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So you've seen all the cool TV shows where the Crime Scene Investigators easily discover who the perpetrator is within 60 minutes and now you have decided that this is your dream job. This is known as "the CSI effect" and it is not reality. Before you can successfully process a crime scene, you will need to know a lot about crime, evidence, the chain of custody, and many other forensic science topics. Depending on your chosen field of study, you may need nothing more than a high school education and some fingerprint classes. However, to have long rewarding career you will want to go to college. If you want to be a medical examiner, you will need twelve to fourteen years to complete your bachelor's degree, medical school, a pathology residency, and a forensic pathology fellowship.
If you are new to this field, you will have to spend quite a bit of time familiarizing yourself with the real work behind the scenes. In order to do so, you should take an introductory forensic science course (aka Criminalistics I). This course is available at ELAC in the classroom and online. You should also research the job titles that interest you.
A good starting place is about.com's Forensic Science Careers web page.
Another good website for career information is the Crime Scene Investigator Network. Look at the job posting alerts for information about jobs available nearby or in areas you would consider moving to.
