You’ve read the books, seen the movies and television shows, and you probably think you have a good idea what it’s like to be a forensic psychologist. You are certain that if you pursue the career, you are going to work in a high tech forensic lab with other specialists, you will get a new case each week, and you will be able to wrap it up nicely and neatly after a little bit of work. You might even be lucky enough to have a foot chase with the murderer of the week too. That’s how it goes, right?
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Well, if you were to believe the fiction that you see on television, you might think it would go down that way. The reality is going to be quite a bit different though. You probably aren’t going to work at a high tech lab like the fictional Jeffersonian. You might have a smaller office than you would like too. You might not even be able to solve some of the cases you work on for law enforcement. It’s a team effort, and even if your profile is spot on, they might not be able to find the culprit.
In fact, you might not even work directly with law enforcement in that capacity. Instead, you may work with the court system. You might be working to help those who are in jail to get ready for a life on the outside. You could be setting up a rehabilitation system in the prisons. Someone who works in the field of forensic psychology can wear many different hats. While you might not have quite as much glamour as the TV stars, and you might have a few stains on your tie, you will have an exciting and interesting career when you choose to go into the field of forensic psychology.