Expert: Ralph Salier - 12/11/2010

Question
Hello sir,
My name is Natalie and I have just started college in Arizona. Lately I have been re-evaluating my future and the careers I am interested in. I had first thought to become an Archaeologist, majoring in Anthropology. More recently, however, I decided becoming a full-time Archaeologist might not be the best choice for me. I have for a long time been interested in nature and animals, and I had in the past considered getting in the whole conservation of the wilderness, but I also cannot deny my great interest in ancient civilizations and cultures. So, the path I have now decided to take (while not having anything set in stone)is majoring in Applied Biological Sciences (Wildlife and Restoration Ecology) while minoring in Anthropology. Would this be a good combination of the two? I understand that Anthropology (as a minor) has three sub-fields; sociocultural anthropology (with linguistics), physical anthropology, and archaeology. I'm thinking that, in this way, I can pursue that which I have always loved (animals and nature) and work alongside them, while at the same time having a chance to partake in excavations.

Answer
Hi Natalie,

The suggestion I have for you is to go on line and find the consulting companies that are looking for CRM (Cultural Resource Managers) and these same companies will be the ones who also do Envronmental Assessments for Roads, Bridges, big construction projects etc... Many of these also include an Archaeological assessment as well.  Companies like URS, Becks, and ERM all hire both archaeological teams and biological teams for doing various kinds of assessments.

So, I think directionally, you have a promising future.

Also join www.shovelbums.org

good source for what these folks are looking for.

Hi Natalie,

I apologize that my response was not clear.  Please allow me to clarify my response.  Your desire to mix your love of nature and anthropology is very possible.  There are many jobs out there with Environmental firms where this combination is sought, yet this is not a typical combination found among grads.  The reference I have made to shovebums would allow you to see different kinds of positions open to archaeologists many of whom would be working for said enviro firms.  This would give you a generalized idea of what you need to study to have the skill base  they are looking for. Archaeology would be the subfield of choice for this kind of path way.  

I hope that this clarified my earlier comment.  If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.