Shannon Friedlander
FBI
Manassas, VA USA
"Everybody has to start somewhere."
Career Roadmap
Shannon's work combines: Government, Technology, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
During the FBI Special Agent hiring process, I would often tell myself I was not as competitive as the other applicants. I had a general thought that I wasn't good enough to get in. Even though I had self-doubt, I always presented myself in a confident manner. I took one day at a time, continued to do the work required to reach my goal of being hired, and didn't give up. I always told myself I might not reach my goal in the end, but it wouldn't be from lack of effort on my part.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Psychology, General
Ohio State University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Detectives and Criminal Investigators:
Bachelor's Degree: Computer Science
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I had an interest in forensics and psychology, so I ended up majoring in psychology with a minor in criminal justice.
2.
One of my friends applied to the FBI, so I decided to also start looking into the hiring process—the more I looked into it, the more interested I became.
3.
During my senior year of college, I got a supervisor job at an adult care facility—the experience made me a more desirable candidate to the Bureau when I decided to apply.
4.
After a lengthy hiring process, I joined the FBI as a special agent.
5.
When the FBI decided to build up the cyber division, I was working in white collar and environmental crimes—cybersecurity sounded interesting to me, so I volunteered to transition into that division.
6.
I’ve transferred through a few different offices throughout my career with the FBI, depending on how much balance I needed between work and my personal life.
7.
I’ve been with the FBI for almost two decades now and currently work to investigate national security cyber intrusions stemming from the Middle East region.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I won't get hired because I'm not good enough.
How I responded:
During the FBI Special Agent hiring process, I would often tell myself I was not as competitive as the other applicants. I had a general thought that I wasn't good enough to get in. Even though I had self-doubt, I always presented myself in a confident manner. I took one day at a time, continued to do the work required to reach my goal of being hired, and didn't give up. I always told myself I might not reach my goal in the end, but it wouldn't be from lack of effort on my part.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
When I started in the cyber division, I didn't have a computer science background and felt insecure about it. It just took time to work through that. Now the division is developed and I can work with a partner who has a computer science background.