Recent revelations by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden have inspired this week’s career memes that give a nod to cyberspies.
Snowden’s latest whistleblow claims US spy agencies have invested heavily to break apart encryption systems, in some cases allegedly with the help of technology companies.
Snowden had worked for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on IT security. He wrote in Ars Technica in May 2006 that he had no trouble getting work because he was a “computer wizard”.
On its website, the CIA states that officers under its National Clandestine Service (where the ‘spies’ work) have more than computer experience to their names: language capabilities, different life experiences, various professional and educational histories, and “other elements that allow us to meet our mission-critical objectives”.
Within the National Clandestine Service, it’s operations officers and collection management officers who work under cover and often work abroad.
At the moment, the CIA’s National Clandestine Service is hiring a Paramilitary Operations Officer/Specialized Skills Officer, who can expect to earn US$58,511-US$81,204.
