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National Security Agency
Like most kids in my generation, I grew up with Cold War spy movies. When I was a kid, as a matter of fact, I wanted to be in the FBI. I didn't dream of being that James Bond type of character who gets involved in dangerous sabotage fighting against villains and trying to save the day at the last minute. Instead, I wanted to be the tech guy. I wanted to be the guy back at the lab who broke codes or invented useful machines to help the spy out.
When I grew up, I realized I didn't want a CIA job. What I really wanted was a job in the national security agency. The NSA is a famous high-tech surveillance and data analysis agency. They protect government security, creating high-tech tools to serve the needs of clandestine surveillance. They work on cryptographic analysis, language translation, and many other fascinating projects.
The thing that surprised me most about the national security agency was the type of people who work there. I had been wanting to get a national security job for a long time, but wasn't really aware how comfortable I would feel there. I assumed that the people there were tough, stoic, and strange. Instead, they were high tech folks like me, more at home in a computer lab than a criminal investigation. I feel comfortable in the workplace.
I work in a pretty high tech field inside the national security agency. My work is all very technical, and mostly deals with computation. There are, however, plenty of national security jobs for people with more of a humanities background. The CIA, the FBI, and the NSA are always out on the lookout for translators. If you speak foreign languages fluently, it is easy to work for the government. You can exercise your passion for translation and at the same time help to keep our borders secure. There's nothing more satisfying than that!
The drawback about working for the national security agency – or any surveillance or security Department within the government – is that you don't get to talk about a lot of what goes on in your job. So much of your daily business is secret that it can be hard to make career related small talk. It has been a big sacrifice for my wife, who wants to know what I do at work. The fact that I can only give her the barest details is sometimes a strain.
Summary
National Security Agency NSA specializes in high tech survellaince and data analysis. The agency is not as stiff and boring as you might imagine. The people that work there are normal computer folks who just happen to help national security.
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