• Private security/investigations practitioner
• Information systems auditor
• Computer Forensics Technician
• Computer Forensics Analyst
• Computer Forensics Examiner
• Computer Forensics Consultant
• Computer and Network Forensics Investigator
• E-Discovery Engineer
• Computer Forensics Specialist
 

Companies and law enforcement agencies that gather evidence and information from electronic media typically seek the following skills sets:

• Computer Security Skills
• Computer Forensics Skills
• Investigation Skills
• Technical Writing Skills
• Firewall Security Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Legal Skills
• Law Enforcement Skills
• Oral and Written Communication Skills
• Computer Database Skills
• Information Systems Skills
 

Career Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor's Career Guide to Industries states that the employment of private detectives and investigators is expected to grow 18 percent over the 2006-16 decade, faster than the average for all occupations. Increased demand for private detectives and investigators will result from heightened security concerns, increased litigation, and the need to protect confidential information and property of all kinds.

The proliferation of criminal activity on the Internet, such as identity theft, spamming, e-mail harassment, and illegal downloading of copyrighted materials, will also increase the demand for private investigators.

Growing financial activity worldwide will increase the demand for investigators to control internal and external financial losses, to monitor competitors, and to prevent industrial spying.

Job prospects. Keen competition is expected for most jobs because private detective and investigator careers attract many qualified people, including relatively young retirees from law enforcement and military careers.

In the future, opportunities are expected to be excellent for qualified computer forensic investigators.
 

Generally speaking, there are stark differences between the salaries of public sector forensic examiners and private sector forensic examiners.

On the public/government side, there are several different types of examiners. These include police officers, civilian examiners working for law enforcement, military personnel, civilian examiners working for military, civilian contractors working for military and defense contractors, and examiners working for government regulatory (civil enforcement/non-criminal) agencies.

Sworn law enforcement officers and military personnel are typically paid based upon prevailing union wages or pay scales, as opposed to market rates. Thus, often times these examiners are not paid based upon their experience and capability, their salary is pre-determined. These salaries can fluctuate based upon security clearances, experience, and degrees and range up into the six figures for more qualified examiners. Private government contractors appear to pay on a similar scale, skewing toward the upper level of that range.

On the private side, there are a few different scales for different jobs. Significantly, geographical location matters when discussing salary. New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, London, amongst others, are computer forensic hot-spots. In these hot spots, the salaries will be somewhat higher than other geographic areas. Brand new forensic examiners with limited experience will often-times start in private consulting firms in the $50,000 to $60,000 range. Smaller firms will generally pay a little more than larger consulting firms, though the market is competitive for forensic examiners with experience, particularly private consulting experience.
 

According to Payscale.com, the position of Forensic Computer Analyst has been highlighted as one of the 10 hot jobs that may pay up to $50,000 per year right from the start, depending on the location of the job and the employee's credentials. Overall, the salary range for the position of Forensic Computer Analyst is between $42,500 - $99,500 per year.
 

Florida Computer Forensics Salaries

As of 2006 estimates for the average annual salary in Florida was $35,820 according to the U.S. Department of Labor, while the average salary for a computer forensics examiner was nearly double that at $64,000. Across the state of Florida, the salary for a computer forensics examiner varies geographically. While an computer forensics examiner in Fort Lauderdale, FL, makes an average of $66,000, up in Tallahassee, FL, an average annual income for a computer forensic examiner is upwards of $75,000.

Salaries in computer forensics vary based on the type of work and the sector with which the examiner is involved. Generally, computer forensics examiners in the private sector command a better income. However, working in the law enforcement agencies as an examiner in computer forensics could yield better benefits for retirement and health care coverage; though many times pay for computer forensic examiners could be significantly less.
 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Private Detectives and Investigators, on the Internet at

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos157.htm (visited January 16, 2009).

The Bottom Line

The growth of electronic commerce means that more establishments use the Internet to conduct their business online, and more criminals are leaving evidence in a digital format.  This growth translates into a need for computer criminal specialists who can help organizations use technology to capture evidence and investigate wrongdoing. Growth in these areas also is expected to fuel demand for computer forensic investigators who specialize in recovering, analyzing, and presenting data from computers for use in investigations or as evidence.