Post-9/11 job prospects centered on security

Experts say security jobs continue to be in demand ten years after 9/11. (PascalSijen)

George Mason University professors and career resource experts say that the United States response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has noticeably altered the way the university trains students and prepares them for the job force.

Associate Director of the Center for Justice Leadership and Management Dr. Allan Turner in an email message said, “Homeland security is the fastest growing area in academia. It is a constantly evolving multidisciplinary field with no one dominant approach.”

One look through the Mason class schedule yields a number of examples to reinforce Dr. Turner’s point. For example, there’s now an Emergency Management and Homeland Security concentration in the Public Administration Master’s degree track. There is also a Homeland Security and Justice concentration in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Dr. Turner sees these new degree programs as integral to helping Mason’s student body stay competitive in the current job market.

“Students studying for careers in justice today must be provided instruction to help them develop a fundamental understanding of our national homeland security effort” Turner said. “This includes being exposed to a variety of homeland security related topics including intelligence analysis, critical infrastructure protection, emergency management, homeland security organization, terrorism, cyber security, as well as the relationship between policing and corrections and homeland security.”

The U.S. reaction to 9/11, which has garnered two ongoing wars, a new cabinet level Department of Homeland Security, and numerous changes in the way that local governments think about policing, has also impacted the employment outlook for Mason graduates.

Mason senior Zachary Nalbone, an information technology major working toward a concurrent Master’s degree in information security, says that his lifelong love of computers led him to his major—but it was job security that helped him arrive at a concentration.

“I knew that the security job market was one of the best job markets,” says Nalbone. “Going into it, knowing that the job security was particularly high definitely helped make me make my decision about a major.”

School of Public Policy Director for Career Development and Alumni Relations Duane Bradshaw says intelligence, defense, and security-related experts will continue to be in high demand for the foreseeable future, even in a difficult job market.

“A lot of the agencies have hiring freezes. But homeland security-related areas are one of the few that are still consistently offering positions. And that wouldn’t only be in [the Homeland Security Department], but in intelligence and defense.”

The interdisciplinary nature of intelligence and security work means that there are a number of opportunities in which a variety of majors can potentially excel, from biology to computer science to English.  Given the dismal economic landscape in the U.S.—unemployment remained glued at 9.1% in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—the post-9/11 security buildup remains a bitterly ironic source of jobs stability.

With so much money and resources devoted to security, the economic ripple effects of 9/11 likely will continue to impact Mason for years to come. When asked about other areas of growth for Mason job prospects, Bradshaw singled out health care.

“That’s why the School of Public Policy created the new Health and Medical Policy Master’s in Fall 2010,” says Bradshaw. “But certainly homeland security and defense will always be on the table.”