I want to move into digital forensics, and I thought I'd start by getting some formal education. There aren't any schools in my area (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) that offers this kind of program. I know that there is a list of educational resources on this site, but I don't know how they'd be regarded locally (especially if they're from a foreign institution). Does anyone have experience in this matter? As far as I know, my only local employment options are local police or the RCMP, which may complicate things.
You're right, your local opportunities are -very- limited. HRP has a small unit, as does the RCMP and I don't know of any other muni dept's in NS that would have their own unit…
What is your educational background? Do you have certs in DF and/or CS?
I'm just starting down this road, unfortunately. I'm planning to write my Security+ exam next month, and I continue to dabble in DF in my spare time. I've been a programmer for just under six years. I have a Bachelor of Commerce (Computing and Information Systems) from Saint Mary's University. I realize that it's not the most ideal background for anyone in DF, but I'm working hard to acquire the skills that I'm missing.
I enjoy this stuff, so I'll probably continue to explore DF even if I can't make it my day job, but it would be nice to be doing it full-time. Are you doing DF in the Halifax area?
There is nothing wrong with your background - CIS is a good bg to have, afaic… DF is not an easy field to get into in Canada as a whole, let alone in Nova Scotia - opportunities are limited.
A+, Net+ and Sec+ are all good certs to have (vendor neutral and a preqreq for many employers) - have you given thought to doing a grad cert in DF to bolster your resume?
Yes, I'm a Forensic Analyst in HRM, so I know how difficult it is to try and get a job in this field )
I have looked into the grad cert's/masters degrees, but I wasn't sure how they would be received by employers in this region. Whichever course I decide upon, I will have to take it online. I'm going to ask my current employer to help cover the costs, but that might be a long shot since it doesn't relate directly to my current job.
Do you mind if I ask what your background is? Do you know if some courses/grad certs are more highly valued than others?
PM sent.
Revenue Canada or Canada Border Services Agency might be another option although I'm not sure where their maritime offices are.
Revenue Canada does a fair amount of search and seizure in business environments. If you want to go that route I would suggest you start writing your CA exams and maybe move for a while to Summerside and work at the tax center. Once you've passed the first two or three CA exams I believe that they will hire you pay for the rest. Add an Intermediate EnCase course and I imagine they will have you doing forensics full time pretty darn fast. A couple of years of that and you could move into the private sector with Deloitte or one of the other large firms if you want.
With CBSA you have to become a border services officer first. They tend to do border/airport searches or raid importers offices. Check out the jobs.gc.ca web site for competitions.
Law and eDiscovery is another option.
I'd say the EnCase/CA/RevenueCanada way is probably the quickest way to break into the field. After that you can worry about a Master's (they may even help pay for it).
ForensicRanger is right however, not an easy field to break into in Halifax (although I gather there are some openings or at least a need for analysts at the moment)…
Also, keep an eye on http//
I am working full time right now as a software developer. I'm also in a pool for government workers, but nothing has come of it yet.
Unfortunately, relocating isn't an option for me at the moment. I have a family and we're not willing to uproot everyone yet. I know that this will have a large negative impact on my career prospects, but that's just how things are at the moment.
I'm asking my employer about helping me cover the costs of some DF programs/courses, but unofficially I've been given the standard "pertains directly to your job" line. Sadly, I don't think that DF courses meet this requirement, but I'll still put the request in.
I think you're right about your employer not wanting to cover costs not directly related to your job, that's the norm.
I also don't think you'd want to give up a FT job to become a TCE with the gov't… it's tough wanting to break into a field where the local opportunities are extremely limited.
Re DL courses/certs As long as the cert is from an accredited schoo, you should not have any problems. A few good places to look would be University of Rhode Island, University Central Florida and Champlain College…
Good Luck )
