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Should I become an Archaeologist?
11 years ago
I'm at a point where I can't decide what the hell I want any more, aside from a few basic things. I'm finally getting a car in two weeks, and an apartment the week after that! Which is super rad, and the goal I have been working towards ever since I graduated college. And well, besides that, the only other goal I really have is to go back to college! But for what, I don't know.
I have been really intent since high school that art is what I want, have always wanted, and will always want to do. I'm not to sure of that any more. I'm not going to stop drawing or making other kinds of art either, I wouldn't let these skills go to waste after all. I think part of my doubt has something to do with the job I currently have. I wish I could say it was more interesting than folding t-shirts, but it's really not. That's exactly what I do for 40 hours a week, despite my qualifications to do the actual printing, let alone college degree in the field of printmaking. Talk about over qualified!
Anyways, this archaeology business right? Well one of the things on my mind lately is, what job would make me happy and be excited about going to work when I woke up in the morning? Archaeology sort of seemed to fit the bill. And it's not something that I thought up of on a whim, or pulled out of my ass. It's been something that was rather prevalent in my life for quite some time. Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved the generic movies that I'm sure inspire many of todays archaeologists, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, The Mummy, (and even Jurassic Park despite the fact that that is PALENTOLOGY! I know :3 ).
So as a kid with these fascinations, I briefly became obsessed with Egyptology, and did several research projects on Egypt and hieroglyphics in middle school which sadly I barely even remember. But! The funny thing is, despite becoming detached from this obsession/passion, through out college and recently, the ideas and themes of art that I have made and the ideas I have yet to make (due to lack of equipment/time) has a sort of central theme of archaeology attached to it. I won't go into details about that work. To be honest, I have had some of these ideas since I graduated college, but lacked the proper skill to even come close to giving these ideas the kind of physical representation I would demand of myself.
That being said, I have been wondering lately if I should possibly consider a career in archaeology. A career full of meaning, discovery, learning, adventure and so many other wonderful things that when I wake up in the morning, I could feel like what I'm doing is important to some extent. Unlike catching t-shirts off a conveyer belt, or drawing furry porn (despite the fact that it is fun to draw).
I am hesitant in this idea though (ignoring the costs of going to college again and all that other stuff), because I am afraid that it's just too good of a dream to come true, and because I may one day grow bored of it. Its been pointed out to me that I sort of grow bored of things after a few months. (maybe that's why college was always great, new experiences and classes were always just around the corner) But it's possible that the change up between being on a dig, and then doing research, or writing grants, or whatever else may be frequent enough where I am not always doing the same thing for more than several months at a time.
I'm not sure what to think, and could use some input/opinions if anyone read this rather long winded journal!
I have been really intent since high school that art is what I want, have always wanted, and will always want to do. I'm not to sure of that any more. I'm not going to stop drawing or making other kinds of art either, I wouldn't let these skills go to waste after all. I think part of my doubt has something to do with the job I currently have. I wish I could say it was more interesting than folding t-shirts, but it's really not. That's exactly what I do for 40 hours a week, despite my qualifications to do the actual printing, let alone college degree in the field of printmaking. Talk about over qualified!
Anyways, this archaeology business right? Well one of the things on my mind lately is, what job would make me happy and be excited about going to work when I woke up in the morning? Archaeology sort of seemed to fit the bill. And it's not something that I thought up of on a whim, or pulled out of my ass. It's been something that was rather prevalent in my life for quite some time. Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved the generic movies that I'm sure inspire many of todays archaeologists, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, The Mummy, (and even Jurassic Park despite the fact that that is PALENTOLOGY! I know :3 ).
So as a kid with these fascinations, I briefly became obsessed with Egyptology, and did several research projects on Egypt and hieroglyphics in middle school which sadly I barely even remember. But! The funny thing is, despite becoming detached from this obsession/passion, through out college and recently, the ideas and themes of art that I have made and the ideas I have yet to make (due to lack of equipment/time) has a sort of central theme of archaeology attached to it. I won't go into details about that work. To be honest, I have had some of these ideas since I graduated college, but lacked the proper skill to even come close to giving these ideas the kind of physical representation I would demand of myself.
That being said, I have been wondering lately if I should possibly consider a career in archaeology. A career full of meaning, discovery, learning, adventure and so many other wonderful things that when I wake up in the morning, I could feel like what I'm doing is important to some extent. Unlike catching t-shirts off a conveyer belt, or drawing furry porn (despite the fact that it is fun to draw).
I am hesitant in this idea though (ignoring the costs of going to college again and all that other stuff), because I am afraid that it's just too good of a dream to come true, and because I may one day grow bored of it. Its been pointed out to me that I sort of grow bored of things after a few months. (maybe that's why college was always great, new experiences and classes were always just around the corner) But it's possible that the change up between being on a dig, and then doing research, or writing grants, or whatever else may be frequent enough where I am not always doing the same thing for more than several months at a time.
I'm not sure what to think, and could use some input/opinions if anyone read this rather long winded journal!
Anyhow: this would be my general advise: try it out practically, as far as it is possible.
I've thought about doing something like that though, but I hardly doubt there's one in the middle of Georgia of all places haha. I have yet to look honestly, but I would already guess it's slim pickings if there is any.
Anyhw. with that attitude, it should be okay if you give it a try. best wishes for that!
There are a few exciting places to work, but most Archaeologists are employed by the State, doing surveys of sites before highways are built. The actual work is mostly monotonous and dirty.
That being said, it's a lot more interesting than sitting behind a desk all day and at least you get to be outside a lot.
But yeah, anything beats a job where I'd be spending more than a few months doing the same exact task. My current job is monotonous as well, but at least with archaeology, there's the possibility that I could unearth something amazing. I'd feel like that job has actual purpose :3
Ultimately what I've found to be good for decision making is this: you need to think about not what you want for a job, but what you want from life. Think about all the pros and cons that come with each job that you consider. How attractive are the pros, and are you willing to accept the cons that come with it? As an example, some folks want to get into the military. It's a stable job, something easily changed into a career, great way to travel, but also physically and mentally demanding, severely limits your choices in life partners, and may even prevent you from setting up roots. To some, these cons aren't even cons, whereas to others they may view the pros as a set of cons.
What you need to consider is what you want from life, and then choose a job that will help you move towards that. I was going for a game designer, but I'm realizing that it's an unstable market and I won't necessarily be able to live with the man I love if I'm employed as such, whereas being a general software programmer is much more stable and flexible.
More later, but I need to run for work xP
In the past day or so since I wrote this though, I also considered going after an art history degree, which I qualify to skip straight into the masters program for. and possibly even get a phd in that. It's another area with quite similar interests. As far as jobs go for that, it'd likely be as a professor or something of the sort, or possibly work for a museum. Both types of jobs I'd also not mind doing.
Of course, and every teacher who loves their job will tell you the same, it really is a big boost to see people doing well in your classes. I know loads of profs out there who see the classes as a distraction from their real work, the research, but in my opinion, profs should be about the teaching first and foremost. You can find all the evidence of whatever you want, or you can teach others how to do it. As an ex-teacher, that last road is so much more satisfying =)
Anyways, blah blah blah, go for whatever you feel you'd like most.
These jobs are fine and dandy, but there are a few things to take into account. First, as I said the job market is small and therefore you will likely face a lot of competition. Second, Your opportunities can rely a lot on the person under which you made your thesis and the reputation of university in the field in general. Lastly, job security is not really part of these careers anymore. In the US for example tenured positions have fallen and fallen over the last 25 years while the number of people payed on a commission basis (payed per course taught) has doubled. Frequent moving (usually after two to three years when your contract runs out) is a likely obstacle you'll have to face.
Another thing, look into what kind of specialisations your field/university offers and get a bit aquainted to them. A pure field archeologist will spend most of his time on digs and the time in between digs to write papers on their findings. That is more or less classical archeology. Then there are also the more natural science related archeologists, those doing palaeo-genetics, palaeo-environmental reconstructions, isotope analyses and so on. These will get their samples from field archeologists and spend their time mainly in the laboratoriy and the office instead of going to the field.
Also consider the time period, archeology encompasses almost the entire Pleistocene and Holocene, so roughly the last 2.5 million years. So people working on stone agecultures and artifacts are just as much archeologists as people digging up castle ruins in central Europe.
Furthermore you will will most likely have to look at this more longterm. Without a PhD it will be even harder to find a job. So on top of your regular BA/MA you will need to invest time for that as well.
What you do have an advantage in, or maybe a specific skill many lack, is your artistic prowess though. This might allow you to go and make reconstruction paintings. Their are few people who do this stuff and that might be a niche that you can occupy and carve out for yourself.
I didn't want to talk this bad for you, I just wanted to give some points you might want to consider. As for getting bored, that's the way it is with every job. At one point you will just get used to it and gets a bit less exciting and more routined. The advantage you have in these fields is that you will likely move from one site to another and from one research hypothesis to another , so there is plenty potential for new things to encounter.
I hope this will help a bit. If you have some specific questions I'd be glad to answer as best as I can, even though I'm only familiar with the European schooling system. Also, I'm currently on a work triip for a few weeks so I might take a while to answer. ^^
Ah. Another thing I have considered as well is perusing a degree in art history, which I can jump right into the masters program for that one with the BFA I already have. It too is something I'd have to put more effort into learning about, but I feel like there'd be more job opportunities in that area.
But no, don't worry about bring up the negative points. Some of this I sort of knew already, but it's good to hear the con's of it. It cant all be sunshine and rainbows haha I appreciate the feedback though :3
Just dont leave us behind x3
My advice to you is: if you aren't already sure, try to find a field school or excavation in your area that takes layperson volunteers. See what part of this profession is like, because trust me, that is only one tiny part of archaeology, and if you still are committed, enroll in your nearest university's anthropology/archaeology program.
I have thought about trying to volunteer at a field school though, but I don't know if I'd even be able to with my schedule, and I'd highly doubt there'd be anything remotely near me haha. It's something I have yet to look into.
I have also considered pursuing an Art History degree as well. Its a related field, and one that I can jump right into a masters with my current degree. I'm not quite sure of the job opportunities for that, but I know it'd be more related to working as a professor or for a museum, both of which I also don't mind.
Work is out there either in the private sector or the academic if you can write endless proposals and grant applications. What I've seen in the job adverts, tho, is nobody wants an "archaeologist", they want people with specific sets of skills like GIS (mapping and related info systems); surveying/drawing; or geophysics. They really shouldn't let any grunt do the actual digging but where budgets are tight they often will, especially where there's enough public interest to take volunteers or even change people for the experience.
I think others have covered the topic pretty well, I'd just say if you go for it then get as much fieldwork experience as you can, make contacts and above all else specialise in the technical stuff and ask to help the people doing it rather than sticking to the excavating. If there's any lab-based stuff maybe try and get involved in that. When you graduate you need to be able to say you've got working experience of using the gizmos and the software rather than just having read about the ideas behind them :)
I really want to say to: "Go for what you love"... But after real life experience and massive inescapable student loan debt in my life, college is not worth it... Unless someone else is paying or you don't have to pay anyone back if it all goes to hell, or you change your mind.
I, also, have many friends with Bachelors and Masters degrees working low paying jobs because they either are "over-qualified" on paper for certain jobs, or don't have enough "paid experience" to even get an entry level job in their dream field.
I would have been better off investing the money spent on College to open my own business or go to a trade school...
So do the research, ask the questions, read the small print.
Collage loans are nothing I can say something about since higher education is free here and in most of the rest of continental Europe, but about starting a business... it is not what it is cut out to be. Statsitically, more than half of businesses fail within the first 5 years and that failure might as well leave you with a bigger debt than a collage education will.
Though I was originally going for a natural disaster management/mitigation degree, but then they axed that degree line and I had to switch over to general Geology because the only other place that offered the disaster management degree and certification was out of state. To think, if we had free education, I could be saving millions of peoples lives instead of fighting debt collectors and running a small auto detailing business.
Yeah, with general geology you won't get too far. Sorry to hear.
If you are familliar with the term "Catch-22" that is what it is. You are damned if you do, and damned if you do not.