Computer Science degree as a path to Digital Forensics?

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
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<p>Hello everybody. First off I'm a college freshman. Currently, I'm a chemistry major, but I'm starting to think that's not really right for me and I'm looking to switch.</p>

<p>I've been looking at doing something with computers. I've always liked them; I was really big on them when I was younger (I taught myself HTML and CSS in elem school, made websites, etc.) but kind of got away from that a little bit as I got older and didn't do much with it. Well, anyway, I've started getting really interested in it again and something that really stands out to me as a potential career is digital forensics.</p>

<p>I know there are a few programs specifically for Digital Forensics Degrees out there, but none of them are anywhere close to me. And also, I don't want to get a degree that is extremely limited/too specific to allow me to have other job options. However, a lot of the information I'm finding on this is contradictory or unclear.</p>

<p>Would getting a computer science degree be a reasonable path to a career in digital forensics? I don't expect to be able to graduate with the CS degree and jump right into digital forensics, of course - I recognize that experience is necessary, etc. - but just in general.</p>

<p>Would it be that I would need to get a more specific certification after the CS degree? I'd certainly be okay with doing that if needed (the ones I've found are around $10,000, which I feel like I would be able to pay somewhat comfortably after working a few years).</p>

<p>I don't have any real experience/knowledge of programming yet (I'm going to teach myself a programming language as soon as I decide which one to start with), so I can't say much on that, but I'm not sure that I'd really like to sit around and just look at little bits of code every day. For a while, sure, I think it would be interesting, but after a few years I think I would just get bored - I want to do something that has some variation to it (ex, the different cases I'd be working in forensics) while still sticking to the same formula (ex, the protocols I'd be using to extract the information) and I also want to be able to see a difference in what I'm doing.</p>

<p>With that in mind, would a CS degree be worth it at all? Are there other jobs available for CS graduates (before I would be able to get into forensics) other than just programming, if in case I don't like programming very much?</p>

<p>Anyways, I know that's a lot to read, so thank you to everyone who is taking the time.
Basically, would getting a CS degree make sense for wanting to get into something like digital forensics? And are there other entry-level options besides programming?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>A couple of thoughts for you. </p>

<p>First I am in CS and know little about digital forensics. There are people who do investigations involving computers and devices. Most of them are trained in forensic science or criminology. There are some certification programs in computer forensics too. I dont think you would need a CS degree for this type of work. </p>

<p>The term “get a job using computers” has become cliche since almost everyone uses a computer for some aspect of their job. I think for CS the real question is “Do you like creating solutions using computers?” If you get a CS degree thats what you will be doing…more creating than using. </p>

<p>I think a programming class is a great way to answer that question. If you like it consider CS. And you don’t need to focus on specific jobs or industries this early, you will find plenty of ideas in the upcoming years.</p>