One of the jobs that are growing quite fast today is computer forensics. With cybercrime on the rise, and many companies becoming the victim of hackers, as well as internal theft via the computer systems, it makes sense that they will need to have help. Someone who has a degree in computer forensics as well as professional certification will be able to work as a consultant for many different types of companies and businesses. It’s also possible to find contract work for the government and the military. Since these are independent consultants though, they are not beholden to any of these agencies or companies, providing them with much more freedom.
The type of work that the consultant does can vary. It can be something as simple as recovering information from a corrupted disk or helping with the encryption of data. It’s also possible that the expert will be needed for a criminal or civil case that will eventually go to court. Thus, experience in handling evidence is going to be very helpful for the consultant. Many of those who go on to consulting begin their career in law enforcement, so they will have this type of experience.
One of the best things about consulting is the pay. The work itself is usually interesting, and it’s possible to meet a number of great people, but the reason that so many are gravitating toward the consulting profession for computer forensics is the pay. They will work on an hourly basis in most cases, and they can command several hundred dollars per hour. Of course, they need to prove that they are worth the money. Certification, such as Certified Computer Examiner and Certified Computer Forensics Examiner are two of the qualifications that people want to see.
As computer fraud and theft grows, the demand for digital forensics experts grows. It’s a lucrative career, and it seems like it’s going to keep getting larger.