Fish and game wardens: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Fish and game wardens enforce fishing, hunting, and boating laws. They patrol fishing and hunting areas, conduct search and rescue operations, investigate complaints and accidents, and educate the public about laws pertaining to the outdoors. Federal fish and game wardens are often referred to as Federal Wildlife Officers.
- Education Required
- Police and detective applicants must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent, although many federal agencies and some police departments require some college coursework or a college degree. Many community colleges, 4-year colleges, and universities offer programs in law enforcement and criminal justice. Knowledge of a foreign language is an asset in many federal agencies and geographical regions.
- Training Required
- Candidates for appointment usually attend a training academy before becoming an officer. Training includes classroom instruction in state and local laws and constitutional law, civil rights, and police ethics. Recruits also receive training and supervised experience in areas such as patrol, traffic control, firearm use, self-defense, first aid, and emergency response.
- Job Outlook
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The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 7% (As fast as average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Advancement
- Police officers usually become eligible for promotion after a probationary period. Promotions to corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain usually are made according to scores on a written examination and on-the-job performance. In large departments, promotion may enable an officer to become a detective or to specialize in one type of police work, such as working with juveniles.
- Median pay: How much do Police and Detectives make?
- $61,600 Annual Salary
- $29.62 per hour
Careers for Police and Detectives
- Border guards
- Border patrol officers
- Conservation enforcement officers
- Conservation officers
- Constables
- Cops
- Criminal investigators
- Deputy United States marshals
- Deputy sheriffs
- Detectives and criminal investigators
- FBI investigators
- Fish and wildlife wardens
- Fish wardens
- Game wardens
- Highway patrol officers
- Homicide detectives
- Motorcycle police
- Mounted police
- Narcotics detectives
- Narcotics investigators
- Park police
- Patrol officers
- Police and sheriffs patrol officers
- Police detectives
- Policemen
- Policewomen
- Railroad detectives
- Railroad police officers
- State highway police officers
- State troopers
- Track patrol
- Transit and railroad police
- Transit authority police
- Transit police officers
- Wildlife and game protectors
- Wildlife control agents
- Wildlife officers