Coast guard to federal law enforcement?

I am going to be graduating Northeastern University's 5 year BS in Criminal Justice program in the spring of 2010. I am thinking of going straight into the Coast Guard after graduation. How much will a few years in the Coast Guard help me in getting a Federal law enforcement job afterwards? (i.e. ATF, DEA, or Secret Service)

First, you have to decide if you want to go direct commission, or just the seaman route. Basically for the dea, ice, and atf, you will get much more experience in drug enforcemen and immigratin if you go to an afloat unit, ie a cutter. For the secret service option, just working at a small boat station will help you with the basic law enforcement aspects. but keep in mind, the coast guard le training is pretty basi unless you go msst or ledet, which is like swat, buton boats.

It'll help a lot. If thats your current plan, I say stick to it.

It can't hurt to have a decent military record. If you can get assigned to whatever the CG eqivilent is to CID that will be a leg up. Go for it!

Military service (most people generally consider coast guard to be military) always helps you in Law Enforcement. You will learn discipline, chain of command, independence, all things valued in Law Enforcement. Not only thing, but if you service your time in the military honorably, it makes easier to get hired. because a potential employer is going to know that you probably won't drop out of the academy "because it's too hard" or freak out on them.

Also, the Coast Guard is generally considered a law enforcement agency also. You will probably learn a lot about dope, arrest procedures, ect. All good stuff. I think it's a good plan.

It will help a lot stick with it.

Having a degree on top of having "military" experiance will foot you in great. I am in the same situation and it looks good. Go for it!

well go for it but you can not have any tattos if you want to get in to or even being pick for the dea atf or sercet service