If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be part of one of the best forensic labs in the world, I would have told you that you were crazy. Well the past 2 and a half years has been a real roller coaster ride (Rocking Rollercoaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios). Never in my wildest imagination did I ever believe that there were so many child predators on the internet nor that there was that much trash out there. I gotta tell you this is not a job for the light at heart. The first two weeks at work, I was given a computer with forensic software and was told to find the contraband in a case that was going to court soon. I started wondering just what I had gotten into, but kept remembering that I was helping victims of serious crimes and that getting one pervert off the streets meant one less after my kids. I made a job transfer from another state agency that when they found out I was leaving, tried to up my salary. I kept telling them it wasn’t about the money and still it isn’t about the money. No I don’t make a whole lot of money, but the feeling you get when you can tell a prosecutor that you have recovered evidence critical to the investigation is quite a rush. Two years into this, I’ve been given so many opportunities to learn other things and have carved out quite a reputation around the office. Our lab manager started calling me Batman because my office looked like the Batcave. Others call me McGyver because of the many things I have fixed or made to work. Its a real honor when others brag on you to the boss about your work. I am now the sole forensic examiner on cell phones. Trust me its not an easy job. Most arrests produce about 3 cell phones each so you can imagine the mountain that is building for me. Help is on the way though. One of my co-workers has expressed interest in working phones as well so this should take the pressure off of me. Still its a great feeling when you get a phone in and the owner has deleted all the evidence off of it and you can work the phone and get the deleted stuff back. One thing I can say to anyone out there either looking for a job or in one right now is LEARN. Learn how to do stuff that no one else knows. Acquire skills that not only your area of expertise but others. My dad was instrumental in teaching me how to do many things as a kid. So therefore down the road I wouldn’t have to rely on other people to fix stuff for me, I could do it myself. All this means nothing without giving credit where credit is due so I give all the credit to everything I know and do to God who gave me the talents that I have.