What do I think of Close Protection so far (from my training & research)?
The reality of close protection work is that you’re giving up your life for someone else. They’ll say you work 12 hours a day guarding. But in actual fact it can be up to 18-24 hours (overtime), especially in hostile environments. There is completely no work-life balance. I suppose you have to enjoy this work or you don’t. It’s not something just to get by. It’s a lifestyle in itself.
So who are these personal protection officers? These elite bodyguards? I’m talking about international standards. Ex-military, police, special forces and martial artists. When considering recruits for a professional position, normal civilians with no combat skills aren’t even considered whatsoever. Well, to be honest, a lot of companies will take anyone dumb & gigantic with absolutely no skills to fill up positions since they need people. I, on the other hand, got this job because I had a masters degree and trained in multiple martial arts – not many, if any, companies would have someone with a masters degree applying for his job. That’s a bonus and not many in Malaysia are willing to sacrifice themselves for such a risky job, especially those highly educated ones.
So, why did I even want to try this out? For one, it’s a lesser known professional job, and probably with the exception of lesser developed countries, professional close protection officers around the world acquire degrees and professional qualifications in the field of security, investigations, risk management, & added to that Close Quarter Combat skills for this position. I suppose I’ve always been in that mode to challenge myself and to serve. This has by far been the most extreme work experience for me (in terms of time, skills needed and labour) but obviously not the only extreme job there is out there. I’m only in training for 12 hours a day and it’s already daunting! The fact is, I was bored with mediocre. I told myself, if I was living, I might as well give it my all – to my last breath. There’s something about protecting someone and saving their lives that has honour instilled into it. Added to that, the benefits are great. I get to travel the world and have vip access to places not many are able to experience in their lifetime. And ofcourse the pay is great or atleast better than most office jobs I had. Why wouldn’t it be – you’re basically giving your life for this. The salary I was told I’d be given once I complete my training is comparable to a higher management executive salary; heck it would take me a good sales record to get those commissions on top of my salary to earn that much. Those who have been in CP – veterans – know that they won’t switch this career for anything else. That says a lot to me. This is the only job I’ve heard people say they’ve been going strong for decades whereas in my previous ‘desk jobs’ I see people switching every couple of years; well I guess they’re missing that excitement factor. Kinda funny to think of it since the work hours are – honestly – ‘inhumane’.
CP is broad and covers several levels of security depending on the threat level; the higher the threat, the more exciting the experience, the greater the pay. And the shorter the life span, or longer if you’re well prepared. But CP isn’t about battling it out; it’s about prevention. Careful planning and analysis is conducted before any operation takes place. The point of it all is to prevent something from happening, but if something does happen, a quick response & extraction should already be on hand. I am in training on this path because it isn’t a job, but an exciting career path unlike any other. It isn’t about sales or counting likes on Facebook or measuring hits and shares or seeing someone waving your brand around on a billboard. It’s simple – it’s providing protection and saving lives. I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t respect skilled and loyal men in that line of work.
All I can think of right now is : if your job makes you sit around doing nothing, you’re not going anywhere. So here’s to entering a different world!
Call me a dreamer and a fanatic but dreamers are the ones who go places (images sourced from the net)
Can’t wait to get my hands on this book!
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