Also called: Background Investigator
Verifies people's histories (jobs, schools, criminal records) for employers or government security clearances.
You drive to a county courthouse to pull records, call a candidate's former boss and interview neighbors for a federal security clearance case.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; many have a bachelor's or law enforcement/military background.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Military, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice.
Growing about average. Government clearance work stays steady.
Medium risk for 10 years. Databases and AI verify most records automatically; field interviews for security clearances still need people.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to background screening companies for research or verification analyst openings
Classes: AP Government, English Language Arts, Criminal justice CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-9021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.