“I fell into Fire & Security.”
That’s how most people in the industry will tell you they got into it.
And while that story has served us well, it’s time for a new one.
What if people chose to enter our industry, not by accident, but on purpose?
Sian and Jo had this conversation at The Security Event in 2025 after Jo took Arc Monitoring’s “Could You Be an ARC Operator?” challenge... and scored an ‘E’. (She’s not bitter.)
What stood out wasn’t the result. It was how different the experience felt. Unlike anything else in the Fire & Security space, the test felt like a game: split-second decision-making, pattern recognition, prioritising threats, staying calm under pressure.
“It reminded me of gaming,” Jo said.
“That’s because it basically is gaming,” Sian replied.
“Except you get paid for it.”
ARC Operator careers: the real-life game behind security
We’re talking about remote monitoring: operators sitting at the nerve centre of national security systems, using live camera feeds, audio, alarms and protocols to keep people and property safe in real time.
It’s fast, it’s visual, it’s full of challenge, yet it’s barely known to young people looking for career ideas.
That’s a missed opportunity.
Because the skills many young people are developing in their bedrooms every night through strategy games, multiplayer maps and quick-thinking coordination are exactly the ones Sian looks for at Arc Monitoring.
Sian says: "We built our interactive test to show just that at The Security Event in 2025. It’s scenario-based and surprisingly tough. Most experienced professionals don’t score as well as they think.
But that’s the point. It’s not about ego. It’s about potential.
Gamers, multitaskers, and pattern-spotters often do better, especially if they’ve never worked in security before. They don’t come in with bad habits. They’re used to thinking visually and reacting fast."
Start your ARC Operator career at Arc Monitoring
How non-gamers discover ARC Operator careers too
Jo from Lollipop helps businesses in Fire & Security stand out with digital marketing that tells their story.
She has worked in the industry for years. But, again, she fell into it when she met her first client while rolling around on a karate mat. (It’s a long story.)
But even she wasn’t prepared for the ARC Operator quiz.
“I thought, ‘how hard can it be?’ Turns out, very. It’s relentless. You’re under pressure from the first second. I scored an E... and I still haven't forgotten it.”
What surprised Jo most wasn’t just how tough the role is. It was the realisation that she hadn’t fully appreciated the skills many young people already have.
“I didn’t really value or respect the skills that gamers actually have. But now I do. They think fast. They process chaos. And they could genuinely thrive in this world.”
She also realised it’s not just about tech: it’s about judgement, nerves, care and confidence. The experience hit closer to home because Jo has young relatives who don’t yet know what they want to do when they grow up, but they are avid gamers. In that moment, she made the connection: this could be their career.
Her perspective is also shaped by her time as a lollipop lady, watching children grow up with little idea that careers like this even existed. That’s why she believes outreach into schools and colleges is vital.
ARC Operator skills: human oversight in an AI age
Gaming instincts help, but they're just the start. A great ARC Operator also needs to be a clear communicator, someone who can talk confidently to customers and get the right information in the right order, even under pressure.
You’ve got to be calm but assertive, ready to issue an audio challenge to intruders with authority and confident enough to escalate to the Police when it counts.
It’s about attention to detail and care, too. You need to treat every site like it’s your own, and hand it over to the next shift with clear comms and continuity. Because this isn’t just about tech, it’s about trust.
When you’re monitoring a site, it’s not just another camera feed, it’s someone’s livelihood or their home. You’re the one who sees the moment something goes wrong. That weight matters. Alarm Receiving Centres look for people who care enough to carry it.
And while AI is transforming many industries, this is a role it can’t fully replace. Human oversight is essential — judgement, empathy and the ability to read complex, unpredictable situations in real time are skills that machines can’t yet replicate. That makes ARC Operator careers not only exciting, but future-proof.
“Working in shifts means you rely on the team and the team relies on you. That creates a sense of camaraderie and trust. Every operator hands over cleanly to the next, because we all know what’s at stake.”
ARC Operator careers: a launchpad into security
One of the most important things Sian highlights is that being an ARC operator isn’t the endgame, it’s the beginning.
“People might think it’s just staring at screens, but it opens doors. You get exposure to the tech, to operations, to how systems work. From there, you can go into technical support, customer management, compliance, even into engineering or sales.”
It’s a role that teaches the fundamentals: how systems behave, how people react, how to manage pressure and detail. And because it touches so many areas of the business, it can lead you almost anywhere.
“It’s the best way to understand the security industry from the inside. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t started there.”
Career progression: from ARC Operator to Managing Director
Sian knows exactly what it’s like to step into this career with no experience, because that’s how she started.
“I applied because it was four days on, four days off. I’d just left Uni, and I wanted something that gave me time to still see my friends who were still studying.”
That shift pattern pulled her in but the work kept her hooked. She started in 2010 as a front-line ARC operator. Over the next decade, she worked her way up through the organisation: from running the control room and managing customer services, to taking on full operational oversight as Director of Operations, before becoming Managing Director in 2021.
Her 15-year journey is proof of what’s possible when talent is spotted early and supported consistently. It’s living proof that Fire & Security isn’t just a job. It can be a career for life.
Back then, Sian remembers the job ad making it sound almost too good to be true.
“The advert didn’t say ‘save lives and shout at burglars.’ It said something like ‘monitor screens’ — which made it sound a lot more chill than it actually was,” she laughs.
Now, as MD, she’s the one recruiting.
“I haven’t gone as far as calling it ‘paid to watch TV’, but I do want people to know this job can lead to something big... because I’m proof of that.”
Why ARC Operator careers are the future of security
Jo and Sian both want more young people to see Fire & Security as a career choice, not an accident. The ARC Operator role is one of the best-kept secrets in Fire & Security: a launchpad into technical, operational and leadership careers that shape the future of the industry.
So if you know someone hiding in their bedroom on a screen and wondering what to do with their future, point them towards the Arc Monitoring careers page.
This article was created in collaboration with Lollipop, because attracting the next generation is as much about getting your story out there with Fire & Security marketing as it is about recruitment. Contact Lollipop Local to start telling yours.
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