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The respondent provides a lengthy response to the student's questions about a career in forensic science. She notes that she only worked as a forensic technician for a year before returning to her previous career as a paralegal. She addresses each of the student's 10 questions, providing insights into her own limited experience and education. The respondent emphasizes that forensic science work is not like how it is portrayed on television and encourages the student to narrow down their specific interests within the broad field.

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163 views

Transcript of Interview

The respondent provides a lengthy response to the student's questions about a career in forensic science. She notes that she only worked as a forensic technician for a year before returning to her previous career as a paralegal. She addresses each of the student's 10 questions, providing insights into her own limited experience and education. The respondent emphasizes that forensic science work is not like how it is portrayed on television and encourages the student to narrow down their specific interests within the broad field.

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Questions:

Hi! My name is Sydney White, and I'm a Junior at Pine Lake Preparatory in Mooresville, NC. I am
currently writing my Junior research paper on Forensic Science, and I was wondering if you would be
willing to answer some questions for me as soon as you have an opportunity? I am very interested in the
field, and I am looking to gain a better understanding of what the career is actually like.
1. Is the reality of the Forensic Science field anything similar to the expectations, especially those
portrayed in popular TV Shows and Movies?
2. Do you feel like your educational background prepared you for your career, and if not, then what is one
thing you would change?
3. What are some key aspects of Forensic Science that you feel are important for anyone looking into the
field to understand?
4. How has Forensic Science, and the technology within it, changed since you first began?
5. Have you had to make any sacrifices for your job as a Forensic Scientist, and if so, do you believe they
were worth it?
6. What area of the country would you say is the most ideal for Forensic Science?
7. Did your job require you to be on call, and if so, how often?
8. How did your job require you to continue your education throughout your career?
9. How would you suggest finding a job in Forensic Science when coming out of college?
10. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you so much for your time, and I appreciate any information you are willing to give me!
Additionally, my teacher is copied on this email as a requirement for my project!
Thank you so much,
Sydney White

Response- Amy Murray:


Hey Sydney,
First of all I just want to let you know that I only worked as a Forensic Technician for almost a year
before I went back to being a paralegal. So, I will answer the below questions to the best of my ability.
I'll be happy to discuss any aspect of Forensic Science with you as long as you keep in mind that I don't
have an extensive working background and only have a Masters in the subject from the University of
Florida.

1. Not at all like TV!!! Please don't ever think it is or you will be let down.
2. The program I was enrolled in helped me with the education part of it but I didn't have any
hands-on experience. For example, taking photographs in certain situations was a bit difficult
for me to grasp because I never had to do it during my graduate program. But the police
department I was employed with had us go through an "academy" period where we learned
everything, we needed to know to do the job. I don't know if I would change anything about
my education but that's probably because of the training I got on the job. Also please note that
there is only so much education can prepare you for in this field. Example: It's hard to take a
class on what a burnt dead body looks like and smells like.
3. Forensics involves a large scope of things so I would tell anyone looking into this to try and
narrow down what you want to do. That way you can better prepare yourself.
4. N/A
5. Before I got my job with the police department I was working as a paralegal which is what I
am doing now and have done forever it seems. I took a large pay cut when I accepted the
Forensic Technician job. I'm not going to say it wasn't worth it because I wanted to go into this
field and this was the opportunity I needed. Had I turned it down I might not have ever went
into the field and would have always been asking myself what if. But at the end of the day the
money, stress of the job, schedule, etc. is why I decided to go back to being a paralegal.
6. I think that depends on the person going into the field. If you want to be involved in more
cases, then you probably shouldn't go to a small town.
7. Yes! I believe and I could be wrong since I've not worked there in about four years that we
were on call one week a month. Which meant that you had to respond within two hours. So
you could do whatever you wanted when you were on call as long as you could get to work
within those two hours. Also, we were on rotating shifts. For two weeks you would work a day
shift then two weeks a night shift. We worked four days on and three days off.
8. The police department I was with encouraged you to take additional classes that they would
pay for and help you get certified in certain areas. The police department I worked at
suggested that it may be better to be an "expert" in certain fields.
9. I suggest sending out your resume to any and all positions no matter what the description says.
More than likely you will be trained on the job to how they like to see things done and how
their systems work so I wouldn't worry about not being qualified for anything. This field
sometimes has very little to offer in positions but once you get your foot in the door it should
be easier to navigate. Don't lose hope if you get rejected a couple of times.
10. If Forensics is a career you are interested in, then you might want to figure out what it is that
interests you. Do you think you would enjoy working with the police and taking photographs,
sketches, measurements of crime scenes? Would it be better to work with the medical examiner
and photograph the bodies? There is something called medicolegal investigator which takes
both into account and you visit crime scenes and work with the bodies. Would you rather not
look at dead bodies and just work in a lab. Once you figure out what it is that interests you,
you will be able to narrow down what type of education you need. Internships or even doing a
ride along is helpful for you to see what is involved.

Good Luck Sydney! If you need any additional information from me or have questions, please feel free to
reach out!

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