WHY I LOVE MY JOB:

Private investigators and instructors

Job: Private investigators and instructors, Clarkston

What I do: Real life is nothing like television, say Langston, 37, and Phillips, his mother, licensed private investigators who also teach their craft at Georgia Perimeter College's Clarkston campus. A PI's job can be tedious, involve the Internet more than Interpol, and be more sad than salacious. "I don't get out in the trenches anymore," Phillips said, adding with a smile, "I'm the brains."

KARL RITZLER/Special
Lynn Phillips and her son, Allen Langston, demonstrate surveillance techniques. Much of a private investigator's job involves following people in Atlanta traffic, which can create real obstacles, Langston said.
Work in "the trenches" usually includes activities such as doing surveillance in divorce or insurance cases, interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, conducting background checks and locating people. "We can catch people doing something they shouldn't be doing," Langston said. That can include extramarital trysts or activities that an alleged medical condition might inhibit. PIs may not break the law, trespass or violate a person's civil rights or privacy, Langston said. "What you see on TV is made for TV. If we'd do that in the real world, we'd get in trouble," he said. And they must maintain their anonymity and not "get burned," or exposed as investigators.

What got me interested in this: While Langston followed in his mother's footsteps, Phillips said she became interested in the job when she once hired an investigator. "I thought, 'I could do that.'"

Best part of my job: "It's the chase [of gathering facts] that's fun," Phillips said. Langston added that he is rewarded by "having a client come to you at a crossroads in their life ... and you can give them closure. It's the gratitude of delivering information that people are looking for."

Most challenging part: "Red lights," Langston said without hesitation. When investigators are following someone in a car, getting stuck in Atlanta's traffic can mean losing the subject and starting over another day. Phillips cited keeping up with changes in the law and ensuring her course is updated.

What people don't know about my job: "Nothing is secret," Phillips said. Through databases that are open only to licensed investigators and law enforcement agencies, she said she can find out anything about a person and his or her relatives and neighbors. Investigators, like police, use those databases to perform background checks. That's why PIs face tight licensing requirements and strict ethics codes on how they use information.

What keeps me going: Both cited their passion for their work. For Langston, "it's being a contributor instead of a taker." For Phillips, it's desire, dedication and determination.

Preparation needed for this job: A good vehicle and a good education, Langston said. Phillips added that you have to pass state and federal background checks, be fingerprinted and be at least 18 years old. You also must pass a state examination and serve a two-year apprenticeship with a licensed investigator or have two years of experience as a law enforcement officer. All of the requirements are listed on the secretary of state's Web site (www.sos.state.ga.us). Langston is completing his apprenticeship and will open his own agency. The course Phillips and Langston teach is a noncredit course designed to introduce people to the field. Students have included would-be investigators, paralegals, insurance investigators and aspiring mystery writers.

-- By Karl Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.