I always wondered how much further I would be in my career had I gone to college earlier, mastered more areas of investigation, or obtained different certifications. I believe one of the biggest mistakes some investigators make in the investigation industry is that they stop learning about the industry.  I too became complacent in the industry.  

What studies have shown is that individuals in most cases are likely to earn more money over their lifetime versus someone who stops their education at a high school level.  But I think it is more important to understand why that is. So let’s get into it.

Reasons to Continue Your Education

Employees with Higher Education Tend to Make More Money

Reasons to Continue your Education (An Employee Perspective)

Companies want investigators that are educated, knowledgeable, and that have certifications (yes…and hard workers). I still remember hiring an investigator that had more certifications and education than most of the managers in the company. The investigator was a shoo-in and was able to demand higher entry pay into the company because of those certifications.

Investing in your education helps you to show the company how serious you are about moving up and helping them to earn more money. The company will place more confidence in you when given more responsibility.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York shared an interesting graph created based on information from the U.S Census Bureau and the U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistics. This graph showed the increasing wage gap between someone with a Bachelor’s Degree and someone with a High School Diploma between the ages of 22 and 27. In 2021, an individual with a Bachelor’s Degree earned on average approximately $22,000 more than someone with a High School Diploma. 

I still remember when working for the nationwide investigation company nearly every manager/supervisor had a bachelor’s degree.  The degrees were not all the same. Some had degrees in criminal justice, some had degrees in management.  Having a degree definitely helped in the process of promotions within the company.

Reasons to Continue your Education

(From a Business Owners Perspective)

Companies big and small flash their credentials, education, and the education of their staff. They want to show prospective clients why they are the better choice with the ever-growing amount of competition for clients.  And let’s face it, it works. Education and credentials give credibility to a company and something to separate one business from another business.

There were many times early in my investigation career when managers would reach out to me and ask me what certifications or education I had.  The managers were collecting the information to give to prospective new clients that had asked for the information.  

This can be a big boost to new investigation companies as well. Your education or certification may be the difference between winning and losing a possible client.

More Education May Allow for More Marketability

Marketability From an Employee Perspective

There is a good chance you are not going to work for the same company as an investigator. Companies these days are always looking to get into new markets and sometimes to do that, they need staff that is already educated in those markets.

Imagine a company that wants to get into conducting arson or death investigations. When hiring new investigators they will narrow down their applicant pool to investigators with certifications and background in those areas.

Having that experience or certifications will help you make it to the top of the candidate list. And if you are one of a few investigators with the education in those areas, you will likely be able to negotiate a salary in your favor.

I have seen this happen firsthand. I have also observed a major client follow an investigator to a different company just to continue using a specific investigator. The new employer ends up being a big winner in the deal. The investigator got to name his price at the new company.

Marketability From a Business Owner Perspective

Diversifying your market is something that eventually happens to many investigation agencies. Companies need new forms of revenue because one specific avenue can become stagnant. Many companies add process serving to their services to make up revenue or create new services that assist their clients.

Companies that specialize in one specific type of investigation appear to be the experts in that niche,  but this does not work for all companies. Many companies hold their breath during certain slow times in the year hoping to stay afloat. If the company was certified in different aspects of the investigation, it would allow for more opportunities and different clients (fire, fraud, death, theft, etc…)

Continuing Education is a Signal to Employers

Employers are looking for signals that they are hiring the right person for their company. An argument is made that someone who had continued their education after high school is a person who is hard working and driven.

Many individuals pursue their education while working a full-time job. Other individuals have the opportunity to complete their college education right after high school.  

Whether it be a college degree or obtaining a certification of some sort, it does signal to an employer that an individual is continuing to improve themselves deliberately.

Continuing Your Education Can Help With Soft Skills

Whether you are an employee, a manager, or a business owner, soft skills don’t always come naturally to people. Ongoing education can help in the area of soft skills to make you aware of what you could be lacking in areas of communication, teamwork, empathy, and emotional intelligence.  Continuing education can help you develop those areas.

Knowing how to do a job will only take you so far. Building a widget is great. But if you can lead a team of widget makers and inspire them to be the best that they can be, well then that makes you a little more valuable to the organization.  Humans are imperfect and complicated and soft skills can help you negotiate waters when communicating with people in difficult situations.

If you can’t communicate well with others, you will have a difficult time moving up in a company, managing people, or leading an organization to grow.

I have noticed that people with soft skills tend to move up in companies much faster than those without them.

Allows for a Possible Backup Plan

Having other options of employment other than the traditional investigation field should be in the back of every investigator’s mind. You may wake up one day and feel as if the occupation is not a good fit for you. Or someone could tell you that you are not a good fit for the job.

Either way, what are you going to do if it does not work out? Taking the degree and certifications and applying it to the corporate environment is an easy transition.

If you have been an insurance fraud investigator, have a Bachelor’s degree, and are a Certified Fraud Examiner, it would be relatively easy for you to get your foot in the door as an insurance adjuster.

You have probably heard me say it or write it, but I got my additional education mainly for backup career purposes. The future certifications I will receive will be for all of the above reasons.

Final Thoughts on Continuing Your Education as a Private Investigator

You really don’t know where your career will lead you 5 or even 10 years from now. A business degree may help you with the process of starting and marketing your investigation agency. A psychology degree may help you pursue some sort of internal investigation position or allow you to pursue an entirely different occupation.  You really just never know where your career path will lead or what opportunities will be available.

Higher education isn’t always the path individuals want to take for whatever reason. And don’t dismay about your career if that is the case. A CNBC article indicates more education does not always equate to more money.  There are several factors that affect this, especially the career or educational path a person takes.  They cite a report from Georgetown University that showed 16% of individuals make more money than half of the individuals with Bachelor’s Degrees.  

A degree isn’t a guarantee of higher earnings however there is overwhelming evidence that continuing education is what employers are looking for and that individuals who pursue higher education are likely to earn more over their lifetime than someone that does not.

So be a continual learner. Keep learning in the field of work you wish to be in whether it is the investigation field or not.