Expert: Ralph Salier - 5/16/2011

Question
Hi, my name is Kris, I'm in 7th grade and I have a project for my Language Arts class. For the project I have to interview a professional about their job and I'm interested in archeology as my future career. I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to answer my questions. Thank you!


Interview Questions

1.   What are some necessary skills to be a successful archeologist?

2.   What is the best part of your job?


3.   What is the most difficult part of starting as an archeologist?

4.   For your job, do you need to travel? If so, how often?

5.   What educational requirements are there to be an archeologist?

6.   Was it hard to find a job in your field?

7.   What advice would you give someone interested in your profession?

8.   What does it take to be successful as an archeologist?

Answer
Hi Kris,

1) College degrees in Archaeology/Anthropology and lots of field work.  Of course having a passion for it helps a lot too.
2) Finding clues that help us to understand the people of the past. This includes how they make their tools, ceramics, baskets, clothing etc...
3) Finding steady work and all of the travel.
4) Yes, there can be a lot of travel involved and it can be every 6 weeks depending on the job and where it is.  You need to travel light with few possessions.
5) see #1
6) When I graduated, yes but today  with the different environmental regulations and historical preservation requirements, it is easier but there is also more competition.
7) Study hard, take chemistry, organic chemistry, earth science and geology, computer science (GIS and GPS) are critical these days to the field and biology.  
8) a lot of hard work, listening to the site supervisors and director, and the dirt.  Yes, you need to listen to the dirt you are digging in as it will tell you a lot about the site and what happened there.

If you want to ask more questions, go ahead.