Myth vs. Reality
Although a university strives to fulfill its educational mission, one component that might be somewhat lacking is...real life. Real life work experience, that is. And that's where alumni like Joe Koletar come in.
A 1966 political science major who thought he wanted to become a foreign service officer, Koletar was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Security Group as an Intelligence Officer. He eventually ended up finding a job in a place that's just as popular a career destination as it was fifty years ago: the FBI.
"I graduated from Penn State as a B minus, C plus student," he recalls. "And three months later, I'm giving an intelligence briefing to four-star generals."
Currently involved with the Crime, Law, and Justice Alumni Program Group, Koletar is not only helping to develop some new courses with faculty, but talks to many students who are interested in his career path. In fact, he's been asked for advice so often he recently wrote a book, How To Get Into the FBI, that will be available next month.
"When I researched the books that were already published, I found that they dealt with how to get into the agency and all the different tests and training you have to do," he says. "But there was nothing on what it is like to actually have a career in the FBI—going undercover, conducting surveillance, having a foreign assignment—that sort of thing."
After retiring from the agency in 1994, he realized that there was a great need for some realistic reporting on a place that's been mythologized in popular culture.
"The main reason I wrote the book is because I was hearing from so many of the recruiters and trainers that new agents have serious misconceptions about a career in the FBI," he explains. "It's also very competitive: only one person in sixty-seven applicants will actually make it. And the job can be all-encompassing, it takes a toll on every aspect of your life."
And he should know. Over eighty percent of the book is based on Koletar's vast experience, since he presided over a two-and-a-half billion dollar budget and ran over eleven different programs during his tenure, including directing the witness protection and informant program, the surveillance and aviation program, criminal undercover operations, and White House background investigations, among others.
Koletar enjoys visiting Penn State and giving career advice and has a suggestion for students who think they want to be in the FBI.
"If you think you want to be an investigator, figure out how to become one," he says. "Find out about the mission and priorities of the agency. Do a little investigative work on your own. It's important to take the initiative in any career."