A career in forensics

C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation (and its spin-offs), Law and Order, Crossing Jordan, Bones, even S.O.C.O. (Scene of the Crime Operatives of the Philippine National Police) has roused the interest of many people in pursuing careers related to criminalistics and forensics. I have to admit that I am one of those who fantasize about being able to dust for prints, survey crime scenes, test for trace evidence and solve cases (I deliberately did not include performing an autopsy because cutting up a person, dead or alive, is unthinkable....maybe another species down the food chain would be alright)---while wearing a tight black tank top and having perfectly done hair and make-up just like Catherine Willows.
Whenever I get fixated on something (this happens a lot!), I scour the local bookstore for books related to that fixation. I came across The Forensic Casebook, The Science of Crime Scene Investigation and immediately bought it. It was a good investment. It did clear up certain things about the life of a CSI, rather a CSA (Crime Scene Analyst). It's not a glamorous job. The compensation is not at par with the amount of work one has to do as a CSA. The book enumerates the forensic science/ crime scene positions typically found in a forensics unit (or crime lab), such as the one found at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Major tasks, collateral functions, qualifications, experience and training requirements, licensing/ certification, working conditions, as well as the average salary of each position were presented in detail by the author. The positions include: evidence custodian, criminalist, crime scene analyst, document examiner, firearms/ toolmark examiner, forensic laboratory technician, latent print examiner, and photo technician. Too bad the book only features the educational institutions in the U.S. that provide courses that lead to careers in forensics.

Here in the country, I only found one recognized program in forensics at the Philippine College of Criminology and it's a graduate degree (M.S. Criminology). But a degree in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and physics could also jumpstart a career in forensics. I'm very proud of Dr. Raquel Fortun, who is a well-know forensic pathologist in the country and is affiliated with the institution I work for. But I'm far from being an honest to goodness scientist...maybe I am, I just don't know it?!? What the heck...

(I got the photo from Amazon...they provide a sneak peek of the book).