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Would a paranormal investigator be a real job or would i have to be something else? If being a paranormal investigator is a real job, do you have to go to college?
I love the looking at the unknown. I would love to be a paranormal investigator but I don't know if that is a real job and I don't know if you have to go to college for that, if you could let me know I'd be appreciated thank you.
3 answers
Updated
david’s Answer
Hi, Elizabeth,
I agree, being a paranormal investigator sounds like fun. The challenge you would face would be finding persons who will pay for the service, as it seems to be mostly a hobby today. However, there are online courses available that you may find interesting. I wanted to assist you and located this website that may help you further:
https://paranormal.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Become_a_Paranormal_Investigator Thanks for asking. The entire topic appears very interesting. All the best in your pursuits.
I agree, being a paranormal investigator sounds like fun. The challenge you would face would be finding persons who will pay for the service, as it seems to be mostly a hobby today. However, there are online courses available that you may find interesting. I wanted to assist you and located this website that may help you further:
https://paranormal.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Become_a_Paranormal_Investigator Thanks for asking. The entire topic appears very interesting. All the best in your pursuits.
Thank you so much for the advice.
Samuel
Updated
Rich’s Answer
An axiom in science is that what are paranormal phenomenon today, generally become the well understood science in 50+ years. Imagine how airplanes, automatically opening doors or self-driving cars would have been perceived 200 years ago…. Magic! Every phenomenon has to have a cause, and luckily for those like you that can see past today’s paradigm, we will slowly discover those causes. The career you are talking about is in science, whether it’s physics, biology, chemistry, or maybe a blend of all of the above. Good luck!
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Samuel
Updated
Samantha’s Answer
Very interesting! I think more information is needed to truly help answer your question.
Let’s start here: What inspired your interest in being a paranormal investigator? Was it a paranormal experience you or a loved one had, and are you looking for answers and explanations? Was it a paranormal video or podcast you found interesting and were inspired by? Or do you simply like reading and learning about the paranormal in your free time?
The answer will probably help you decide your next steps.
If you want to be a paranormal investigator like the ones on TV and YouTube, I do want to let you know that many of those videos are fake and staged for views. (More views = more advertising dollars = more money for the video creators.) In that sense, some of those “paranormal investigators” would actually be filmmakers, actors, and marketers, all of which you can definitely go to school for.
You could also go to filmmaking school if you’d like to make a genuine documentary of people who’ve had paranormal experiences. You could do a video like this for much cheaper without formal schooling by using your smartphone or renting out the camera, sound, and lighting equipment.
However, it sounds like you might be interested in exploring the possibility of the paranormal for real and not just for entertainment purposes.
I would recommend looking up facts on what people believe about the paranormal around the world in different cultures. That could be a start to your investigation. There are lots of books and academic articles on the subject. Your local librarian may be able to help you out there if you have a big library nearby.
I’m not sure the paranormal is something you could study in college on its own, as I’ve never seen a degree like that. However, there may be individual college classes on that topic that you could take as an elective in addition to your core classes.
I agree with the other commenters that if you’re interested in picking a degree, you may want to start in the sciences and explore how/why the human brain experiences the paranormal. Or how to investigate phenomena humans don’t understand yet using the scientific method. This could include “hard sciences” like chemistry and physics and medical sciences like neuroscience.
There are also some academics who are interested in the nature of life and energy itself. For example, how do we define life? How do we sense energy? What can humans perceive? How do we know what’s actually out there? Many of these people are interested in biology, thermodynamics, and life sciences.
Maybe you’re interested in a specific historical event or figure that’s related to the paranormal. in that case, you may want to start with history, sociology, anthropology, or even psychology.
If your interests are more religious or spiritual in nature, there are theology degrees and seminary schools you can attend too.
And finally, if you find yourself more generally drawn to the concept of death or “crossing over to the other side,” instead of just ghost hunting and the paranormal, you may wish to do research about careers like hospice nurse and mortician. Those are service jobs where you can help people and their loved ones with that often painful and confusing life transition. I also found the word “thanatology” online, which seems to be the study of death and death-related things.
One last question: Does your interest in the paranormal have to lead to a career, or is this something you could see yourself pursuing in your personal life as a hobby or special interest? I would imagine there aren’t too many paid jobs for paranormal investigator specifically, so that could make employment difficult if you pigeonhole yourself into one career path, rather than a general topic of interest.
I wish you luck in getting your questions answered. And please keep an eye out for any scammers — there are some people who only talk about ghost hunting and the paranormal to make money, not because they actually believe in what they’re saying.
That goes for any industry, really, but it’s easier to scam people when uncertainty or fear are involved. Then again, many people really do believe in the paranormal, so you will have to use good judgment and trust your gut.
Let’s start here: What inspired your interest in being a paranormal investigator? Was it a paranormal experience you or a loved one had, and are you looking for answers and explanations? Was it a paranormal video or podcast you found interesting and were inspired by? Or do you simply like reading and learning about the paranormal in your free time?
The answer will probably help you decide your next steps.
If you want to be a paranormal investigator like the ones on TV and YouTube, I do want to let you know that many of those videos are fake and staged for views. (More views = more advertising dollars = more money for the video creators.) In that sense, some of those “paranormal investigators” would actually be filmmakers, actors, and marketers, all of which you can definitely go to school for.
You could also go to filmmaking school if you’d like to make a genuine documentary of people who’ve had paranormal experiences. You could do a video like this for much cheaper without formal schooling by using your smartphone or renting out the camera, sound, and lighting equipment.
However, it sounds like you might be interested in exploring the possibility of the paranormal for real and not just for entertainment purposes.
I would recommend looking up facts on what people believe about the paranormal around the world in different cultures. That could be a start to your investigation. There are lots of books and academic articles on the subject. Your local librarian may be able to help you out there if you have a big library nearby.
I’m not sure the paranormal is something you could study in college on its own, as I’ve never seen a degree like that. However, there may be individual college classes on that topic that you could take as an elective in addition to your core classes.
I agree with the other commenters that if you’re interested in picking a degree, you may want to start in the sciences and explore how/why the human brain experiences the paranormal. Or how to investigate phenomena humans don’t understand yet using the scientific method. This could include “hard sciences” like chemistry and physics and medical sciences like neuroscience.
There are also some academics who are interested in the nature of life and energy itself. For example, how do we define life? How do we sense energy? What can humans perceive? How do we know what’s actually out there? Many of these people are interested in biology, thermodynamics, and life sciences.
Maybe you’re interested in a specific historical event or figure that’s related to the paranormal. in that case, you may want to start with history, sociology, anthropology, or even psychology.
If your interests are more religious or spiritual in nature, there are theology degrees and seminary schools you can attend too.
And finally, if you find yourself more generally drawn to the concept of death or “crossing over to the other side,” instead of just ghost hunting and the paranormal, you may wish to do research about careers like hospice nurse and mortician. Those are service jobs where you can help people and their loved ones with that often painful and confusing life transition. I also found the word “thanatology” online, which seems to be the study of death and death-related things.
One last question: Does your interest in the paranormal have to lead to a career, or is this something you could see yourself pursuing in your personal life as a hobby or special interest? I would imagine there aren’t too many paid jobs for paranormal investigator specifically, so that could make employment difficult if you pigeonhole yourself into one career path, rather than a general topic of interest.
I wish you luck in getting your questions answered. And please keep an eye out for any scammers — there are some people who only talk about ghost hunting and the paranormal to make money, not because they actually believe in what they’re saying.
That goes for any industry, really, but it’s easier to scam people when uncertainty or fear are involved. Then again, many people really do believe in the paranormal, so you will have to use good judgment and trust your gut.
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Samuel
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