CSO

  Several articles were published this week regarding the British Government’s efforts to attract Internet-savvy gamers into intelligence careers. So it’s true, being a good gamer could lead to a good job.

 An article entitled, UK Spy Agency Puts Out Call to Gamers was published by the AP this week.  It appears that a new month-long campaign will be launched within weeks to "capture the imagination of people with a particular interest in IT."  

 For those who don’t know this, the GCHQ stands for “Government Communications Headquarters” and is roughly equivalent to the National Security Agency (NSA) in the USA. A Google search   on GCHQ yields many interesting stories, and a visit to their GCHQ website yields this interesting quote from former Prime Minister Tony Blair. “Secret Intelligence gives the Government a vital edge.”  

 (As a side note: their site is a bit different than the NSA website, but a quick visit to the NSA site is pretty interesting as well – watch the intro in flash.)

 The world sure has changed. I remember how the National Security Agency used to recruit around the country at major Universities in the mid-1980s. You needed great grades just to talk to their recruiters on campuses – followed by a good interview and passing a detailed background investigation and polygraph.  

 This new approach will “target frequent gamers who are particularly receptive to innovative forms of advertising,” but I’m sure that the same background checks will be required to get into their agency.

 I think this is a fascinating new twist to today’s search for top talent. As we head into the days where baby boomers will be retiring and young expertise harder to find, this may be a harbinger of things to come – for all of us.