Intelligence Analyst
Protect national security by analyzing threats, interpreting data, and providing actionable intelligence to decision-makers
About the profession
Intelligence Analysts collect, evaluate, and interpret information from multiple sources to assess threats and inform national security decisions. They work for government agencies (CIA, NSA, FBI, DIA), military organizations, law enforcement, and increasingly in the private sector. The role combines analytical rigor with critical thinking to make sense of complex, ambiguous information.
Why choose it
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Intelligence Analyst fits your profile
Career Match Test →Explore the Career Path section to see progression from junior to senior
Jump to Career Path →Start learning — check the Learning Path for free courses
Jump to Learning Path →Personality Fit
Based on the Intelligence Analyst role, here are the RIASEC personality types that tend to thrive in this career. While these alignments are common, individual success depends on motivation, skill development, and finding the right work environment.
Investigative
Research, analysis, problem-solving
Conventional
Organizing, detail-oriented, structured
Realistic
Hands-on, practical, technical work
Not sure if these types match you? Take the full RIASEC assessment (4 min) to discover your personality profile and see how it aligns with hundreds of careers.
Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
Junior Analyst → Intelligence Analyst → Senior Analyst → Intelligence Manager / Division Chief
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
Salary Growth
4
Levels
$165K
Top Salary
15+
Years
Learning Path
Skills you need to develop and courses to get there
🚀
Set your current level first
Go to the Career Path tab and select your current level to see your personalized learning plan.
Go to Career PathCareer levels
Timeline: 0-3 years | Entry Level Base: $55,000 - $72,000/year With clearance premium: $60,000 - $80,000 Defense contractors: $65,000 - $88,000 Research and analyze open-source…
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Day in Life
Junior vs Senior, daily schedule breakdown
7:00am, Review overnight intelligence reporting and current intelligence feed 8:00am, Morning briefing with division leadership on priority issues 9:00am, Draft analytical…
Real Tasks
Examples of what specialists actually do
L1 (Entry): Monitor social media and news for a specific country's political developments Draft a current intelligence summary on regional security developments Create a database…
Income Dynamics
Conservative and aggressive scenarios for 10–15 years
Year 1-3: Junior Analyst $55,000 - $72,000 Year 3-7: Intelligence Analyst $72,000 - $95,000 Year 7-15: Senior Analyst $95,000 - $120,000 Year 15+: Division Chief $120,000 -…
Is this for me?
15 questions, answer honestly
You are passionate about national security and global affairs You enjoy solving complex puzzles with incomplete information You can maintain strict confidentiality and pass a…
Myths vs Reality
Honest about what the internet doesn't say
Myth: "Intelligence analysts are like James Bond" Reality: Most intelligence analysts work in office settings analyzing data, writing reports, and briefing officials.
Work-Life Balance
Stress, flexibility, burnout risk
Intelligence analysts work regular hours in most positions, though crisis situations can require extended hours and weekend work.
💰 Pay for Data Scientists
BLS OEWS, May 2023The federal survey does not count this job title on its own — it is counted under Data Scientists (15-2051).
Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
Create a free account to see how well this career fits you.
Create Free AccountPersonality types that fit this career
Based on career-match data from our Result Library:
The % is JobCannon’s editorial fit rating (0-100) for how well a result suits this career — not a statistical prediction. How we rate each test’s validity →
🎯 Is Intelligence Analyst right for you?
Take these tests to find out if this career matches your personality:
Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types