FlightWay / Careers / Forensic Science Technicians

Engineering & Science

Forensic Science Technicians

Collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations.

Sector: Engineering & Science
Preparation: Zone 3 — medium preparation needed
O*NET code: 19-4092.00

What you'll actually do

The activities O*NET rates highest for this occupation, most important first. Numbers are out of 100.

Getting Information

central to the job — rated 87/100 for importance.
Documenting/Recording Information

a major part of the work — rated 81/100 for importance.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others

a major part of the work — rated 80/100 for importance.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

a major part of the work — rated 79/100 for importance.
Communicating with People Outside the Organization

a major part of the work — rated 77/100 for importance.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

a major part of the work — rated 77/100 for importance.

Collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Perform tests on weapons or substances, such as fiber, hair, and tissue to determine significance to investigation. May testify as expert witnesses on evidence or crime laboratory techniques. May serve as specialists in area of expertise, such as ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, or biochemistry.

What it takes

Two numbers per line: the level the work expects, and how important it is to doing the job well. Both are O*NET ratings, already on a 0–100 scale.

Skills

Active Listening

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Critical Thinking

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Reading Comprehension

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Speaking

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Writing

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.

Knowledge

Law and Government

Needed at a solid working level (55/100), and rated 87/100 for importance.
Public Safety and Security

Needed at a solid working level (52/100), and rated 79/100 for importance.
Education and Training

Needed at a solid working level (58/100), and rated 68/100 for importance.
English Language

Needed at a solid working level (50/100), and rated 65/100 for importance.

Abilities

Oral Comprehension

Needed at a high level (68/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Oral Expression

Needed at a high level (66/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Near Vision

Needed at a high level (63/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.
Written Comprehension

Needed at a high level (63/100), and rated 75/100 for importance.

How people get in

O*NET places this occupation in Zone 3 — medium preparation needed. That is a statement about what employers typically require, not a rule about you.

Education

Vocational training, an associate degree, or equivalent on-the-job experience.

Experience

One to two years of related experience is typical.

Training

Employers expect you to arrive with the core skill already.

What it pays

These are typical science compensation bands by employer tier — sector-level figures, not a measured salary for Forensic Science Technicians specifically. Treat them as the shape of the market, then check a real posting for the number.

Pfizer · Nat"l Labs · MIT

$110k – $200k

Biotech & Pharma Mid

$90k – $160k

Startups & Academia

$65k – $110k

How the work tends to run

Each line below is read off a single O*NET activity rating for this occupation — named, so you can disagree with it.

Most of the day happens at a screen.From “Working with Computers”
The work is physical — you are on your feet and handling things, not sitting still.From “Performing General Physical Activities”
You are in front of the public, so the job is partly performance.From “Performing for or Working Directly with the Public”
Long-running relationships carry the work; the same people come back.From “Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships”
Rules and standards are checkable and someone checks them.From “Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards”

How FlightWay scores your fit against this

No black box. Here is the whole method, factor by factor.

1. You answer a short quiz: Your answers build a profile across the same 161 O*NET dimensions this page is describing — skills, knowledge, abilities and work activities. Same axes, so the comparison is like-for-like.
2. We correlate the two profiles: Fit is a mean-centered cosine — a correlation between the SHAPE of your profile and the shape of Forensic Science Technicians. Centering matters: raw similarity between any two occupations sits at 0.70–0.85 because all work shares a common profile, so without it every career would look like a match.
3. The number you see is personality fit only: "Would I want this work" and "am I ready for this work" are different questions, and averaging them answers neither. So readiness — what your résumé, coursework and projects prove — is scored separately and shown next to fit, never blended into it.
4. Every factor is visible: You can open any match and see which dimensions pushed it up and which pulled it down. If you disagree with the number, you can see exactly where it came from.

More in Engineering & Science

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See your fit for Forensic Science Technicians

Ten questions, about 90 seconds. You get your match against Forensic Science Technicians and 782+ other real careers — with the reasoning shown.

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Occupational data on this page comes from the O*NET 30.3 Database, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET is a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. FlightWay is not endorsed by, and USDOL/ETA is not responsible for, anything built on that data — see our terms. What is ours is the comparison, the score and the plan.