A career in forensics?
For many people forensics sounds like a fascinating subject. Just consider the success that every TV serial, movie or fiction and non-fiction books about forensics are having lately. However, few people think about forensics as a serious alternative when choosing a career. But why not? Perhaps there is the idea that you need to be a rocket scientist to work in forensic science. While that is true sometimes, the reality is that forensics is a really wide field that requires people from every level of education. Nowadays many schools and colleges are offering programs and courses fully tailored to the needs of the employers seeking to hire forensic workers. Many programs take between one to three years only and in many cases can be taken online, making them a great alternative to costly, long and highly demanding graduate programs that not always guarantee a successful insertion in the job market.
Forensic science has something for almost every taste. Although most people will associate forensics with DNA science, ballistics or fingerprint analysis, there are many other fields covered under this discipline. Examination of vehicles, artistic drawing for suspect face sketching, psychological assessment of suspects and witnesses, environmental sampling and analysis, photography or legal affairs. These are only a few of the fields in which a prospective forensic can get training and achieve expertise.
The other big advantage of starting for a forensics degree now is that forensics is a rapidly growing job market. Not only Police departments countrywide are expanding their facilities to deal with the new technologies available to fight crime. Many private industries are also assimilating methods and concepts from forensic science to work out their own matters and will soon start to hire people with a specific training.
For those who can’t find their place among the traditional profession, forensic science education may be the right choice for a bright future.
Some useful resources:
Kaplan University - Crime Scene Technician Certificate
Research criminal justice colleges and degree programs.
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
The Forensic Science Society (UK)
