Digital jobs of the future: Digital detective

As computer power increases and more and more data is published on the Internet, the need for people who can find hidden information and discern patterns in data is going to grow. This will create a surge in jobs for computer forensic experts, or as I like to call them, digital detectives.

The job description for digital detectives extends way beyond the stuff you see on CSI. As well as working with crime scene forensics, they use their skills to uncover things such as white collar crime, credit card fraud, intellectual property theft and terrorism, as well as gather competitive intelligence and detect and close computer system security holes through "legal" hacking.

Digital detectives also detect and alert the authorities to things like photographic evidence, sound, video and scanned/printed documents, and spend a fair bit of effort in data mining and deciphering files.
So what do you need to be a digital detective?

Like many IT roles, you need strong programming skills, usually backed up with a degree in computer science, applied math or electrical engineering. You need technical and analytical skills, as well as experience in activities such as networking and cryptology. It also probably helps if you're a fan of mystery novels!