LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
All of those are good. Take as many science courses as you can. Much depends on where you want to work and what you want to do. If you want to do DNA analysis and testify in court about it, you may need a PhD in genetics. If you want to work at crime scenes bagging and tagging evidence, you may need only a high school diploma, with added hireability for advanced degrees. The only way to know is to check job opening notices or call the agencies and ask. I would also suggest that you look for schools that have hands-on lab work with forensic topics such as fingerprints or crime scene work. Best of luck to you.
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My lab doesn’t have the ability to test vials of any time. We would send any liquid samples to the state lab.
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Probably everyone gets interested in the field because it looked interesting in a TV show. But by the time you’re sufficiently trained to actually get a job, you’d know that it’s not like TV.
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Arson investigations, bitemarks...though those might be difficult to do experiments on. Best practices for visualizing superglued fingerprints depending on the surface? Genealogical tracing?
Best of luck!
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Federal Lobbyist
What was the strangest lobbying request you've ever received?
Certified Nurse Aide
Are there social cliques (like "cool kids") in old folks homes?
Antiques Dealer
Does a piece's value increase significantly if it has a cool "back-story" to go along with it?
Sure--any good quality black powder should have the same effect.
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I honestly have no idea, I never did a grad program. Are there any advisors at your target schools that you can ask? But I sympathize—I had the same problem with Organic Chemistry. I got A’s in General Chemistry, but I just never ‘got’ Organic. Best of luck to you!
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Usually job vacancies aren't that plentiful that you can be too choosy. Are all or most of the duties similar to what you want to do? Is the location acceptable to you (local, or someplace you wouldn't mind relocating to)? Is there a good chance you will meet their expectations sufficiently that they will offer you a job? If the answer to all three is yes, then I would suggest you take it. If the answer to only the first two is yes, try anyway.
Best of luck to you!
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