Topic: Hey Syntax
+Anonymous A — 12.7 years ago #30,454
I am about to finish high school, and I am being courted by the CIA for employment, because they think my computer programming skills would be useful to the government. Anyway, I am not sure if I want that to be my career. If I choose the CIA, they will pay for my college at MIT, and hire me after that. I know you have done lots of government spy work, so I wanted to ask your advice on what I should do. Thanks!
+The Doctor !7MHPahvoGY — 12.7 years ago, 3 hours later[T] [B] #353,305
+Anonymous C — 12.7 years ago, 1 hour later, 4 hours after the original post[T] [B] #353,324
bump
+ducky !MwWb.dJjRc — 12.7 years ago, 24 minutes later, 4 hours after the original post[T] [B] #353,329
+Syntax — 12.7 years ago, 1 hour later, 5 hours after the original post[T] [B] #353,354
@OP
> I am about to finish high school, and I am being courted by the CIA for employment, because they think my computer programming skills would be useful to the government. Anyway, I am not sure if I want that to be my career. If I choose the CIA, they will pay for my college at MIT, and hire me after that. I know you have done lots of government spy work, so I wanted to ask your advice on what I should do. Thanks!
The Ying and Yang of working for the Gov. (Directly)
First I was a Q The Engineer that led teams of other Engineers who developed the TOOLS for the guys who did the real Spying. Only on unique assignments did I go out in the field and that was only because of mountain climbing experience. I myself re my Dyslexia wood make a Horrid truly Horrid Spy. Put Sun glasses on a person or a wig and I wood have no clue they might have been Bien Laden.
So the plus side of working directly for one of the 3 spook agencies and CIA has the smallest budget by the by - The PLUS side is that You end up working on the most cutting edge stuff one can imagine.
In fact that is the rule - Imagine it and try it - May not work this year but in 5-10-20 the technology (parts) may come around. This is NOT possible in any Aerospace type company with rare exceptions.
Hughes Aircraft was the key exception which included NO ONE in top management to get in the way EVER NEVER - And Aerospace is 99% Military based which means without exception PARTS that are always way behind the cutting edge curve. Reliability is key which is never the key to cutting edge anything.
The negative side of working directly for the Gov is they pay prevailing wages that are nowhere near what Aerospace pays. And beyond Aerospace such as companies like Google or Qualcomm - Stock options and bonuses COULD FAR FAR FAR out way a a yearly wage.
No one gets rich working for USGOV - NO ONE - One can as a working Engineer get rich working in private industry.
Starting out working for one of the top 3 Spy guys wood be a good way to go.
AND Having THEM pay your way to MIT is one hell of a deal. Hughes paid 100% of my costs at UCLA including incidental fees and I got full tyme pay as if I was at Hughes - It was just one hell of a deal.
Now there is one other MAJOR HORRID Disadvantage in working in THAT Field and its being type cast
Aerospace as well as US GOV hires YOU based on what they NEED at the Moment in tyme - to fill a slot. Attorneys who get hired in large firms also end up type cast - They need a tax person? Guess what you end up doing the rest of your life.
The other problem is that agencies and Aerospace is compartmentalized - You get walled off from seeing wot else is going on cause of security nightmares -
Me I got around all of that cause as a Techy Hobbyist going in to Hughes I was not about to allow type casting ... snooping (asking others what they did in those other labs) NOT exactly encouraged!!! but i did indeed I did!
Just laying out some pitfalls for you so you can figure out for self how to avoid.
One thing I did was every now and then when deciding to leave a company and move on - I chose an area I was not expertise at so I could end up SUCH - Even chose an area I felt very poor at so I could end up getting real good at-
So just keep expanding horizons or find a type cast position that you can live with all your life.
Oh AND one thing I did as a consultant was RITE a Resume so I could get a super job as a Robotics Consultant - Best Robotics op in world - Well they thought I rocked - I sucked really really sucked at that position but no one had a clue cept I hated it just hated my Fail -
But that fail led me to accept a new position full tyme in Cell phone early on stuff - and lets just say the STOCK Options as well as the amazing new technology which was truly cutting edge re Developing CDMA made my day - Ended up getting back in2 Satellites to combine what I used to do with Spy with Imaging Radar which is the essence of CDMA (Spread Spectrum) and turned in2 voice people 2 people
Best thing you can do if you do go the Gov agency way is make sure you end up with a quality manager who is going to look out for your best interests rather then THEIRS Or you end up STUCK unless you like where you are stuck at.
> I am about to finish high school, and I am being courted by the CIA for employment, because they think my computer programming skills would be useful to the government. Anyway, I am not sure if I want that to be my career. If I choose the CIA, they will pay for my college at MIT, and hire me after that. I know you have done lots of government spy work, so I wanted to ask your advice on what I should do. Thanks!
The Ying and Yang of working for the Gov. (Directly)
First I was a Q The Engineer that led teams of other Engineers who developed the TOOLS for the guys who did the real Spying. Only on unique assignments did I go out in the field and that was only because of mountain climbing experience. I myself re my Dyslexia wood make a Horrid truly Horrid Spy. Put Sun glasses on a person or a wig and I wood have no clue they might have been Bien Laden.
So the plus side of working directly for one of the 3 spook agencies and CIA has the smallest budget by the by - The PLUS side is that You end up working on the most cutting edge stuff one can imagine.
In fact that is the rule - Imagine it and try it - May not work this year but in 5-10-20 the technology (parts) may come around. This is NOT possible in any Aerospace type company with rare exceptions.
Hughes Aircraft was the key exception which included NO ONE in top management to get in the way EVER NEVER - And Aerospace is 99% Military based which means without exception PARTS that are always way behind the cutting edge curve. Reliability is key which is never the key to cutting edge anything.
The negative side of working directly for the Gov is they pay prevailing wages that are nowhere near what Aerospace pays. And beyond Aerospace such as companies like Google or Qualcomm - Stock options and bonuses COULD FAR FAR FAR out way a a yearly wage.
No one gets rich working for USGOV - NO ONE - One can as a working Engineer get rich working in private industry.
Starting out working for one of the top 3 Spy guys wood be a good way to go.
AND Having THEM pay your way to MIT is one hell of a deal. Hughes paid 100% of my costs at UCLA including incidental fees and I got full tyme pay as if I was at Hughes - It was just one hell of a deal.
Now there is one other MAJOR HORRID Disadvantage in working in THAT Field and its being type cast
Aerospace as well as US GOV hires YOU based on what they NEED at the Moment in tyme - to fill a slot. Attorneys who get hired in large firms also end up type cast - They need a tax person? Guess what you end up doing the rest of your life.
The other problem is that agencies and Aerospace is compartmentalized - You get walled off from seeing wot else is going on cause of security nightmares -
Me I got around all of that cause as a Techy Hobbyist going in to Hughes I was not about to allow type casting ... snooping (asking others what they did in those other labs) NOT exactly encouraged!!! but i did indeed I did!
Just laying out some pitfalls for you so you can figure out for self how to avoid.
One thing I did was every now and then when deciding to leave a company and move on - I chose an area I was not expertise at so I could end up SUCH - Even chose an area I felt very poor at so I could end up getting real good at-
So just keep expanding horizons or find a type cast position that you can live with all your life.
Oh AND one thing I did as a consultant was RITE a Resume so I could get a super job as a Robotics Consultant - Best Robotics op in world - Well they thought I rocked - I sucked really really sucked at that position but no one had a clue cept I hated it just hated my Fail -
But that fail led me to accept a new position full tyme in Cell phone early on stuff - and lets just say the STOCK Options as well as the amazing new technology which was truly cutting edge re Developing CDMA made my day - Ended up getting back in2 Satellites to combine what I used to do with Spy with Imaging Radar which is the essence of CDMA (Spread Spectrum) and turned in2 voice people 2 people
Best thing you can do if you do go the Gov agency way is make sure you end up with a quality manager who is going to look out for your best interests rather then THEIRS Or you end up STUCK unless you like where you are stuck at.
(Edited 2 minutes later.)
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