Mathematicians: meet the team - Vanessa

"I'm doing a job I love. It's addictive.

Why did I choose GCHQ? It's one of the few places you can do real maths outside a university environment. I'm working as a Cryptanalyst - which is the science of studying cryptographic algorithms and finding strengths and weaknesses. Or, in simple English, cracking codes.

I'm part of the group handling the toughest challenges. If the regular cryptanalysts fail, it's passed on to us for more detailed analysis. Some of the techniques used in the war are still effective today. That's why some of Bletchley Park's work is still classified. The main difference nowadays is computers. They enable us to work faster - and on much more complicated algorithms.

I've been here 18 months now - and the training's been excellent. 12 weeks after joining, I was sent on a 3-month course for maths recruits. The mornings we went to lectures, the afternoons were spent hands on with computers. Since then I've taken computer technologies courses and programming courses. They'll train you to enable you to move streams. In fact, it's positively encouraged for you to change roles every 2 or 3 years - to broaden your experience of different parts of the chain.

I first heard about GCHQ through contacts at University. As you can imagine, because of the groundbreaking nature of the work, there are a lot of contacts between GCHQ and academia. I was happy to move to Cheltenham. I definitely didn't want to work in the big city. I find the area really friendly. In my time off I'm learning Ceroc and Salsa. There's a lot to do.

Next? Well, I'd like to construct secure algorithms. I'd like to put what I've learned to work. I think another 18 months in this role will give me the skills I need. But as for now, I'm doing a job I love - and getting the chance to travel, and consult with fellow professionals. It's addictive - especially as you get close to cracking the code and getting data out the other end!"

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