Screen visitors at the front door
Check a visitor's identification, confirm they're allowed in and log the visit before letting them pass.
Career profile
Security Guard
Security guards control site entry, patrol on foot, and act when something seems wrong.
Good at noticing small things and staying calm around people? Look into security work, posted at a security desk or walking a patrol route.
A day in the life
Circle the gates and doors
Look for break-in signs or damage, since you have to report a broken latch even when nobody's around.
Find what set off an alarm
Track the alarm to its cause, and call police, fire or paramedics if it needs emergency help.
Write the incident report
Describe what happened, where, and what you did, keeping what you observed separate from guesses about anyone's motives.
Quick facts
High school + job training
United States · 2025
$38,020/year
United States · May 2025
0.9% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + job trainingA diploma or equivalent and short-term training are typical. State and employer requirements also apply.
Pay
$38,020/yearNational median for security guards, equivalent to $18.28 an hour.
Outlook
0.9% projected growthAbout 156,000 openings annually nationwide, including replacement needs.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can keep checking carefully when a routine becomes familiar.
- You can explain a rule without turning disagreement into an argument.
- You like getting the details of an event right.
Things to weigh
- Night work and rotating shifts can disrupt sleep and plans.
- A post may mean hours standing, walking, or sitting at screens.
- You may face angry people while still needing to stay composed.
Where AI may help
Cameras and alarms let you monitor areas beyond your immediate view.
What people still lead
You still explain access rules, respond to incidents, and summon help.
What we can’t predict yet
More surveillance may reduce staffing needs; how much monitoring it replaces will vary by site.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a comparison point when reading a job offer.
The midpoint
Median pay was $38,020 a year, or $18.28 an hour. Half earned more and half less.
The spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned below $30,210; the highest-paid 10% earned above $58,840. These are not career stages.
The employer's industry matters
Annual medians were $44,920 in healthcare and social assistance, $44,250 in educational services, and $35,640 in retail trade.
Openings exceed net growth
Projections show 156,000 openings a year but only 11,300 net additional jobs over the decade. Openings include replacing departing workers.
Getting started
Enter through an employer that trains new guards
- What the route involves
- Apply for a beginner role with training, complete screening, and learn access checks, patrol procedures, and customer service during onboarding.
- What it can lead to
- You build the site-specific skills needed to take responsibility for a post.
- What to check
- Training and licensing requirements vary by location. Applying before you have a guard card does not mean you may work before required authorization.
Complete required training first: New York
- What the route involves
- Take the 8 Hour Pre-Assignment Training Course at a state-approved school, then apply for security guard registration with the required fee, fingerprints, and identification.
- What it can lead to
- The course meets the initial training requirement for registration; the state must separately review your application.
- What to check
- For the ordinary unarmed route, applicants must be at least 18 and meet criminal-history requirements. After hire, complete 16 hours of job training within 90 days, followed by required annual training. Armed registration has additional requirements.
Check your state's requirements before paying for training. Hiring and required instruction can happen in different orders.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Learn your post
Get comfortable with the site's access rules, patrol route, and expectations for helping visitors.
Make your response clearer
Practice explaining an incident and requesting the right help. Ask your supervisor which details would make your reports more useful.
Lead a shift
A possible next step is security shift supervisor: assign posts, coach guards through problems, and check that procedures are followed.
Where you can work
Offices and factories
Entry checks cover workers, visitors, and vehicles. Your post may be a gate or desk, with patrols around buildings and equipment.
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- Shift work
Stores and shopping areas
You work around shoppers and merchandise, sometimes alongside store detectives. Patrols may extend into parking lots.
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Try writing a short incident report from this fictional scene: at 3:10 p.m., a delivery cart bumps a lobby door and leaves a mark; the driver tells reception. Record the time, place, event, and response without guessing motives. Notice whether precise reporting holds your interest.
Stay safe: Use the fictional scene; do not test security systems or challenge strangers.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 33-9032.00 — Security Guards. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Security Guards and Gambling Surveillance Officers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Table 1.2 — Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Allied Universal. No Experience? How Allied Universal Trains New Security Officers. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Security Guard Training. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- New York State Department of State. Become a Security Guard. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- New York State Department of State. Security Guard. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- O*NET OnLine. 33-1091.00 — First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers. Accessed 2026-10-02.