I want to be a paranormal investigator..?

Have at it. i guess you can probably lie and act like you are telling the truth as well as anyone else. "Paranormal Investigator" are people who make a living by convincing people that there really are ghosts. Their TRUE job is not to "research" the Paranormal, but to lie to people and convince them that those event really do exist. it's kinda like being an actor -- people pay you to lie to them, and convince them that you really are something you ar not. Given that, your best college major would be Theater Arts -- acting, Special Effects, and Prop Design. The Prop Design would teach you to make convincing tools and weapons, like you see in the movies (you DO know that MOST things like tools and weapons in the movies DON;T ACTUALLY WORK). But the electronics and such behind these things is REALLY simple -- any high school physics major could make that for you. But YOU need the smarts to design something that LOOKS REAL -- Which is what a Property Designer does.

A good basic book is "The Paranormal Investigator's Handbook" Eds. Valerie Hope & Maurice Townsend. You could also look for a group in your area that you could join at the first three links below. If you want a show on television then your best best is a degree in journalism like Ryan from Paranormal State or like one of the Klinge brothers on Ghost Lab. It is much more about the show and ratings than the science. If you would like to actually contribute to the scientific literature then you must first decide what aspect of the paranormal you would like to study, let's say ghost. Then you have to decide how you want to study it. Let us say you want to study how the experience effects people then psychology would be a good choice. Let us say you want to study how things might work then engineering, physics, or medicine might be good choices. I have provided a link to the members page of the Parapsychological Association that lists the education of members and some of their published papers. The last link will provide you with examples of published scientific articles. Psiexploration

It's easy and fun to be a paranormal investigator. I've been one for years, but it was only last year I took the title. Major in Science or Math, something to sharpen your analytical skills. You probably won't be able to make a living at it but it's a fun hobby. Anything you see on TV, forget about. Those shows are phony and scripted. Sure, some people think watching them makes them experts but they know nothing. If you wanted to be an Olympic Wrestler would you try to learn from the WWE? Of course not, well TAPS is just as reliable, so chose carefully where you learn about paranormal investigating. In the end we only learn from our own experience.

This is more of a belief and experience subject. There is the study of Parapsychology, which you would in joy. Its also a course that is taken as part of other Degree programs. If you love all the shows, then the best thing you can do right now, is do allot of reading n the subject. Read other peoples accounts. You will start to get a understanding of what kinds of paranormal activity is. Its a never ending fascinating learning experience. You will find the skeptics out there, that will attack you and everything you have learned. You have to trust in your own beliefs and experiences and not let them bring you down. Even though careers in Paranormal investigating is not a fruit full venture financially, spiritually you will develop a incredible understanding of higher powers and life. Remember there is no career as a skeptic either.

paranormal investigating is mostly done as a hobby. so u cant major in that. im guessing it would be pretty fun.

You can be a paranormal investigator very easy. You can start your own group or join one. Ghost haunting is nothing like what you see on TV, you don't always have a haunted location where ever you go, and you also don't get paid like the TAPS or paranormal state members do and being a paranormal investigator is harder then it looks because you have to have a lot of patience because not all spirits (if there is any) will just come and walk up to your voice recorder and talk... it takes time. Like I said before just find a group and join them or start your own.

This is more of a comment then an answer Maddie. I am just like you on the ghost shows and I want to be a paranormal investigator as well. With that said, I've experienced several paranormal things in my life. I've got a question up on the board here asking how I can go bout getting my OWN group started (and no there aren't any groups around my city I can join or any conventions I can go to).

99% of all paranormal investigators DO NOT get paid for investigating. They do it as a hobby. So, I hope you're not planning on making a career as a paranormal investigator. Most paranormal investigators come from a blue-collar background. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson are plumbers and really do work for Roto-Rooter. Britt Griffith, also of TAPS, used to work in construction. All 3 of them found that their jobs made them a better investigator because they can use their job skills to debunk claims of the paranormal. So, if you still want to to ghost hunt, even though you won't make a dime, keep reading. 1) Read. There are some great books out there. One I recommend is called "The Other Side" by Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader. It goes over the basics and I found it to be helpful. 2) Got to http://www.meetup.com and see if there is a paranormal group in your area that you can join. 3) You will need the following equipment to get started: A pen and notepad, a decent digital or 35mm camera, a small flashlight, and a digital voice recorder, or cassette tape recorder. 4) Set up a savings account so that you can attend a ghost hunt in your area. These events are not cheap. They run $100 to $300, but you will get to go to real haunted places and meet people who can show you the ropes. Just be aware that ghost hunting is an expensive, but fun, hobby. Be prepared to invest about $200 on the items listed above. To learn more about the paranormal, please visit my Source:

The first thing you need to do is to realize that the equipment that these idiots on TV use like EMF meters, infa red cameras and tape recorders do not detect ghosts. Using these devices is pseudoscience. To be a true paranormal investigator you need to be completely neutral and have an understanding of real science, scientific principals, observation and problem solving and investigation. Joe Nickell is an investigator and writer for Skeptical Inquirer magazine. He is a real investigator. http://www.joenickell.com/ Try contacting him via his site and ask him how to get started. Here are videos of a lecture. Notice that in 20 years he has not investigated any "huantings" that did not have a real world explanation. Here's an artice from live science that tells the truth. http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/061027_ghost_hunters.html