CCC students investigate FBI job opportunities
VINELAND - Working for the FBI is more than a job, it's a lifestyle, according to one agent.
Kenneth Shuey, supervisory special agent of the Trenton office, addressed criminal justice students at Cumberland County College on Thursday.
"It's a noble career, but you have to want lifestyle changes," the 20-year FBI agent said.
Shuey, 51, whose career in law enforcement began 30 years ago when he attended the State Police academy, believes that his experience in law enforcement has proved to be a great asset in his work with the FBI.
"If your goal is to get rich, find a different career," he advised. "If you want to be on the cutting edge and be involved in major events, the FBI provides great opportunities."
Prior to becoming the supervisory special agent in Trenton, Shuey was assigned to the Newark office and was deeply involved in the post-9-11 activities.
"When I pick up the phone, I never know what the next call will be," Shuey said.
He has been involved in anthrax investigations, kidnappings, homicides and many other major investigations.
Criminal justice professor Charles Kocher pointed out that Shuey was very much a part of the successful television production "America's Most Wanted" and also established one of the most successful task-force operations for stolen vehicles for the New Jersey region.
The kind of people the FBI is looking for are those with people skills, Shuey said.
"The bottom line is the FBI is an information-gathering organization. Without that, we cannot move forward. People with professional law-enforcement experience and the ability to interview are very important," Shuey said.
Those with special skills in foreign language, finance, biology, computer science/management information systems and other fields also are wanted.
One of the major changes made within the FBI is dealing with the financial aspects of terrorism, Shuey said.
When he first joined the FBI, the top priority was violent crime. Shuey said that today the top priority is terrorism, including counter-intelligence.
Shuey gave the group a comprehensive picture of the types of careers available in the FBI - not only special agents, but in administrative-support positions. He emphasized the importance of attracting top-quality people, including women and minorities.
Shuey stressed that his career in the FBI has been a rewarding one.
"At the end of the day, I want to be able to say that I have had a successful day and have helped someone," he said.
And that appealed to many in the audience.
Jerry Moran, 28, a member of the Burlington County Probation Department, said that Shuey was "very professional and informative," adding that, "he has motivated me to consider the FBI as a career."
While not in Kocher's class, Moran obtained his master's degree at St. Joseph's University, where Kocher obtained one of his two master's degrees.
A Cumberland County College sophomore, Natalie Velazquez, 19, of Vineland, also said she is considering joining the FBI.
"The speaker made me interested in becoming either an agent or an administrator," she said.
Velazquez said she enjoys being in Kocher's class because of his extensive experience as a former Camden police officer.
"When he speaks, he can back up what he says from his experience," she said.
A banquet server at Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, Bridgeton resident Sharon Flournoy, 38, said she is too old to become an FBI agent but is interested in the administrative job opportunities that Shuey described.
"He told me a lot about the areas I should look into," said Flournoy, who has an associate's degree in information processing from Rider University and is working on a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Fairleigh Dickinson University through Cumberland County College.