At my high school, I was somewhat of a chemistry nerd. I loved my AP chemistry class and the teacher that taught it. So, with this being said, one can conclude that I would immensely enjoy going into a scientific occupation with lots of chemistry. And what could be hotter or more appealing than the latest “it” field of science? That’s right; I want to be a forensic scientist.
I suppose my desire to be a forensic scientist started with an obsession with “Law & Order”, but it blossomed into much more. The same year that I became fixated with that television series, I took my first chemistry class. It was enjoyable, but my passion shifted in way of television when I realized it just didn’t have enough technical detail to suit me as I headed up into an AP course for my favorite subject. Upon this epiphany, I found a new elation in watching re-runs of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigators”.
The show didn’t seem entirely accurate, but that’s what intrigued me: I had to question what was real, and what was there purely for entertainment value. Researching various written sources, not to mention performing a lengthy experiment involving fingerprint analysis by type, the basics of the use of forensic science in murder investigation became the topic of my senior research paper (which incidentally earned me an “A++” in my English course). After that, my knowledge for the field had only been partially quenched- I wanted to have my crack at it now.
Since “CSI” is more amusement than actuality, one must remember that those people that go out to the field and collect evidence don’t actually do all the work they are seen performing during the show. Those that do have the job of collecting physical substantiation for a case are truly the criminologists, or crime scene investigators. Because of my low tolerance to other people’s blood and innards, I believe this area of my desired field would be a waste to my talents, seeing as I would be unable to concentrate on the scene investigated if I’m trying to look away.
The people that process all the evidence are lab technicians, and if you’re in the DNA lab, you’re sometimes referred to as a “gene jockey.” I want to be there, in the lab working with chemicals and computers, breaking down compounds and running samples to other labs to help towards a common goal. It’s quite obvious to me that I’d flourish in that type of environment, since it’s the same one in my own home- close-knit and yet entirely separate. Besides, that’s where all the real action lies.