I live in San Jose, CA and want to know if there are any digital forensic programs near by. I have heard Purdue University has a well-known program, but that is a far journey.
Are there any certifications you guys would recommend? Like ACE? Would a certification be good enough for me to enter the field, or would I also need a degree to supplement it.
Thanks D
I am not sure about your location. But any certification is helpful, The ACE certification wouldn't get you into the field but if you possibly had experience and several certifications such as the CCE and EnCASE certs you would have better odds. The best way to find the qualifications is to search for jobs and see what they are looking for! Good Luck!
-Ancient
Why wouldn't the ACE get him into the field?
That is merely an opinion and shouldn't be taken as gospel.
IMHO look at how much one of these colleges will cost you and then look at how many forensic classes you can get for that. Take a few vendor neutral classes, take some from specific vendors, and go from there.
Things like conferences help too. Lots of people try to fall back on just a degree without anything else and find that the information they learned in college is outdated and they didn't use tools in college which they would have learned to use had there been outside classes.
Thanks guys ) Very much appreciated
@ armresl - What vendor neutral and specific classes would you recommend? That is definitely true that colleges cost waaayyy too much and don't really offer any specific digital forensic classes.
That is definitely true that colleges cost waaayyy too much and don't really offer any specific digital forensic classes.
There is no doubt that college is expensive. However your earning potential without at least a Bachelors degree is going to be limited especially in a technical field. If you go to a school with a CF program there should be a lot of classes that apply to the field. If not you need to look at another school.
I suggest you check out some of the job boards and see what the requirements are for CF positions before you poo poo college.
I have to agree with BitHead. I feel that the digital forensics college courses (at least the program I am doing at the University of Central Florida) helps me to understand both the How AND Why vs. just the How (which is often what you get with certifications or trainings).
I would also imagine that judges, attorneys, and CEOs not savvy to computer forensics are going to recognize a Bachelor or Masters degree from a known university over a technical acronym which may hold little merit in their eyes.
That said, I've personally had great learning experiences with training conferences; they have been way worth paying my own way for.
Don't underestimate the learning power of picking up some books, trying out some free utilities, and spending time reading white papers and forums. Also, get involved with groups such as ISSA or Infraguard.
Judges, Attorneys, and CEO's generally look at CV's not a degree. In fact Judges and Attorneys will only look at a CV. Try to get a case just saying well I have a degree from xyz against someone who has a CV full of area classes, conferences, etc.
I have seen many times in court someone try to rely just on a degree and the line of questioning generally starts with so John Doe, you received your degree in 1990 could you please tell us what types of classes you took in 1990 which would qualify you as an expert in the type of case that is before you today. silenceeeeeeeee
Once the hiring party gets to ask you to explain your technical acronym as they do when establishing you as an expert then you will be able to openly explain why you are qualified as opposed to I have a Bachelors from xyz.
I agree that having a degree does not make you a good examiner, however getting the job without the degree is the issue, especially in this market.
Forensicakb,
You make great points about qualifying process in court. I agree that the most important aspect of any degree or cert is the substance and work done to achieve it.
The Digital Forensics Certification Board's certificate criteria gives a good indication of the components held in high regard within the community
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I still believe that a reputable computer forensics program at a university is a great 1st step at entering the forensics world. Several opportunities which came along with my degree program were the ability to volunteer with a law enforcement computer crimes squad, acceptance to conferences, student membership in national organizations, access to digital investigation journals and to serve an internship which has given me a ton of hands on experience. Those types of opportunities often come with a university program and not through achieving certificates.
As for the university programs being located far from your hometown, many of them are completely online.
I live in San Jose, CA and want to know if there are any digital forensic programs near by. I have heard Purdue University has a well-known program, but that is a far journey.
Are there any certifications you guys would recommend? Like ACE? Would a certification be good enough for me to enter the field, or would I also need a degree to supplement it.
Thanks D
Firstly, do you already have an undergraduate degree or are you seeking an undergraduate degree? At a minimum you need an undergraduate degree in some field not necessarily forensics.
Secondly, if you have an undergraduate degree, are you seeking a certification, an undergraduate or graduate certificate or degree, or simply some academic courses covering various aspects of digital forensics?
With your responses to these questions it will be easier to point you in the right direction.
/Greg