PUBLIC Forums => Public Forums => Employment Wanted => Topic started by: kel.price90 on March 14, 2014, 12:59:20 AM
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Greetings AFTE Members and Friends,
My name is Kelly Price and I recently graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. I've always wanted a career in forensic science (much to the frustration of my research-focused professors), but it has taken me a while to realize my potential. I am 30 years old and just getting my first degree, but I am thankful I waited until maturity caught up with youthful passion to tackle the many challenges of my chosen career-path.
I feel I have proven myself to be a competitive and ambitious candidate with two hard-won forensic laboratory internships (both firearms and toolmarks units) and several notable academic achievements (4.0 GPA, Dept of Chemistry & Physics "Student of the Year," and the FSU Chancellor's List). I hope to begin my career as a crime scene technician or forensic examiner/scientist trainee in the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) of North Carolina. However, I am quite willing to broaden my search area, and in fact I've applied to a few positions and sent several resumes out to many large and small jurisdictions in NC.
My LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyrprice) profile is open to everyone. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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I've updated the original post with my LinkedIn profile. Please feel free to offer any criticism or advice. I welcome it!
Thank you.
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Wow, such great support and feedback (on LinkedIn and PM)! As corny as it sounds, I am humbled by the community's altruism. Thank you everyone for your kind words and valuable advice. It means a lot! I want to post a public response and advice for other job-seekers in my situation:
- Some of you have suggested I go further in my education, but others have indicated that in general a BSc + internships is usually seen as comparable to a Master's degree. I've been worried that my lack of a Master's would doom me from the start, so that's heartening to hear.
- Others have advised I look nationwide in my job search. I wish I could expand my search nationwide. Unfortunately, I'm limited to about 100-mi radius of Raleigh, NC and Charlotte, NC metro, and I've been diligently checking government and private lab job postings since Aug 2013. I'm lucky that there are many forensics-related government and private agencies in my area of interest, the positions just aren't open right now. (I actually had a promising Firearms Examiner interview but ended up being their second candidate.)
- I took some great advice and have been applying to police admin/evidence control positions to get my foot in the door. I also have a considerable background in admin support, so I bet I'd actually enjoy these positions!
- And finally, the most recent advice I've taken to heart is "be willing to get your lab experience elsewhere." In other words, I need to learn a bit more patience because landing a dream job generally doesn't happen at the beginning of a career. To that end, I've been applying for entry level lab tech positions in the non-forensic science private and public sector.
Yes, the search is exhausting, disheartening, and at times a little humbling, but we should never give up! Thanks for reading and I wish you all the very best.
Kelly Price