CAREER OUTLOOK » Job Horizon


it’s a common misconception that since the dod, nsa, and dhs run some of the most advanced cyber warfare programs in the world, they only hire the best of the best. in truth, the government simply cannot afford many of these technical geniuses.


Instead, more so than with any other defense civilian or military career fi eld, the government focuses on fi nding promising hidden talent and then training them in house. Or in the words of NSA head Admiral Michael S. Rogers, “We make, rather than buy, cybersecurity professionals.” Since the threats facing these


security professionals span such a broad spectrum, the qualifi cations for these jobs are just as hard to pin down for human resources staff , who struggle to classify appropriate candidates in the absence of traditional performance metrics. In the computer and network security world, there’s often little correlation between a candidate’s credentials (education/work experience) and real-world competence, such as identifying stealthy advanced persistent threats to IT networks. After all, how often do gifted teenage amateurs spot zero-day software vulnerabilities that the professional cybersecurity teams missed? This is why the DoD has spent millions in the last fi ve years fi nancing youth hackathons to identify innate talent outside of normal recruiting channels in addition to their scholarship programs. What this means in practice


for a job seeker is that attitude and


90 USBE&IT | WINTER 2017


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