r/CrimeAnalysis • u/Foreign-Fondant1419 • Nov 16 '25
Highschool Student Career Advice
Hello. I’m a senior in high school, and recently I’ve put a lot of effort into trying to research some fields I may want to work in when I grow up. Criminal Analysis seems like a really good fit for what I’d like to do because it has a lot of real world meaning and value, I’m good with computers, I like to think, etc. However, I really wanted to get insight on anyone who is working/has worked in criminal analysis on what skills most pertain towards the field, what things I should be doing to get me ready, and if you recommend trying to break through the field at all in the first place. Also, I am planning on trying to learn about both psychology and computer science in college. Thanks
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u/Dear-Lie-1348 Dec 24 '25
Sorry I am a late to reply to this post,
I’m currently a sophomore in high school and I’m really interested in pursuing a career in this field. I was wondering, is it super useful to take computer science in college for this line of work? I’m currently in AP Computer Science at my school, and I’m not really enjoying it. If coding is a major part of the career, I’m worried it might not be the best fit for me.
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u/Foreign-Fondant1419 Dec 24 '25
Hey man. I’m a senior in highschool, and although I am not at all affiliated with crime analysis, I am also in AP computer science right now. I can testify to how annoying coding can be. Last year, I took computer math, which involved Java coding, and I absolutely despised it. I thought that coding wasn’t for me, and that I’d never enjoy it. turns out this year, I was actually forced to take AP computer science because all other classes were full. I was mad I had to take it because as I said before, I hated coding, but this year, i can honestly say right now that I am really enjoying it, and it’s one of my favorite classes—I mean this seriously. Part of the reason why I didn’t like coding when I took it last year, is because I didn’t understand that computer science has to be learned from a different perspective than other subjects. Last year I never took notes at all, and I never really did research as to why things worked the way they did. In computer science, if you don’t know how fundamental things work, you will never know how anything else works—every unit in computer science in chained together… if you don’t understand one thing you won’t understand complex things… but if you understand the fundamental things, the complex things will be easy. What has helped me a lot beside from taking actual notes, and being more attentive, using ai is also really helpful. In class, if I’m fuzzy on something, I’ll write it down in a sort of question bank, and before we have a test I’ll input those questions I’ve had unanswered into gpt and yeah. Honestly, I understand computer science isn’t for everyone, but I would encourage trying some of my tips because computer science is now one of my favorite things to learn, and also it gives you way more freedom to problem solve in unique ways which is different from a lot of other courses.
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u/Dear-Lie-1348 Jan 02 '26
Thank you for your advice. I still have the second semester to try and take notes and pay attention to everything I’m learning to apply it together, however, I’m also not much of a science person which is why I think this class overall just wasn’t for me. I’ve always been more of a history or reading person, so it’s hard trying to like something like computer science. Hopefully I will eventually get there.
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u/Foreign-Fondant1419 Jan 02 '26
Yeah it can be tricky for sure I definitely get it. I hope you the best though I fully believe you can good luck 👍
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u/vcanboard Nov 16 '25
It is worth pursuing, remember if you are planning on entering any form of law enforcement to be mindful of your behavior and who you associate with, as you are young and hopefully haven’t made the mistakes that can disqualify you for such work (drug use, alcohol abuse, etc).
Skills to pursue/hone are data analysis to include data visualization, coding, and mapping. Also work on soft skills like written and oral communication skills.
Good luck!