ILE Careers Advisory Bureau

Cleaning lady?

i don't know how you become a freelance consultant: presumably you just build up yr client base through your earlier jobs, then poach em all in one fell swoop

Bright side: women appeciate a musical tech genius.

Also I have bugger all chance of a career, having a ramshackle collection of crap temp jobs and a useless degree to my name (though obviously any potential employers googling here should know that I am reasonably intelligent, hardworking etc etc etc)

My savings amount to practically nothing. If they were significant, I probably would have bought a house by now. On the other hand, maybe it's good that I haven't. It might be time to get out of Philadelphia before it goes under any further.

My skills: whining and feeling sorry for myself.

xpost: I have decided I like making enough money to live on and a job that gets me through the day without making me want to kill myself

I would love to have that!

(un?)fortunately for me Im crappy at math and whatnot so I went the route of majoring in a subject i found interesting and finding a decent job I actually like that doesnt pay much, but is fairly rewarding.

the choice is yours.

How I'm going to pull it off is still a big question though. Thus far I've wasted many years training for and trying out different things.

FINAL REVENGE FOR NOT MAKING LAW REVIEW!!!

I could be a multi-cultural content consultant. "Needs more reggaeton. . . That's what young Latinos are into today, you know."

I could actually imagine myself in marketing, but I would feel like a slime, I think, unless I managed to get a job marketing something I really truly believed in and never had to compromise, and--yeah right.

x-post:

caitlin, being good at math is so far removed from my experience that it's hard to relate. So you were interested in it at one time, but now aren't? It sounds like you at least have a mind that would do well in a career that was very technical. It's maybe good that I don't have kids, because I'd probably be pushing them to be get as much of technical/scientific education as they could stomach.

Not that I really know what I want to do now, mind :/

Cryptologist

If you have an excellent head for figures and enjoy intrigue, the burgeoning field of information security - from making codes to breaking codes and installing secure software systems - is opening up.

Cryptology, the science of disguised and hidden communications, is a relatively difficult field to enter, requiring an excellent grasp of mathematics. There are two parts to the field, cryptography (breaking codes) and cryptanalysis (making codes), but few businesses employ 'straight' cryptologists. Opportunities are, however, opening up, in the related field of information security, designing and implementing secure operating procedures.

What skills and abilities do I need?

A good grasp of maths is essential, with the obstinacy to tackle problems without losing heart, stubbornly working through possible solutions.

What training and qualifications do I need?

There are few formal qualifications available in the cryptological field, but an increasing number of institutions are offering further courses. A degree, often a doctorate, in mathematics or computer science is a prerequisite, usually a first or upper second.

The University of London's Royal Holloway College offers a high-regarded masters degree in information security, the first of its kind offered in Europe. Competition for places is tight, with an upper second in mathematics, computer science or a related subject necessary. Visit isg.rhbnc.ac.uk for further details. Internationally, the University of Leuven in Belgium and Waterloo University, Canada, are both renowned for their cryptography courses.

I'm a late starter, can I change direction?

Consultants in information security often enter the field later in life, having had experience in a related field, such as computing, cryptography or mathematics. Firms often send experienced staff on the courses, funding the training, but a solid background in related subjects is essential.

How much can I expect to earn?

Salaries depend on where you are employed. Salaries for academics and in the public sector are comparatively low, but in the private sector they rival those for management consultants, depending on seniority.

Where do I look for work?

Cryptographers are often recruited by government agencies, such as GCHQ, straight from university, for highly classified work, but there are positions for researchers advertised on www.iacr.org, the web site of the International Association of Cryptologic Research. Cryptographers and information security specialists are also required by most large companies, from KPMG to Hewlett-Packard, which have an in-house information security team.

Can I work abroad?

The world of the cryptologist is an international one, and there are opportunities internationally, both in academia or in the private sector. Open jobs, as opposed to closely guarded government cryptography research, are advertised internationally.

Where can I find further information?

The International Association of Cryptological Research has information on events, international contacts and jobs in the field. Visit www.iacr.org for details.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in cryptography, take a look at Bruce Schneier's Applied Cryptography, which can be deciphered by the layperson but still goes into the subject in depth.

There is a comprehensive page of links at www.swcp.com/~mccurley/cryptographers/cryptographers, ranging from other cryptographers to current projects and other pages of links.

But then again, it might be helpful to know a lot about cryptology should this actually happen... hrmmm.

Also, regarding further study, if you are good at maths then ecology (and the life sciences in general) need you.

by "not cut out for jobs in business/industry" i mean...i like to fuck around. i don't wanna dress up for work or show up the same time every day to do the same thing. i guess i'm not cut out for employment of any kind.

Another thing which I always wanted to do but wasn't good enough at maths and physics for is meteorology. I think that would be fascinating. Similar sort of thing I guess.

Money can't buy happiness, free time can't buy you happiness, but money + free time can.

Who'd have thunk it, huh?