Security Guard
💂Keeps order at a site: access control, patrols, CCTV monitoring and responding to alarms. Shifts of 12 hours or more.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $48.7k a year on average
Security guards & gaming surveillance officers — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £33.8k median a year · 72,000 jobs
Security guards and related occupations — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Smart cameras, facial-recognition gates and remote monitoring cut the number of posts; guards at complex sites and response teams remain.
Who it suits
Interests: 🛡️ Protecting, rescuing, serving, 🗂️ Order, paperwork, systems.
Key strengths: organisation.
Where to study
- Course Security licence course: SIA (UK), guard card (US), §34a Sachkundeprüfung (Germany)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): PE.
🧗 A short course and licence: SIA in the UK, guard card in the US, §34a exam in Germany. Usually 18+ with a criminal record check. Progress to supervisor, control room operator or security manager.
Things to know
🌙 Night shifts and on-call🎖️ Uniforms, ranks, strict hierarchy
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