Special agents rate their happiness above average.
At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, special agents rate their career happiness 3.6 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 22% of careers.
To put this into perspective, we compared how happy special agents are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:
Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers
| Career | Satisfaction | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Judge | 4.0 | $148k |
| Special agent | 3.6 | $84k |
| Detective | 3.6 | $84k |
| Private detective | 3.5 | $59k |
| Hearing officer | 3.5 | $103k |
So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:
- Salary: Are special agents happy with their salary?
- Meaning: Do special agents find their jobs meaningful?
- Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as special agents?
- Work environment: How enjoyable are special agent’s work environments?
- Skills utilization: Are special agents making the best use of their abilities?
Are special agents happy with their salary?
Special agents rated their satisfaction with their salaries 3.6/5. The majority of special agents are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.
We asked special agents how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:
3.6 out of 5 stars
101 special agents
34% of special agents rated their compensation 5 stars
30% of special agents rated their compensation 4 stars
15% of special agents rated their compensation 3 stars
10% of special agents rated their compensation 2 stars
12% of special agents rated their compensation 1 stars
Do special agents find their jobs meaningful?
On average, special agents rate the meaningfulness of their work a 3.7/5. Unlike many careers, special agents have little difficulty finding meaning in their work, and it likely constitutes one of the main reasons people become special agents.
We asked special agents how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:
3.7 out of 5 stars
102 special agents
41% of special agents rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars
22% of special agents rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars
11% of special agents rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars
16% of special agents rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars
11% of special agents rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars
How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as special agents?
Special agents rated their personality fit with their work an average of 4.1/5. The majority of special agents find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.
We asked special agents how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:
4.1 out of 5 stars
107 special agents
48% of special agents rated their career fit 5 stars
27% of special agents rated their career fit 4 stars
17% of special agents rated their career fit 3 stars
3% of special agents rated their career fit 2 stars
6% of special agents rated their career fit 1 stars
How enjoyable is a special agent’s work environment?
As a whole, special agents rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.9/5. A solid majority of special agents enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a special agent.
We asked special agents how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:
3.9 out of 5 stars
107 special agents
44% of special agents rated their work environment 5 stars
27% of special agents rated their work environment 4 stars
14% of special agents rated their work environment 3 stars
6% of special agents rated their work environment 2 stars
9% of special agents rated their work environment 1 stars
Are special agents making the best use of their abilities?
Former special agents on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 3.8/5. Most special agents surveyed find that they manage to use their abilities to their fullest as a special agent, which helps contribute to higher career satisfaction in the long term.
We asked special agents how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:
3.8 out of 5 stars
106 special agents
42% of special agents rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars
23% of special agents rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars
14% of special agents rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars
16% of special agents rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars
5% of special agents rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars