NO CAREER HAS BEEN MORE ROMANTICIZED in novels, television shows, and movies than that of a police detective. The real world of criminal investigation has little in common with the cool, fast-paced, slick-talking fictional version everyone has become so familiar with. Sometimes the job is dangerous and heart pounding, but you do not spend most of your time tailing criminals to exotic parts of the world to unravel a mystery loaded with international intrigue. For most criminal investigators, the work involves solving crimes much closer to home by tirelessly piecing together shreds of evidence that lead them to a suspect. You will be doing lots of legwork and scouring the evidence over and over again until something new pops out at you. The job takes courage, but it takes even more patience. Unlike the television version of a day in the life of some police detectives, crimes are never solved in an hour. In addition, most criminal investigators would love nothing more than to focus all their attention on one case until it is solved. That never happens. Real police detectives work on numerous cases at one time and often bemoan the fact that they cannot devote more time to a particular case. Police detectives do go out on the road. They shadow suspects, interview witnesses, follow clues, reinvestigate the crime scene, and gather evidence. Unlike uniformed police officers, criminal investigators usually work in suits and ties. Some wear more casual attire, working undercover to infiltrate criminal operations, get close to suspects, and learn about criminal activities firsthand before making an arrest. This career entails a great deal of paperwork, including the careful handling and meticulous categorizing of evidence. Police detectives gather evidence that is often needed during a trial so a prosecutor can successfully make a case against the offenders. Police detectives are charged with the awesome responsibility of apprehending the person who committed a crime. If a hardworking detective does not break the case, chances are the crime will never be solved. That is why the best detectives never give up on a case. They are always thinking about it, viewing it from different angles, searching for new clues, and canvassing a neighborhood looking for witnesses who saw something but never came forward. No matter how simple a case may seem, this job is never easy. If you love a good mystery and are willing to follow it through all its twists and turns, wherever it leads, being a criminal investigator may be the career for you.