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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:09PM   Printer-friendly
from the what-about-watson dept.

American federal investigators are having a hard time hiring computer-savvy staff, according to a memo from the Inspector General for the US Department of Justice.

"Even as it works to expand the ranks of its cybersecurity team, the department continues to face challenges recruiting and retaining highly qualified candidates to do this work," the memo [PDF] states.

Last year the FBI got the authorization and budget to hire 134 computer scientists for online investigations. We're told the agency could only find 82 people interested in working for Uncle Sam. As a result, five of the FBI's regional 56 Cyber Task Force teams don't have a computer specialist on hand.

Why are they having so much trouble?


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by AndyTheAbsurd on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:41PM

    by AndyTheAbsurd (3958) on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:41PM (#265490) Journal

    The answer to Phoenix666's question is in the article, and it's got three parts:

    1. The Feds don't pay as much as private industry (and doesn't offer nearly equivalent perks)
    2. There aren't enough qualified people to fill the existing jobs, driving pay up and exacerbating point 1
    3. The people who would apply for these jobs can't pass the drug test

     

    The answer to #3, at least, is pretty easy - legalize marijuana, as that's the most popular drug of choice for the people who would apply - which is a thing we should be doing anyway.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:48PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:48PM (#265495)

    While I'm all for legalization, I don't really think drugs are the reason people aren't signing up for the feeb. Everyone I know with security clearance loves weed and psychedelics and passed their polygraph, which just goes to show that the only real purpose of a polygraph is to weed out people who can't lie well.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Snow on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:49PM

    by Snow (1601) on Thursday November 19 2015, @08:49PM (#265496) Journal

    I wouldn't work for them because of :

    1) I have morals.
    2) I don't want the background check. (I'd probably pass without issue, but I just don't want to be scrutinized to that level).
    3) I smoke pot.

    Mostly it's because they are all a bunch of fuckers stealing what freedoms we have left and they can all fuck themselves. I'd rather be unemployed.

    • (Score: 2) by Geotti on Thursday November 19 2015, @09:37PM

      by Geotti (1146) on Thursday November 19 2015, @09:37PM (#265514) Journal

      If enough 'proper' people would go there, we'd have a chance at changing something, though.

      • (Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Thursday November 19 2015, @10:04PM

        by Anal Pumpernickel (776) on Thursday November 19 2015, @10:04PM (#265527)

        These "proper" people would become improper the minute they started violating the constitution, which their jobs would require. If they refused, they wouldn't have the job for very long.

        The people working for these organizations, and the ones who gave them jobs that require violating the constitution, all need to be put in prison.

        • (Score: 2) by Geotti on Friday November 20 2015, @12:40AM

          by Geotti (1146) on Friday November 20 2015, @12:40AM (#265579) Journal

          If they all indeed proper and do uphold moral, and ethical values (and possibly loose their jobs), their higher ups will eventually be forced to answer some uncomfortable questions.

          • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday November 20 2015, @08:34AM

            by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday November 20 2015, @08:34AM (#265721) Journal

            Only if every one of them is willing to go Snowden on their ass. Few people have the steel to go Snowden. That's why we have Drake, Binney, Manning, and Snowden. The first three had to take the lumps without the fame. But each of them did it without expectation of fame and only a hope of their sacrifice mattering. They are heros.

            --
            Washington DC delenda est.
          • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday November 20 2015, @01:11PM

            by urza9814 (3954) on Friday November 20 2015, @01:11PM (#265778) Journal

            But if they simply can't hire people in the first place, that should get them into the same position a little bit quicker than if they just keep hiring and firing people.

      • (Score: 2) by Mr Big in the Pants on Thursday November 19 2015, @10:06PM

        by Mr Big in the Pants (4956) on Thursday November 19 2015, @10:06PM (#265528)

        HAHAHAHAHA!

        Good one!

        Made my day...

      • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday November 20 2015, @12:59AM

        by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Friday November 20 2015, @12:59AM (#265586) Journal

        The rot starts at the top. Changing those who "only follow orders" doesn't do much good...and if they stay, they don't stay moral.

        --
        Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
    • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 20 2015, @01:21AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 20 2015, @01:21AM (#265597)

      >I have morals.
      >Relationship hacking.

      • (Score: 2) by Snow on Friday November 20 2015, @08:59PM

        by Snow (1601) on Friday November 20 2015, @08:59PM (#265970) Journal

        You may not agree with my life choices, but I think it's fair to say that those people that I do affect are fully aware and consenting. I consider that moral. My relationships are based on consent and truthfulness.

    • (Score: 1) by saltycraig on Friday November 20 2015, @03:52PM

      by saltycraig (5954) on Friday November 20 2015, @03:52PM (#265849)

      This! I have known a couple people who worked briefly for the feds in intelligence and the top secret requirements (10 years of explaining everything about your whereabouts/actions, 9-12 months of paperwork usually), plus the requirement to not having to have smoked/eaten/whatever in the past 4 years, and you end up with a bunch of half-capable java-mill programmers.

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday November 20 2015, @08:29AM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday November 20 2015, @08:29AM (#265719) Journal

    Those are the reasons they give because the answers are so self-serving. Can't afford to pay IT people what private industry does? Congress, give us more money! There aren't enough qualified people to fill the jobs? Let's let more H1-B's into the country!

    This sort of thing has to be completely transparent to everyone by now. Why do folks continue to let themselves be fooled by it, and worse, try and talk their skeptical neighbors into being fooled by it, too?

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 21 2015, @04:24PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 21 2015, @04:24PM (#266223)

      You're fooling yourself. The government doesn't hire foreigners for classified positions.