Occupation: Nurse

Forensic investigators worry about one thing: details, details, details. Although popular crime scene television shows suggest differently, the evidence is usually collected by law enforcement and brought to a lab. The investigator then takes over to glean as much evidence as possible using DNA analysis, ballistics testing, blood splatter examination, and chemical experiments. Forensic nursing takes this same level of scrutiny and applies it to the human body.

Forensic nurses, who must earn an associate degree in nursing before obtaining their forensics certificate, can work for hospitals, medical examiners, disaster preparedness, and even law offices, helping to set up forensically accurate exhibits for court cases.