Anyone worked at the FBI?

Cyberscum

I got a lead for a sys admin job and was wondering if anyone has or is working for the FBI.

Even if your a contractor I would like to know how you liked it?

the_Grinch

Everyone I know who works there loves it. Most are/were Agents, but one of my old professors is on one of their CAT teams as a non-agent.

TechGromit

the_Grinch wrote: »

Everyone I know who works there loves it. Most are/were Agents, but one of my old professors is on one of their CAT teams as a non-agent.

Really? I would have thought most positions were support jobs. That's the way is was in the FAA, while the super stars employees were Air Traffic Controllers, around 15,000, most jobs were support positions, at 47k, roughly 2 support jobs for every 1 controller.

the_Grinch

I was just saying the people I knew were Agents. You would be correct that there are vastly more support people, but I've only ever known one.

Cyberscum

Yeah I had only known of the SA jobs as I was at one time interested.

I think it would be a decent job, but I don't know anyone that's outside of DOD so its a hard decision.

Last thing I want is to leave a kush (but boring) job to a crappy environment.

dmoore44

I used to work for DEA, so I'm not sure I can comment on what the exact work environment would be like. That being said, working for a Federal LEO was pretty neat. I worked in the Tech Directorate, so there was always something interesting project in motion; there was interaction with other LEOs and other IC agencies along varying lines, so it was neat to interact with them.

My one piece of advice would be to ensure you're aware of which branch you'd be joining. Joining the IT branch will focus more on enterprise IT ops, but being part of the cyber branch will probably be much more exciting.

jcundiff

My team mate is a retired FBI Cyber ( ran crime lab along other duties). He has some great stories and was able to stick it out for 20+ to retire. Straight IT may end up being boring and significantly lower paid than private sector

Ukimokia

I'm currently working at the FBI as a contractor on the IT side of things. I really do enjoy working here. The pay isn't the best, but if you're willing to stick around long enough your pay will go up, and plenty of options to move around within. Unless you're in a higher up management type position it's pretty stress free.

MickyDee

I know that this thread is kind of old, but I am wondering if anybody knows if the CompTIA CASP would be a good certification to get in order to make yourself more competitive with regards to applying for the FBI Special Agent position?

xxxkaliboyxxx

MickyDee wrote: »

I know that this thread is kind of old, but I am wondering if anybody knows if the CompTIA CASP would be a good certification to get in order to make yourself more competitive with regards to applying for the FBI Special Agent position?

I would think a digital forensics cert would be better for this line of work, it also depends on the unit or team you are trying to join.

BTW to the OP and coming from a few "special" communication units, it's 90-95% boring and 5-10% exciting but people only tell or highlight the cool stuff.

MickyDee

Thanks for the feedback. The CASP is the cheapest cert that I found, especially with a student discount, that seems to have some relevancy and that I would be able to afford out of pocket. The GIAC certs are too pricey.

RHEL

I have a friend who went through much of the interview process for FBI IT. He was offered the role, but told me that he ultimately passed it up because it was clear that they would essentially own every detail about him and his personal life. He would have to regularly submit financial data, submit to polygraphs, etc. I guess he chose privacy.

I personally went through the hiring process for a special agent (cyber specialization). It would require a 50 hour minimum week, though the pay ramped up pretty quickly with experience. For me, it started with meeting all of their minimum requirements (bachelor's degree + fulltime relevant experience, etc).

After qualifying, I had to take Phase I testing, which I would compare to a logical LSAT test. After passing that, you submit a practice physical fitness test and do a meet-and-greet with your local field office. Based on that meet and greet, your local office decides who they would like to recommend to headquarters. At that point, headquarters needs to select you as highly competitive amongst the applicants to progress.

Add in a trip to another field office to explain the process of Phase II testing and a government paid flight to NYC for actual phase II testing (written and group interview), then you get your conditional offer and must pass PFT, polygraph, psych exam, clearance, etc.

Yay. It was a long ride for me, but I also turned this down. The restrictions and requirements were too much for me as a new family man (you have to move away to an office of their choosing).

Sorry, went off on a tangent as I know you're looking for more of an IT role. However, I believe if I accepted and went through the academy, I would be placed in a IT specific special agent role.

the_Grinch

Any technical specialization would make you competitive if you have the experience to back it up. Agent I knew had no certs and a Computer Science degree.

DatabaseHead

the_Grinch wrote: »

Agent I knew had no certs and a Computer Science degree.

Ole CS, still the best bang for the buck. Like a good investment, gets a bad wrap though because it's "hard".

the_Grinch

Haha, well for a lot of people the advanced math classes are a waste and barrier to entry. About 99% of the CS majors I know have never done anything other than simple math. But for sure it gives you the best foundation to do just about any technical job out there. My buddy graduated with a CS degree and now is a contractor dealing in security of government systems. Hasn't written a program since he graduated from college.