There are some really common majors that almost every college has for students to enroll in. These include but are not limited to psychology, political science, business, education, and biology. However, not all colleges have digital forensics as a major.
Very few colleges offer that, Bloomsburg University being one of the select few. Some people might think, “What’s wrong with computer science? Aren’t they the same thing?” One of the reasons I chose digital forensics as my major was simply because it wasn’t computer science. When you major in computer science, you are expected to take a lot of programming classes. Programming, to me, feels like a hit or miss. You either like programming or you absolutely despise it. In my case, it’s not my cup of tea. I’m more interested in the investigative tasks that digital forensics majors explore, such as finding information within a file, designing malware, and learning how to better secure your devices against hackers. This is why I chose digital forensics. Another reason why I chose this specific major was because I am a Criminal Minds fanatic. Every spare minute I get, I’m watching the show on Netflix or catching up on the new season with my friends. Penelope Garcia is the person I aspire to be, helping the FBI track criminals and further developing cases. Now, I may not end up exactly where she is considering she is a fictional character; however, I hope I’m doing what I love for as long as I possibly can. One of the best things about digital forensics is that you have the ability to be creative with any other majors or minors you would like to add to your college career. For example, I am considering adding a psychology major and a fraud examination minor. You may think, “Well, what does psychology or fraud examination have to do with digital forensics?” Depending on what you are hoping to do after you graduate, psychology and fraud examination can be extremely helpful with your job or internship.
If you are hoping to join the FBI, like in Criminal Minds, it is going to be an important skill to understand your suspects and what is going through their heads in order to track them. Profiling skills are important to have whether you’re a medical examiner, a special agent, or an intelligence analyst. Fraud examination is also important if you are willing to work with the FBI in accounting or financial situations. You can tell if someone is committing fraud or embezzling money, which could be more suitable if you aren’t looking to become a special agent or you’re not too good at working with computers. Other possible minors or majors to pair with digital forensics could be computer science, management, any world language, criminal justice, mathematics, or business. Of course, what you want to do with your college career is entirely up to you. I strongly encourage you to check out Bloomsburg University’s digital forensics program as well as the other programs they have to offer. I am only a freshman here, but so far I believe I made the right decision.