Expert: Beth - 12/3/2006

Question
Hi, I am only in middle school. I want to be a forensic evidence analyst(in other words one of the Lab people on CSI) Do you have any advice on the career, like whether or not chemistry is interesting and kinda hard or really boring and very difficult? Just trying to get my life planned so i wont be a bum with no job when i grow up, The next generation scares me! what will it be like in societies in 10 years from now?  

Answer
Kristen,

I think in almost anything you do - not just chemistry related stuff - attitude makes a big difference.  If you go into something expecting it to be too difficult for you, there's a good chance it will be.  Instead, know that it might difficult, but that you can do it if you work hard enough.

I didn't find chemistry to be easy, but I didn't find it to be difficult either. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.  You'll definitely have to take some chemistry courses if you are interested in working in a lab. You'll probably want to major in chemistry or clinical laboratory science. I'd recommend clinical laboratory science because it will give you more lab experience.

- Beth