2 answers
Breanna
Student
3
Questions
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What classes should I take in college in order to be a detective?
I am in 7th grade and I am taking college classes this summer but I do not know what classes I should take to be a detective. Can Someone PLEASE HELP ME #detective #investigate
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2 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1738
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Breanna,
Detective work encompasses every field you could possibly imagine! It's not so much a particular subject, as it is a way of thinking. For example, when I was working on a narcotics task force at the airport, we just watched people, and then went up to talk to the ones that we thought might be trafficking narcotics. The thing that caught my eye about one man was that when his plane landed, he stopped to eat at our food court. And I thought, how weird! Normally the people eating are the ones who are waiting to fly out. When planes land, people want to get out of the airport! Based on that, we talked to him. Not only was he trafficking a large sum of cash, he was using someone else's identity!
You want to take classes that challenge you to think! Who? What? How? I always like recommending Logic, which is usually in the Philosophy department. I also like geometry, especially doing proofs.
Beyond that, detective work is very advanced. It could involve a lot of science. How fast was the car going? What was the road surface? Was it wet or dry? How long did it take the car to stop? Or, computers. So much crime is planned and executed on computers! Blood splatter patterns. A large part of detective work is understanding how people think and act.
I think it's great that you will be taking college classes, as it shows that you will be challenging yourself. I really don't think you could go wrong with any class that you choose at this point!
good luck!
Kim
Detective work encompasses every field you could possibly imagine! It's not so much a particular subject, as it is a way of thinking. For example, when I was working on a narcotics task force at the airport, we just watched people, and then went up to talk to the ones that we thought might be trafficking narcotics. The thing that caught my eye about one man was that when his plane landed, he stopped to eat at our food court. And I thought, how weird! Normally the people eating are the ones who are waiting to fly out. When planes land, people want to get out of the airport! Based on that, we talked to him. Not only was he trafficking a large sum of cash, he was using someone else's identity!
You want to take classes that challenge you to think! Who? What? How? I always like recommending Logic, which is usually in the Philosophy department. I also like geometry, especially doing proofs.
Beyond that, detective work is very advanced. It could involve a lot of science. How fast was the car going? What was the road surface? Was it wet or dry? How long did it take the car to stop? Or, computers. So much crime is planned and executed on computers! Blood splatter patterns. A large part of detective work is understanding how people think and act.
I think it's great that you will be taking college classes, as it shows that you will be challenging yourself. I really don't think you could go wrong with any class that you choose at this point!
good luck!
Kim
Thank you so much Kim!! You really helped me!!
Breanna
Catherine Bovino
Performance Assurance Manager
4
Answers
Wantagh, New York
Updated
Catherine’s Answer
Hi Breanna, I recommend taking classes like Criminology, Sociology and Forensics. Criminology will teach you to understand a criminal's mind. Sociology will help you understand how people arrive where they are by their upbringing, social status and culture. Forensics gets into understanding what happens during a crime by reading the clues within the room or space where a crime occurred. You will also benefit from starting out as a police officer and progressing to be a detective. This will give you a good base for taking clues to figure out what actually happened. Good luck to you! If you put your mind to it you can do anything!!
Thank you so much!!! You are so helpful!!
Breanna