Andrew Parr graduated from the BSc (Hons) Computer Forensics course and now works for HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service. Andy returned to education at the age of 29, after completing an Access course.

My job at HMRC

I work within a specialist delivery team, for HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, which is a law enforcement role. We specialise in the capture, processing, presentation and storage of digital evidence, obtained from the storage media of electronic devices. Everything we do has to be carried out to exacting standards (forensically), as the results of our work may be used in a court of law.
 
Day to day, I work in and around a digital forensic laboratory, attend meetings, handle evidence, produce exhibits and write witness statements. 
 
I have been fortunate to have received a wealth of training in the time I have been at HMRC, some of which is only available to law enforcement and government agencies.
 
It's a great job. I am developing my skills and moving forward with a reasonable prospect of promotion, and expect to remain with the Civil Service for the short to medium term.

About the course

The Computer Forensics course prepared me for my current role immensely – it is almost strange at times, when I consider the amount of real-world situations that call on knowledge gained from my studies.
 
Just having prior understanding of areas like encryption, networks, legal aspects, project management, professionalism, expert witness training and witness statement preparation, all of which were gained from modules on my course, makes things easier and enables me to make contributions, even when among senior and more experienced colleagues."