For my upcoming book, How’d You Score THAT Gig? (Random House 2008), I spoke to twenty-eight year old Rob Fried, a computer forensic analyst in New York.  Rob has a job that anyone who watches CSI thinks is the ultimate dream career.  Check out some snippets from our interview:

Alex:  Tell me a little bit about what you do.

Rob:  Each and every day brings with it new opportunities, experiences and challenges.  On any given day, my job can entail: provisioning digital media in preparation for an upcoming engagement, performing a forensic acquisition in the laboratory or onsite at a client, validating the integrity of evidence acquired, performing forensic analysis on one or more pieces of evidence, or consulting a client on proper approaches to data preservation.

Working in a technology dominated field, one quickly realizes that the nature of the evidence and the tools used to assist in performing your job are constantly evolving.  It is utmost importance to stay in tune and embrace these changes. 

Alex:  How did you get your first job in this field?  Did you do anything out of the ordinary to break in? 

Rob: Computer forensics is an emerging field with a need for individuals to enter into both the public and private sectors.  Being enrolled in a graduate forensic science program, my initial exposure was law enforcement centric.  I was given the opportunity to serve as a Graduate Student Intern at a nonprofit organization, funded by the Department of Justice, known as the SEARCH Group.  I assisted the training staff in the research of forensic tools and technology for implementation into many of the various high technology crime training courses the organization develops.  

As graduate school was nearing an end, an opportunity knocked and I answered.  The National White Collar Crime Center, a government-funded nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide nationwide support to agencies involved in the prevention and prosecution of economic and high technology crime, was seeking a Computer Crime Specialist.  In this job, I was tasked with instruction and development of computer forensics courses designed for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. 

Alex:  What personality traits do you think it takes to be successful as a forensic analyst?

Rob: Television shows such as CSI have really brought the forensic sciences into the spot light in recent years.  However, in reality, those who are wishing to get involved with forensics, will soon realize that a crime is hardly ever solved in an hour; let’s not forget that time also includes commercial breaks.  Anyone who is looking to find themselves involved in the forensic sciences will realize that it takes a combination of patience, perseverance and devotion to succeed.  Some crimes can easily go unsolved for years; that smoking gun won’t always be staring us in the eye.  Under normal circumstances, frustration may cause the average person to give up trying, yet the forensic scientist will always be analyzing and brainstorming about how to solve the pieces of the puzzle or mystery.

Stay tuned for more from Rob Fried at Water Cooler Wisdom next Friday!