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.
Sure I'll catch you when I'm back at work tomorrow.
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Being 'on call' and knowing you can be interrupted at any moment of the day and have to go to a crime scene, even if it's the middle of the night or a holiday. I've also had to change vacations because I have to testify in a trial. I hate that.
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'specialize in homicide'. Forensic techniques can be utilized to investigate any crime, but if you mean you only want to work on homicides, then I don't know of any positions like that. The closest thing would be to work for an agency where the work is mostly homicides, such as a medical examiner's office. But even they would also investigate suicides, industrial accidents, etc.
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That's impossible to answer. Things can range from something like the Orlando shooting, which was massive to process but in terms of 'whodunit' it was over as soon as it began. Then you might have a person shot on the street, no casings, no witnesses--a very simple event, but nearly impossible to solve unless someone talks. Then there's every possible combination in between.
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Help Desk Technician
Are people appreciative when you help them or do they just treat you like a support monkey?
Help Desk Technician
Does it get aggravating answering people's dumb questions all day long?
Professional Gamer
Is the stereotype of gamers as overweight dudes living in parents' basements accurate?
A good knowledge of chemistry is helpful to be able to understand why certain processes work the way they do. We use math to mix reagents and calculate angles in bloodstain pattern interpretation. Any knowledge can be helpful because we deal with every kind of person, job, situation, and object there is.
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The title 'forensic scientist' doesn't mean anything in particular--job titles will vary by the agency. It would be better to major in a natural science or in forensic science so you could get as much lab experience as possible, but the only way to know for sure what the job requirements are is to call the place(s) you want to work and ask.
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Attention to detail, an interest in science and the ability to occasionally work in chaos.
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