Help Wanted

CYBER SECURITY

CYBER ATTACKS on the U.S. government's computer networks are occurring at a fast and furious rate. They're also becoming more sophisticated. Yet Washington is finding it increasingly difficult to recruit skilled computer defense experts with the necessary security clearances, the Washington Post reports. Over the next three years, the Department of Homeland Security wants to bring 1,000 computer scientists on board. To beef up its cyber workforce, the government has relied on a National Science Foundation program, Scholarships for Service, which pays for two years of college in exchange for two years of federal service. But between 2001 and 2009, fewer than 1 ,000 students applied for the stipend. And those who have used the program are often cherrypicked by industry once their two-year stint is up. Conversely, computer software engineers were fifth on a list of hardest-hit job categories in 2009. Perhaps the best advice to laid-off computer engineers is: Move to Washington. -TG