drains team morale. Supervisors might micromanage or make decisions based on fear rather than leadership. Brian stresses that having realistic expectations about people and not letting others’ negativity drag you down is essential.
When strong cases fall apart: Some investigations take months or years and require long hours, travel, and personal sacrifice. Seeing a case rejected by a prosecutor or limited by a judge can be crushing. You might feel like you did everything right, only to watch someone avoid consequences because of factors you cannot control. Brian says this can be one of the most frustrating parts of the job.
Handling constant uncertainty: DEA agents never fully know what the day will bring. Plans can change instantly because of a suspect’s movement, a new lead, or a sudden shift in an investigation. For teens or college students who prefer routine and predictability, this can be one of the hardest adjustments.
If you're thinking about this career, it’s important to understand these challenges early. Building patience, emotional resilience, and a strong sense of purpose will help you stay grounded
Why the Work Is Worth It
For Brian, the most rewarding part of the job was holding traffickers accountable. When you help stop the flow of dangerous drugs, you’re protecting entire communities.
Rewarding parts of the job include:
Bringing justice to people who harm others
Building meaningful investigations
Working with dedicated teammates
Knowing your work truly matters
If you want a meaningful career that directly improves public safety, this path offers exactly that.
Closing the Case
If you're in high school or college and imagining a future where your work makes a real difference, this career might be worth exploring. You don’t need to have everything figured out right now. What matters is curiosity, responsibility, and a willingness to grow. Stay focused, stay honest, and stay open to opportunities—you never know which moment will change your path.
Takeaways For Those Interested in a Career as a DEA Agent
Education in criminal justice is common, but other degrees can be beneficial.
The application process for the DEA is lengthy and rigorous.
Drug use history is scrutinized during the application process.
Investigative work involves building cases and understanding drug networks.
DEA agents have a mix of desk work and field investigations.
Communication and writing skills are crucial for success in law enforcement.
Salary for DEA agents starts around $78,000 and increases with experience.
The job can be challenging due to the nature of drug-related crimes.
Setting realistic expectations is important for a successful career in law enforcement.
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