Cyber sleuthing for hot jobs

Computer forensics graduates have been in high demand for jobs with law enforcement since the field first appeared, but that demand is growing even greater as private firms begin recruiting cyber investigators.

Marcus K. Rogers, an associate professor who heads the computer forensics program in the College of Technology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., says the continually rising demand has made graduates in this field some of the most sought after in the country this year. "Seniors and graduate students in computer forensics are being recruited for law enforcement and private-industry jobs all over the country," states Rogers, a former police officer. "They are getting multiple job offers, and the starting packages are growing each year. There is huge competition to hire anyone with expertise in this field,"

Private cyber consulting firms work with law enforcement and companies investigating employees or other workplace issues. Some larger establishments even have hired their own computer forensics experts, who have rooted out employees using office computers for a range of crimes from harassment and fraud to child pornography and embezzlement.

Reports by IDC, a Massachusetts-based market research firm, suggest that the market for computer forensics will more than double by 2009. Starting salaries in the field can range as high as $85,000 to $100,000.

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