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Being someone who studied policy, I'd advise you to stay away from Border Patrol. They are one of the toughest agencies to serve since they do not have the personnel to cover America's vast borders. They have the money and the technology, but one guy in a Hummer is not enough to stop an armed caravan of drug-smuggling cartel cronies. Until priorities change in this regard, I would not eagerly enlist in this service. While you are probably more necessary in this service, you simply won't be able to serve your country on the same level as a lot of other agencies.
You're clearly looking at serving your country with a federal service. I would encourage you to consider ROTC in college so that you have some military experience. This sort of training would aptly prepare you to participate in armed alphabet agencies, including NSA, CIA, FBI, SS, and the Marshals. From what I hear, once you get into the government, you can serve for a few years in one agency and transfer to whatever you really want to do so long as you're a decent agent.
Pay is dependent on your education and qualifications. Learning a foreign language helps, and so does a clean record. Don't do drugs, and stay out of trouble. You will probably be interviewed more than once, and it is possible that at least one interview will be polygraphed if any federal agency is talking to you. The military is more lax when it comes to interviews, but the potential for upward mobility goes down with the military unless you manage to get into an elite unit, like the SEALS or Delta Force. Pay also coincides with risk, as is true in the financial markets. If you're willing to take on a lot of risk, there may be a reward for that, but you also may have a short life expectancy by taking those risks.
There isn't really a classic cars agency, so rely on your income for that. The government is not known to be the highest bidder when it comes to pay. Usually, the ones willing to pay the most are contracted by the government, meaning that the government is overpaying them to do government by enough for them to overpay you. Since I tend to view these organizations' employees as mercenaries, I will of course encourage you to serve your country, not your paycheck.
I want to wish you luck. There are a lot of ways to serve your country, from simply participating in democracy to winning office to fighting for its survival.
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