Pursuing a MS degree in hopes of more salary is a gamble at best in the current economic environment. I obtained my MS degree and was laid off earlier last year from my previous employer. After I left, they came into some lucrative projects but still did not rehire me.
In hindsight I am glad that they did not approach me as I now work for a great technology company. However, obtaining the MS degree did not increase my salary and did not prevent me from being laid off.
If you wish to know more and can afford it, then an education is never a bad thing. Pursue it for yourself and not just as a means to chase higher income levels. not only might you accumulate debt, but you may also be disappointed if/when a higher salary does not present itself.
I would agree that doing an MSc for increased salary may be not the best reason. My MSc, as a mature student, has pitched my research skills and ability to write techinical papers at a much higher level than I had previously thought I'd be capable of. So, for my own personal development I so glad I did it. An MSc has a lot of self lead studying, more so than a BSc. I would recommend, from a personal point of view, that you get some experience and come back to it. You could do it part-time and still bring in a full-time salary that way to pay for it…
I found that I had way more motivation doing my Masters degree after having worked for 18months out of uni. I completed it over three years whilst working full time and my marks were considerably higher than in my undergrad degree due to the increased motivation of relating what I was studying to my work and not having to exist only on pot noodles! 😉
edit Also my employer actually contributed towards the cost of my tuition fees (50%) which was an added bonus!
… for example IT support positions can give a lot of insight which can stand you in good steed for forensic roles.
I'd seriously look at security roles too ( and I acknowledge my bias 😉 ) but it can be a good route through incident response to getting "hands on" forensic experience. There are some junior security roles out there at the moment and salaries seem to be creeping up a bit again after a slump.
Another possiblity, should you be willing to consider it, for "hands on" experience might be this http//
( Sorry, on a re-read I realise that I made no contribution to actually answering the original question … I failed my first degree, and got everywhere on experience - I'm now doing a MSc, because I want to, and it makes no difference to my employability at all - because by now, my experience value outweighs it - professional qualifiactions are good though - my CISSP has been more profitable than my MSc has been so far … My brother-in-law has just finished his MSc (not IT releated) and he's struggling with a lack of experience and has just spent a lot of money … )
CCFC,
I think the job market for computer forensics is a little different in the UK to countries like the US and Canada. I think the solution might also need to be country specific.
Jonathan is right to say in the UK there are too many graduates for the jobs available, hence there being MSc qualified people still looking for work.
Perhaps an alternative solution would be worth considering. How about take your BSc and get yourself a job in mainstream IT. At the same time apply to be a Special Constable. Most forces are looking to massively increase the number of volunteers serving and if you can meet the criteria there's almost certainly a space for you.
So, how about in 2 years time, you are a Special, with a decent knowlegde of laws, statement writing, preparation of evidence for court. You may have some basic detective skills too and that adds to the IT experience you have gained from your job or jobs.
I think there's real value to departments that take people in from mainstream IT. Who does the jury believe when one analyst says this server did this because a course taught me about the artefacts I found, or the server engineer who worked day in day out on those exact systems for years?
Many of the decisions we make during analysis about what to do, what's relevant and how we show that is based on understanding the law and using some detective work. The computer forensic graduates we have taken on over the last few years have had to develop that part of their skillset to do the work they do now.
Your choices do come down to money as well. Can you afford to do the MSc? If you can but you just don't fancy it then I would do it if you can't find a job. If you really can't afford it then you may need to be flexible on the type of job you take in order to get a wage and some experience.
Best of luck.
Steve
Well written, Steve. Excellent points.
This isn't bad advice for people in the United States either. There are a variety of law enforcement agencies here that have reserve officer programs. If you are interested in getting into digital forensics because you want to chase bad guys and make a difference, having some reserve officer experience would be helpful in bolstering your application to do that sort of thing in the public or private sector.
All that said, you only want to pick up that badge and gun in a reserve capacity because it's something you are passionate about independent of your digital forensic career plans. If you are just doing it to help land a private sector job, you are doing it for the wrong reasons and that doesn't do anyone any good including yourself.
I got quite a bit out of my non-technical patrol officer days that have really helped me in my digital forensics career. It's not just technical skills that you have to master to be good in this role.
Thanks for all of your replies - after giving it some more thought and hearing view of friends at university, i will more than likely pursue the masters, from the point of view that it's 'there' to do, I have the money and I want to take on the challenge. That said, it's another year in a pretty depressing place but I can live with that!
Incidentally, steve862, I visited the Met's labs at Sydenham last year which was a very insightful trip and it would be great if I could work there, or in a similar place one day. Alas, only time will tell!
My MSc, as a mature student, has pitched my research skills and ability to write techinical papers at a much higher level than I had previously thought I'd be capable of.
Quite right. In my experience of completing my CF MSc (as a mature student), this was the primary academic benefit.
You need to expect that the taught parts of a CF MSc really do not differ greatly from the BSc - you *will* be sat in lectures thinking "not this again….". The self-directed dissertation stage is what sets an MSc apart and this can be used as a vehicle to become both a theoretical and practitioning expert in a (usually innovative and un-taught) sub-discipline of forensics, which may serve to be a significant differentiator in the job market.
In addition, when solicitors et al are looking for an expert, an MSc certificate serves as decent, non-volatile evidence lol that often helps to oil the wheels of instruction, assuming that the rest of your CV supports your appropriateness to be instructed.
Notwithstanding all of the foregoing, I personally believe that a bit of relevant work and life experience between undergraduate and postgraduate studies is priceless.