Career focus: FBI special agent

(CNN) -- Where can you don a lab coat and immerse yourself in the world of science, solve crimes like a gumshoe, speak or read in several languages and work on a computer, too? If you had a job at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, you might solve crimes for one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the world as a special agent. If world languages are your interest, you might be a language specialist, or you could put your analytical mind to work as a forensic scientist.

Special Agent C.W. Saari is an FBI veteran of 26 years. He currently recruits people who want to join this elite organization.Click here to hear why Saari thinks working for the FBI is an important job.

Actions you take as a teen-ager can affect the type of work you do as an adult. Click here to hear Saari's advice about how to become a FBI agent.

The FBI does more than just fingerprint the bad guys. Click here to find out more about what role the FBI plays in America's law enforcement.

From tough training in Quantico, Virginia, to special assignments in counter-espionage in Los Angeles, California, Saari has had a whirlwind career experience. Click here to hear more about his work in the FBI.

What does it take to be a special agent?

Among other qualifications:

• You must be a United States citizen, or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands.
• You must be between the ages of 23 and 37 years old when applying for work at the FBI.
• You must be ready and willing to work anywhere in the FBI's jurisdiction.
• You must have good vision, hearing and physical fittness
• You must possess a four-year college degree from an accredited institution
• You must have a valid driver's license

Click here for more employment information from the FBI

Backgrounder: FBI

The FBI was born out of the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. The specially qualified agents had no official name or specific leader, but they were the forerunners of the FBI. Over the years, the FBI has been involved in many infamous cases including the giant manhunt for robbers Bonnie and Clyde in 1934, and the famous kidnapping of the baby of aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow in 1932. The FBI aims to protect U.S. citizens from violations of federal law and international terrorism.

Click here for more historical information from the FBI