Also called: Army 35M, Marine 0211
Gathers intelligence by talking to people: interviewing sources, debriefing, and questioning detainees under legal rules.
HUMINT collectors build rapport with local sources, run debriefings, and write detailed reports. Much of the work is listening and reading people. These skills transfer to investigations, sales, journalism, and federal law enforcement.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, hazardous-duty, or skill pays this specialty usually earns. Enlistment/reenlistment bonuses for this field can be $10k-$50k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma, then ~5 months of HUMINT training; many also attend language school. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Psychology, Criminal Justice, Foreign Languages.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps translate and sort reports; building rapport with sources stays human.
Classes: A foreign language, Psychology, World history, Speech.
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.