The grass is always greener - career choices (employees, applying, degrees)

[cafepithecus]

I have a friend who is in the field that I have long aspired to be in, sort of. I work in law enforcement and have training in computer forensics - she ended up in computer forensics, but on the incident response/malware/private sector side of things. I have yet to be able to use my training in my current position and I really don't make a lot of money (though I am financially stable, especially now that I have a cohab), so I've been applying for jobs that are more in her field - there are just way more opportunities than there are in law enforcement, even though LE is really where my heart is. That's a whole other post in itself considering the economy and the job requirements these days - I can't get a callback from anyone because my training is geared toward law enforcement as opposed to incident response and hacking. But here's the thing.

I like my job. I've been at the same place for 11 years. I'd like to be doing computer forensics, but I do like what I'm doing now. The pay is lower, and we haven't had raises in 5 years due to the economy (we are hoping we will get SOMETHING next year), but I like coming to work. And like I said, I'm not struggling financially.

My friend likes the field she is in, and she makes a LOT of money - but she's been in that field for 4 years and she's switched companies 3 times and is now looking for something else again, because she hates the place she's at. Hmm.

Just makes me nervous. The thing is that if I end up ever getting a job in the computer forensics/cyber security field, odds are I'm going to have to pick up and move, to a place with a much higher cost of living. And/or have a job where I travel a lot. I'd hate to do all that just for money. Yes I love computers and computer forensics - but most of the jobs out there are dealing more with incident response and malware, not catching criminals.

The law enforcement field - man. I know, nobody goes into it for money. But it sucks you in. I love it, it's fulfilling (most of the time). Then I see my friend making all this money... but yet she's switching jobs a lot because she ends up hating the companies she works for. I don't know what to think, really. Maybe working in the private sector is just different than the government? I don't know.

[NALEXAND]

Follow your heart (LE), not your friend. Do what you love and dont concentrate on money because it cant make you happy. Stay where you are.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

I know what you mean, OP. I do.

I have a job now that every morning when I walk in, I'm actually glad to be there. Yes, because I needed it but also because the co-workers and boss are really decent. And, it's kinda fun. I have to supplement it with my part time government job but...it has it's perks. It's also close to where I live and the commute is about the easiest I've ever had.

There is a potential that another job I've been trying to get could maybe happen...maybe not but it could. This one will put me in to an entirely different field, one I have interest in and would take classes while working there to be able to advance within the company. The job more than likely will not be fun, will be monotonous, will be very sterile...may be a drag. But it's more money. AND, the potential to move up could be pretty good. It would require I move, (or suck down all my money on gas), but I would be moving to an area I really want to live in. IF I can find a place to rent in that area. (Big hurdle.)

BOTH places are highly sought after. BOTH places have extremely pleased employees. BOTH places offer good or great benefits packages. BOTH start out at about the same wage but the second one will probably give a higher raise quicker and more often.

The first one is fun and the place really does a lot for the employees. You can see this when you meet the employees as you pass each other. They are actually happy.

The second one, again, satisfied employees and a potential for good monetary gain down the road, faster. But..man, in the beginning, not a fun job.

It IS a dilemma.

I go back and forth on it several times a day. If I do get offered that second job...no matter how much I have thought about it thus far, I really do not know what I would do.

I have followed my heart in the past...sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

I have followed my head in the past...sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

It truly is difficult to know the right action to take. Best of luck to you on your decision.

[andywire]

I wouldn't worry too much about how your friend feels. Some people will never be happy 100% with their career or employer. Follow what your goal is. Trust your gut, because only YOU know what is right for you.

[berkeleylake]

If you have a background in LE already, apply for computer forensics jobs. Knowing about the law where you live gives you a leg up (assuming you work in local law enforcement). There is a huge demand for security professionals in the computer field.

Yes, it is risky, but any career change has its risks, especially if you know mostly about the government sector and less about the private. The pay may be more, but there is way less job security in the private sector (in general terms).

In this part of IT (information security) to get some jobs, security certifications mean more than college degrees for some employers when applying for more technical jobs. The CISSP is a "hot" cert right now. You could also try for computer jobs with other areas of law enforcement, the specialized security information knowledge is lacking in most areas of government. Good luck.

[cafepithecus]

I've been applying for LE-related computer forensics jobs. The thing is there's just not much out there. Most local departments around here don't have in-house examiners - they send everything to the state lab. Computer forensics work could actually be integrated into my current position as an analyst (and is in some departments around the country) and I wrote up an extremely in-depth proposal and presented it to our Chief about why that should happen. Ultimately they decided that they wanted me to focus on what I'm currently doing, but they also said they would like to have computer forensics as a full-time position - but with the economy, it probably wouldn't happen for at least 5 years. If ever. (Hey, at least he was honest and seemed to appreciate my initiative.) It's just not a priority for most local agencies, since they can send everything to the state at no cost.

My other options for LE computer forensics are the state lab, which is hard to get into without experience (I have great training, but no WORK experience in that field) - and federal agencies, which are even harder to get into.

So I am trying, but it seems like the best route to get experience in this field is to try and go the private sector route. But once again I need work experience and ideally more cybersecurity/information security experience, which I don't have and am not as interested in.

Probably my best bet would be to start on a master's, but quite honestly the idea of taking out loans for that, makes me want to puke. And even then, I'd still have the same issue - most of the jobs seem to be in the cybersecurity/malware fields, not LE.

I guess I will just have to keep looking and applying, and see what happens. I do enjoy my current job though, aside from the relatively low pay compared to the computer forensics field. It's stupid, but I feel like if I have the technical skills that would bring me a lot more money, then I'm an idiot or an underachiever if I don't use them.