Forensic Science Career

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The history and breakdown of the forensic science career is a very extensive one that has a lot of standstills for long periods of time, but with that comes very many breakthroughs. Forensic scientists have a very hard and very important job, and many people have no idea about the risks it takes to become one, or to determine one’s innocence in a court of law.

1. Dating all the way back to 2698 B.C, forensic science started, accidentally, by a man named Shen Nung. Shen had tasted a documented 365 herbs and then died as a result of a toxic overdose from said herbs. This rose curiosity throughout the community he lived in and caused them to study his cause of death, thus the birth of forensic science. Forensic science then saw a significantly long standstill in discoveries until the 1800’s, where Toxicology was discovered, and forensic science was recognized as an important factor in solving crimes and mysteries, particularly the “Jack the Ripper” cases. Then, in 1950, the first ever academic department of forensic science was established to teach those who were not self-taught, opening up the possibility of a career as a forensic scientist. 2.
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Most forensic science careers require a bachelor’s degree in a forensic field or forensic speciality before applying for a job in a forensic field. Plenty of colleges offer courses in forensic fields and these colleges are known to have a higher graduation rate than opposing colleges that do not offer these courses. Upon obtaining a job at a forensic science laboratory or CSI-based job, you will receive training which can last from 6 months to 2 full years, and involves latent fingerprinting, toxicology, DNA analysis, drug analysis, trace evidence, etc. 3. 4. Forensic fields generally pay a very high amount, typically around $55,950 annually. This is because of the constant overtime sometimes required, and the heavy amount of stress that is placed on a forensic scientist. Also, because nearly all forensic scientist jobs are run by the Government, these forensic scientists get plenty of health and retirement benefits, included with life and health insurance, training and premium conversion, with no cost to the employee. 5. The location of a forensic scientist can greatly differ depending on what they specialize in and who hired them. Forensic scientists can work indoors in a laboratory and analyze deceased bodies, murder weapons, or other objects around the crime scene to search for fingerprints or any trace of suspicious DNA. If the forensic scientists works as a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) member, then they will either inside or outside, analyzing crime scenes and placing small markers next to objects that could hold crucial evidence, they then give these items to the scientists working in the laboratory to study, and it is determined whether the object is of importance or not. Virginia has the highest rate of forensic scientist graduation and have the highest amount of forensic scientists in the country, making a college in Virginia the most fathomable option to pursue. 6. Forensic science allows people with an interest in forensic fields to spend their careers doing something they find interesting and important. Many people choose a single aspect of forensics to spend their lives doing, since juggling many different aspects is a difficult task to do. Forensic science also allows people to give back to their community

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