Have you watched TV shows and wondered about a day in the life of a criminal analyst? Are these jobs attainable or are they a long shot? Are the shows realistic or far-fetched? I recently interviewed two professional crime analysts and am excited to share what I learned in this edition of the A Day in the Life series!

A Day in the Life of a Criminal Analyst

What does a criminal analyst do?

To begin with, there really isn’t a television show that depicts what a criminal analyst does. Analysts are behind-the-scene people who work to solve puzzles. They analyze different crimes to find patterns in behavior, time, location, and more. Then, using the information they find, they help law enforcement officials catch criminals!

What does it take to be a good analyst?

First, you must like solving problems to be an analyst. If you enjoy a good challenge and don’t mind working on it over an extended period of time, this could be a good path for you! Analysts also have to have good writing skills. You’ll spend a lot of time writing reports and communicating, so, like many careers, written communication skills are important.

In addition, someone considering an analyst job must have a strong stomach. You’ll be exposed to some gruesome photos at times and it is important that you can handle this aspect of the job.

Finally, good computer skills are a must. Analysts use geographic tracking software, Excel, and database programs to help gather and analyze information and patterns. As a result, any experience one can gain with such software is a benefit!

Do you visit crime scenes?

We can’t talk about the day in the life of a crime analyst without wondering about crime scenes. A common misconception is that analysts visit crime scenes. While it can happen occasionally, it isn’t part of the daily routine. Crime scene technicians usually gather the evidence and make the reports that the analysts use to do their job.

What education is required for this position?

It varies from agency to agency; however, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice is a great start. As the field is growing, some universities are now offering criminology degrees with an emphasis on criminal analysis.

If you are considering this career field, really do your research. Some states have training courses specifically for analysts that prepare candidates specifically for that state’s systems.

If I want to become an analyst, what experience can I gain as a student to prepare myself?

First, you can become a dispatcher. As a dispatcher, you’ll gain experience with some of the same systems an analyst will use. You’ll also gain valuable insight into the law enforcement industry and hear about some of the common criminal behaviors.

Also, consider volunteering. Different law enforcement agencies offer job shadows and volunteering opportunities to individuals interested in becoming analysts. You’ll likely gain experience entering information and get to see how an analyst identifies patterns.

Where do analysts work? Who hires criminal analysts?

Contrary to popular belief, analysts are hired by more than just the FBI and CIA! Most cities hire analysts as well as state departments and even private organizations (such as security companies and shopping malls).

The possibilities are really endless if you are interested in a career as a criminal analyst. For more insight on who hires analyst as well as networking and job opportunities, visit the International Association of Criminal Analysts website.

Are you considering a career as a crime analyst?

If a day in the life of a crime analyst sounds appealing to you, let’s plan for your future! I help students identify a fulfilling path and ensure that it is the best fit for their long-term fulfillment and financial success. Part of this process includes identifying and planning the education and training you’ll need. Interested in learning more? Book a free consultation, I’d love to hear about your plan for the future!

You might also want to read my Day in the Life of a Lawyer  post!

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A Day in the Life of a Criminal Analyst
Loren Kelly

In my career spotlight series, I’ll be talking about a day in the life of an interior designer today! I had the pleasure of sitting down with my friend and extremely talented designer, Courtney Davey, of Tuft & Trim. She is a residential interior designer and has designed homes across the country! And, today, we are fortunate enough to get a glimpse into her daily work life!

A Day in the Life of an Interior Designer

Courtney has always had a passion for creating beautiful, enjoyable living spaces. When she was younger, she loved going to friends’ houses and helping them decorate and rearrange their rooms. In high school, she took architecture and design classes that confirmed her interest and talent in interior design. She also loved shopping for unique pieces and redesign her own spaces!

What does an average day look like?

So, what does a day in the life of an interior designer look like? First, Courtney spends a lot of time communicating with clients. In addition, she is looking for products that match a client’s desires and that she feels will complete the look of a home or room she is currently working on designing. Because she has to make sure furniture fits well in the space, almost half of her time designing is spent creating digital models of rooms. She primarily uses AutoCAD for this work; however, she said it is also important to learn how to use Photoshop and In-Design.

What traits are needed to excel in interior design?

Creative, passionate individuals make good interior designers, but it is more than that. Organizational skills are really important. When you are working on a project, there can be a lot of different furniture pieces and elements that you need to order and track. You must be able to work within a budget for clients and managing those finances is really important. In addition, it is important to not get offended when a client doesn’t choose your favorite design or wants to go in another direction with a room. Courtney explained that she had to build the confidence to proudly display and believe in her work!

What does an interior design project look like from start to finish?

Working with a client always begins with a questionnaire. First, a designer must get a basic understanding of the client’s wants and needs. After the questionnaire, Courtney will hold a consultation meeting with the client to gather additional information to help her create a design that the client will love. She needs to know, what is the budget? How will space be used? What pieces of furniture, art, etc. will remain with the new design? She also collects measurements of the room and photos to help her with the design process.

After she has gathered all of the important information, she begins working on designing sample floor plans with a variety of options. This phase takes time as she draws the room on the computer and finds pieces online to help create an amazing space. After presenting ideas to the client, he/she then chooses one and they proceed to put the space together!

While Courtney does a lot of her work online, she does offer in-person services. If it is a local client, she will go on-location and stage the room, making sure all pieces are in place and that the room is both functional and aesthetically pleasing to the client!

Do interior designers only focus on home design?

Courtney focuses on residential interior design; however, interior designers work in a number of different settings! Have you ever waited in a hospital waiting room? Someone designed that space. What about eating at Joe’s Crabshack or The Olive Garden? Someone designed each of those spaces to make dining an experience! Interior designers can specialize in different interior environments.

What type of education do you need?

A four-year degree in interior design is recommended for those passionate about becoming interior designers. During my conversation with Courtney, she also recommended taking as many art classes as possible. You’ll learn different styles, color palettes and improve your ability to sketch as well. She found Art History very helpful as well as painting, sculpting, and glass blowing. As a result of those classes, she can determine the qualities of pieces she considers for rooms and designs!

What can you do now to gain experience for the future?

If a day in the life of an interior designer is confirming your interest in this career path, I recommend building experience! Courtney said any experience with aspects of design and interiors will be valuable. You could work at a home store, such as Home Goods or Pottery Barn. Experience at a furniture store, lighting store, flooring warehouse, or even a paint store can all be extremely beneficial to a young professional and build your resume for a future career in interior design.

Interested in a career as an Interior Designer?

Career planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Are you considering a career as an interior designer but just aren’t sure or don’t know how to achieve this goal? Look no further. We specialize in career planning for students and young adults. Remove the uncertainty and plan for the future with confidence! Book a free consultation today to talk about your interests and future!

Career Planning for Students and Young Professionals

I am passionate about empowering students and young professionals to make career decisions with confidence. By engaging in career planning and the career coaching process, one identifies factors that bring fulfillment and, from there, we assess and analyze career options of interest. These same skills will be utilized throughout one’s career when faced with important decisions. Book a free consultation today to discuss your career and goals!

A Day in the Life of an Interior Designer
Loren Kelly

In this week’s “A Day in the Life…” I will be exploring a day in the life of an engineer. I had the honor of interviewing Logan, a Senior Design Engineer for Spirit AeroSystems. Logan had amazing advice and insight into this career field and I can’t wait to share it with you!

A Day in the Life of an Engineer

The Job

Engineering is a very broad career field and there are numerous subfields within it. Engineering can be a hands-on career or a design career, but engineers do need to understand the mechanics behind every produce whether they are building or designing it.

Engineers have a great structure to their schedules. Logan explained that you leave every day knowing where you will be starting tomorrow. Engineers spend a majority of their time working on engineering software called Catia and CAD/CAM. These programs help engineers create 3-D models of products for various projects and help them catch issues with the products before they are made.

Who Would Excel in this Career?

Most engineers enjoy hands-on work but are also okay with spending a large amount of time at a desk or in meetings. In addition to this, engineers must have an imaginative and creative mindset so they can visualize projects in their heads. Engineers must also have a personal drive to complete projects they are assigned. Lastly, communication is key in this career field from coordinating with other departments to presenting their

Day-To-Day

As previously stated, a day in the life of an engineer includes a lot of desk work. Logan said he spends much of his time at work at his desk working on designs and models for various projects. The models are designed though Catia and CAD/CAM. If he is not at his desk completing projects, he is usually coordinating with other departments or in meetings.

Education

For education, Logan highly recommends the Wichita State University engineering program for those considering a career in engineering. In addition to WSU’s program, he also recommended the programs at Kansas University, Texas Tech, and Purdue University.

As for a degree in engineering, Logan recommends getting a bachelor’s in engineering. He also suggested completing training in CAD/CAM and Catia. Both of these software programs are frequently used by engineers and engineering companies.

The Future

How will a day in the life of an engineer change in the future? The answer depends on the type of engineer, however, Logan expects there to be more opportunities for engineers as well as robotics becoming more of a factor. He also expects engineering to become more streamlined and less human-involved, however, he explained that the future of engineering will always rely on the “human interaction” to ensure safety for every project.

Interested in a career as an Engineer?

Career planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Are you considering a career in engineering but just aren’t sure or don’t know how to achieve this goal? Look no further. We specialize in career planning for students and young adults. Remove the uncertainty and plan for the future with confidence! Book a free consultation today to talk about your interests and future!

About the Author

Hello! My name is Rebecca and I am Loren’s intern for this summer. I’m focusing on bringing you great tips on social media and informative blog content! I am majoring in integrated marketing communications with a minor in graphic design at Wichita State University. To learn more about me visit the Meet Rebecca page.

A Day in the Life of an Engineer
Loren Kelly

This weeks ‘A Day in the Life…,” is about life as a lawyer. I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew who is a probate and estate attorney. He owns his own private practice in Wichita, Kansas called The Law Office of Andrew Rowe. Andrew had some great insight and advice about being a lawyer.

A Day in the Life of a Lawyer

The Job

There are many different directions you can go with a degree in law. For example, Andrew is a probate and estate attorney. He helps clients plan their wills and trusts. In the event a client passes away, he helps the client’s family with executing their wills and trusts.

Another direction law majors can take with their degree is being a criminal attorney. Criminal attorneys spend a lot of time in court and in appointments with clients. There are also divorce lawyers, advertizing lawyers, and many more. If you are interested in pursuing law, working part-time in a firm, or completing job shadows and internships can help you find a specialization you are passionate about!

Who Would Excel in this Career?

Lawyers have to be self-motivated and committed to continuing to learn about their field. In addition, they have to be good with people because they need to work with clients on a daily basis. If you are thinking of becoming a lawyer you must be a people person. After all, your work usually revolves around people and communicating with others.

In addition to being a good communicator, motivated, and a life-long learner, lawyers also have to be good at problem-solving and presenting solutions to client’s problems. Also, you have to be good at explaining things to clients in terms they understand. Taking industry language and communicating it in a way that the public at large will understand is very important. Lastly, lawyers have to be okay with being at a desk all day or in court. A significant amount of time is spent preparing for meetings and court.

Day-to-Day

A day in the life of a lawyer deals with a lot of desk time and appointments with clients. Depending on the type of lawyer they may spend a lot of time in court as well.

Andrew’s day-to-day consists of one to two consultations, three if he is busy, and a lot of time at his desk. He spends much of his time drafting wills and trusts for clients. As you may have guessed, written communication skills are also very important. He said that his days are usually stress-free and he does not have many deadlines due to his specialization in wills and trusts. In addition, he has great control of his schedule because he owns his own practice, a perk desired by many!

Education

Becoming a lawyer is not easy. First, you must go to college to get an undergraduate degree. Andrew recommended taking logic classes to help prepare for law school. After obtaining an undergraduate degree you can go on to law school. Finally, after law school, you have to take the bar exam.

There are both part-time and full-time law schools available. For aspiring lawyers who want a more traditional schedule, many schools offer a full-time, daytime course schedule. Alternatively, several law schools offer part-time, evening and weekend cohorts! Some lawyers will choose to work in a different career field first and then go to law school. If your life demands the part-time schedule and approach, don’t worry, there are programs for you such as this one in Central California!

The Future

Will a day in the life of a lawyer look different in the future? It depends on a lawyer’s area of expertise; however, the one thing Andrew says will change in the next five to ten years in his specialization are the rule and regulations on taxes when it comes to wills and trusts. Changes with taxes are constantly changing. If you are in criminal or medical law, however, changes happen more frequently. The desire to continue learning and growing that was mentioned above becomes very important as a result.

Related Paths Requiring Less Education

Some people have a strong interest in law but are not excited about the educational commitment and student-loan debt that come with it. If you can relate with these thoughts, consider exploring the option of Paralegal or Legal Assistant! Often, the education required for this career path is a two-year degree. And, the national average salary is almost $52,000 according to ONET’s My Next Move website. Getting experience in the field working daily with lawyers can help inform your long-term decision of whether or not a career as a lawyer is for you.

Interested in a career as a Lawyer?

Career planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Are you considering a career in law, but just aren’t sure or don’t know how to achieve this goal? Look no further. We specialize in career planning for students and young adults. Remove the uncertainty and plan for the future with confidence! Book a free consultation today to talk about your interests and future!

About the Author

Hello! My name is Rebecca and I am Loren’s intern for this summer. I’m focusing on bringing you great tips on social media and informative blog content! I am majoring in integrated marketing communications with a minor in graphic design at Wichita State University. To learn more about me visit the Meet Rebecca page.

A Day in the Life of a Lawyer
Loren Kelly

Welcome to our new series, “A Day in the Life…” where we help answer all of your burning questions about different professions. This week we are talking about the day in the life of an architect.  I had the pleasure of interviewing Alex, an architect for HOK Architecture firm, who had great insight and advice about being an architect!

A Day in the Life of an Architect

The Job

As an architect, Alex spends a lot of time working to produce drawings. These drawings are then given to contractors to construct the buildings. Architects also spend a lot of time coordinating with other consultants.  Working together ensures there are no issues with the structures and elements of the building. Some of these elements include plumbing, air conditioning, electrical. Plans for project architects are produced through Revit, a 3-D modeling software. This allows them to see any issues and easily fix them.

Who Would Excel in this Career?

Architects need to be good problem solvers and be able to adapt to changes easily. As Alex said, they have to be able to roll with the punches. Architecture involves lots of trial and error so if you are looking into this career field you have to be okay with reworking on projects. Architecture is mostly done on computers so if you are tech-savvy you’ll more than likely love this job.

Architects must be able to work well with others because teamwork is a major aspect of the job. Lastly, they have to be someone who doesn’t mind little sleep at times. Architects work long varying hours and sometimes they have to take work home with them.

Day-To-Day

Alex described a day in the life of an architect as updating the structures of current projects. Most of his time is spent on a computer using Revit. Currently, Alex is working on updating the stairs details for a radio control tower at an airport. It may not be the most glamorous aspect of a building, but it is the most important, especially in emergency situations. He also spends a lot of time coordinating and working with other consultants.

Unlike most jobs, architects have varying hours. Somedays they have to take work home with them in order to meet deadlines. So if you are interested in architecture as a career, it is good to keep this in mind.

Education

Becoming an architect is not an easy task. Many programs are very intense and rigorous. On top of this, it is required that your degree is from an accredited university. According to Alex, there are many accredited universities in the U. S. that students can choose from.

Alex recommended Kansas State University architecture program which is a credited university. He said K-State did a great job preparing him for his career and didn’t sugar coat that it would be a lot of hard work and dedication to get his degree.

Last year I got to take a tour of K-State and see first hand what the architecture program is like. My friends who gave me the tour was an architecture student. She showed me all of her projects and explained how intense the program is. Students work long hours in the studios and often lose sleep due to deadlines, but she said it was worth it. She loved the campus and the program despite all the hard work. If you are considering architecture as a future career be prepared for a lot of hard work, but if it is something you are passionate about it will be worth it in the end.

The Future

So what about a day in the life of an architect in the future? Alex said he is already seeing changes brought on by Covid-19. Many clients are asking what they can do to help prevent the spread of not only Covid-19 when building, but many other illnesses. Alex said building designs will include more socially distanced offices to help with the breakout of sickness. In addition, clients are looking for ways to make office spaces more sterile.

Interested in a career as an Architect?

Career planning can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Are you considering a career in architecture but just aren’t sure or don’t know how to achieve this goal? Look no further. We specialize in career planning for students and young adults. Remove the uncertainty and plan for the future with confidence! Book a free consultation today to talk about your interests and future!

About the Author

Hello! My name is Rebecca and I am Loren’s intern for this summer. I’m focusing on bringing you great tips on social media and informative blog content! I am majoring in integrated marketing communications with a minor in graphic design at Wichita State University. To learn more about me visit the Meet Rebecca page.

A Day in the Life of an Architect
Loren Kelly