ASIS 2012Security education is becoming a central part of security hiring, promotion

One of the panel discussions at the ASIS 2012 Security Conference and Expo, dealt with the issue of  education and security. The panelists included Dr. Martin Gill, a research council chair of ASIS, James Ness, University of Phoenix dean of the college of criminal justice and security, and Christopher Walker, director of security studies for the college of professional studies at Northeastern University.

Gill was first to speak and discussed security and how it has changed over time, but how people still conceive it as something very simple. 

“One of the problems we have in security is that people have to define what security means,” Gill told the audience during his powerpoint presentation. “And we teach people that security is just the protection of assets, which is a very narrow definition.”

Gill is correct; security has become much more than a man with a flashlight watching a door or a vault. With the advancement of technology, the provision of security has become multibillion dollar businesses, but what about the people who teach and train the people in these jobs?

To address this point, James Ness discussed how education has advanced with security.

“In the beginning all a security candidate position needed was brawn and the ability to stay awake on post,” Ness told the audience. “Education really never has seemed to be an important ingredient for the security field. Now colleges around the U.S. have criminal justice and security programs.”

Christopher Walker, a former cop with the LAPD, and the only panelist not to use a powerpoint presentation, agreed with Ness. “There has been a dramatic increase in the number of security related degree programs.” Walker wrote HSNW in an e-mail. “I have seen the number 350 plus cited.”

Walker also highlighted another concern, which he has faced when interviewing candidates for positions: the lack of one specific curriculum. “The programs vary in quality, as well as depth and breadth.  Many are deeply grounded in criminal justice and, as a result, only remotely related to security.” Walker said in an e-mail. “Over the past 3-4 years, the large number of programs being developed is focused on homeland security.  However, as has been noted by a number of people in the field, those programs do not have a commonly agreed upon curriculum. As a result the classes chosen to be part of an individual curriculum are based on the available faculty, rather than proven value to the students.”

Since we are in early stages of homeland security education, people looking to go into the field will have to investigate different colleges and programs to see whether the curriculum would prepare them for security jobs or for higher level jobs.

Now that education is becoming such a mainstay in security, many wonder whether  a 25-year old with a masters degree would be more suitable than a 40-year old who has worked from the bottom up? According to Walker, a combination of both is best, but education is becoming more valued.

“As the positions I was seeking to fill were higher level managers, their compensation level demanded that they had both experience and education. Many positions in the security field should not require prior experience. Walker told HSNW. “However, given that we exist in a knowledge based world, education is more highly valued.  As such, it should be expected that individuals seeking positions in a highly competitive field like security will possess a college degree.”

The fact that a college degree is becoming more valued could lead to a trend which will see older people who have worked in the security field for a long time going back to school in order to keep climbing the ladder. This could cost them money in the short term, but the ceiling will be higher in the long run, and could lead to a paycheck they never imagined before. 

One thing we know for sure is that the focus on the educational aspect of security is just in its infancy. Eventually there will be a more defined set of classes and skills taught at the university level which will make hiring security professionals easier. The hope is that the combination of people with educational attainments and people with a wealth of security experience would end up making the United States safer.