Are you considering a career as an investigator? If so, how you see yourself matters! I want you to ask yourself what being an investigator means. What does it take to become one? Will this be your profession or something you do on the side?

I have had a very rewarding investigative career, and I want the same for you. To accomplish this, I feel it’s essential to ask the above questions. Becoming an investigator will allow you to join an extraordinary group of people and have a challenging and rewarding career.

A great start is accurately referring to yourself and your newly chosen career. Some people refer to themselves as private investigators, while others (myself included) prefer to say professional investigators. Fortunately, “PI” works for both terms.

It is important to consider the difference between a private investigator and a professional investigator. When many people hear the term private investigator, they envision someone who has not bathed in several days, living out of their car with McDonald’s bags all over the front seat, and taking pictures of cheating spouses. Unfortunately, that is how private investigators are often portrayed in conversations and sometimes on television or in movies.

You might be thinking that’s not how you imagined a private investigator would look. What image pops into your mind when you hear the term “private investigator?” Since you want to make this your career, I wonder if you pictured investigators from NCIS, Magnum P.I., or perhaps Jim Rockford from The Rockford Files? (Oops, I may be dating myself with those last two references.) You see, you envisioned a professional investigator rather than the stereotype many hold of private investigators.

One thing you will learn quickly in this career is that the way you choose to perceive things directly impacts the final result. The same holds true for how you view yourself. I encourage you to consider referring to your new career as being a “professional investigator.” After all, you are a professional who investigates situations or people for a living.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a profession as “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.” It also defines a private investigator as “a person, not a member of a police force, who is licensed to do detective work (such as investigation of suspected wrongdoing or searching for missing persons).”

Although there are clear definitions established by the dictionary, I encourage you to distinguish yourself from the crowd and shape how others perceive you. Avoid referring to yourself as a private eye, private detective, and so forth. Professional investigations involve much more than just an industry. It is a profession filled with individuals eager to zealously serve their clients in the committed pursuit of truth and justice.

Remember, words matter! I know you want to be an investigator, and I’m confident you aspire to be a professional investigator. The choice is yours.