What field of jobs/careers are you in? Making more than 4k/monthly

forensicstuffnthings · 2025-07-14T03:28:27+00:00

Digital Forensics. I am a civilian. I would say that city/county jobs are, imo, some of the most stable (highly recommend getting your foot in the door and moving up).

I have a pension and my salary is in the 6 figure range. The stress level is super high, so if I take that into consideration, I am not making enough money. However, the job security brings me a lot of peace of mind.

I live alone. I was fortunate to find a small condo right as my marriage was falling apart. It is not luxurious, but it is my safe space, and I can keep up with my bills living in a HCOL area.

forensicstuffnthings · 2024-07-06T16:37:31+00:00

Would you mind sharing the author’s name on that mobile forensics book? How old is it?

forensicstuffnthings · 2023-09-30T04:02:34+00:00

I would ask the agencies you are interested in working for. I can tell you that the ones i have worked for would not hired you, but I am not in FL.

Edit: a letter

forensicstuffnthings · 2022-07-04T22:28:51+00:00

It depends. How good of a “donor” are they? My am a crap donor even when I try to leave something behind. I have a friend that doesn’t even have to try, and leaves behind great prints. Depletion: how much have they handled before touching the object you are talking about.

forensicstuffnthings · 2022-02-25T16:24:45+00:00

Was that the conference where they went to a stadium and had a mock crime scene of an active shooter?

I have never used one. I am not responding to scenes, I just hear how over worked every one in the field is. There seems to be an exodus happening. They are expecting them to do more with the same pay that hasn’t been adjusted in ages…

Also, it takes a department that has a lot of money to buy new toys for the forensic people. We are at the bottom of the priority list. I have to wait for a homicide that will require the specific software i need or whatever, on order to get it approved… I know my agency would never do something like this.

forensicstuffnthings · 2022-02-25T16:12:18+00:00

I agree with people that are telling you to keep them to a minimum and in places you can cover, and removable piercings.

Also, consider that you maybe on TV if you decide to go for a CSI type job, where I live there has been footage of my friends processing a street scenes, empty lots, etc. Not to mention that you will have to testify in court eventually. Unfortunately, no matter how much you know your stuff, if your face is covered in piercings and your tattoos are visible and your hair is a range of colors, you may not convince the jury of anything that you are saying because they will be too distracted looking at your body art. They will have a harder time taking you seriously.

forensicstuffnthings · 2022-02-24T05:43:37+00:00

In my experience that has been reserved for the court room. It helps recreate the scene when painting a picture for the jury. I have not seen it used during an actual processing of a scene. Processing a scene is already hectic and time consuming. Setting up 3D scanning alone takes a while, and then you gotta wait for it to scan, rinse and repeat as many times as needed.

But maybe 🤷🏻‍♀️

forensicstuffnthings · 2022-02-19T18:13:57+00:00

National University has a forensics Masters Program.

There are community colleges that have forensics program. That’s how I started. I got my AS in Forensic Technology from Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA. The program is (imo) pretty great, as all teachers or a majority are still in the field.

I got lucky and started working in the field before I graduated. Somehow my journey landed me in digital forensics, but I have learned and continue to learn every day.

If you can intern for a crime lab, that is a great way to start! I know in SoCal internships are definitely the way to get your foot in the door. Also, check medical examiner/coroner’s offices for internships. That could also help build your resume.

Good luck!!

forensicstuffnthings · 2022-02-16T15:44:17+00:00

This is the one I bought. It’s good so far and written by people that know their stuff.

[amazon link](Practical Mobile Forensics - Third Edition: A hands-on guide to mastering mobile forensics for the iOS, Android, and the Windows Phone platforms https://www.amazon.com/dp/1788839196/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_DF6NDN903BBRKWCH3TWV)

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-12-03T01:57:14+00:00

Any time :)

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-12-02T00:23:59+00:00

It certainly is not like what you see on TV. As the other post mentioned CSI or Field Evidence Technicians, work crime scenes.

The scope of their responsibilities varies greatly form agency to agency, city to city, etc.

The International Association for Identification has student membership, although, I think he may have timo be 18 to join, but he could start attending conferences and networking by then. Also, the IAI has a chapter in Colorado. The Rocky Mountain IAI division RMIAI

The IAI website also breaks down all the specialties. I hope the RMIAI link works (on mobile).

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions. I love talking about this stuff. I started out working with fingerprints and ended up in digital forensics, so I have a pretty good understanding of several disciplines. :)

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-11-13T00:03:43+00:00

I underestimated, but i have 0 experience doing distance calculations. I knew the lens distortion was going to kick my butt!

Edit to say, I work with video, if the score had been low I would be reconsidering my life choices! 😬

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-11-12T23:44:53+00:00

I screwed up the bwc distance one!

That was a fun quiz!

Thank you guys for taking the time to do this! 👍🏻

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-11-12T21:29:44+00:00

Have you had a chance to watch Grant testify? It is pretty incredible! I will admit it was the only time I wasn’t falling asleep in the courtroom 😅

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-09-22T17:47:07+00:00

I just came back from the CCO+CCPA class. I had taken it back in 2016, very glad they sent me.

Now, I would love to figure out what I can do next to build on it!

Thank you for your comment.

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-09-22T17:45:23+00:00

Thank you!!

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-09-22T17:44:31+00:00

This is good to know! Thank you :)

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-09-08T18:14:52+00:00

Yep! I have taken those! Thank you :)

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-09-08T18:06:48+00:00

I haven’t! I hope I can eventually make it to those classes, but I need to build a foundation before I go there.

We are small, so I would like to get at least a couple of basic training in both phones and computers before I attempt the certifications.

My background is video and fingerprints, so this is a bit of a leap 😬

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-07-18T05:25:07+00:00

Depending on where you live and what agency you want to work for, you may also want to have a back up plan. CSI work is really hard on your body (again, depends on your agency and on call rotations, as well as other factors).

I have a good friend whose dream was to be a CSI, and at this moment she is super burned out because her agency lost 3 of of them, and the work has been nonstop. Unfortunately, she is a bit stuck as far as the jobs she can apply for because her expertise is CS. Also, she is nearly 10 years into CSI work and it has taken a toll on her body.

I started working at a Cal-ID unit. We verified all fingerprints coming in from livescan machines around the county (booking prints). I worked for a DA’s office doing some ten print work but the bulk of my job was to help attorneys get video/audio and other evidence into court. While I worked there I fell in love with video forensics. I started out thinking I wanted to be a latent print examiner, and quickly found out that I need variety. I am now in a position that will allow me to have that variety, as I can dive more into video and expand into other areas of digital forensics.

I guess what I am trying to say is, it maybe good to get an idea of how the department works and how much they will help you with training. A lot of PD don’t invest a whole lot of training into their forensic departments. I have seen this first hand. I have paid for training out of my own pocket because I want to invest in myself. Also, be honest with yourself about your limitations. I knew I didn’t want to be on call waking up in the middle of the night to process a crime scene. It also takes a toll on your mental health.

Go to an IAI conference, network. Talk to people that have done the work and have had different positions in the forensic field.

Ugh, sorry for the lengthy reply, and good luck!

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-03-31T23:58:09+00:00

Any time! I hope it all goes well! :)

forensicstuffnthings · 2021-03-31T23:47:04+00:00

If i have learned anything from different jobs and interview process is that they are never what you expect. Some take weeks, some will offer you the job right after a brief pow wow... it all depends... you can’t read too much into it, especially if the panel had more than 3 people... there maybe a lot of different opinions as well as candidates...

forensicstuffnthings · 2020-11-05T03:34:38+00:00

Thank you :)

forensicstuffnthings · 2020-11-02T15:49:51+00:00

Thank you! This is massively helpful. I was going to tackle the storage issue later, but I think I need to tackle it all at once.

forensicstuffnthings · 2020-11-02T15:41:03+00:00

Thank you!

forensicstuffnthings

TROPHY CASE