Expert: Ralph Salier - 10/30/2005

Question
What do you enjoy most about your job?


On a typical day what do you do?


What classes would you recommend that I take in high school to prepare for this job?


What kind of training did you get in order to do this job?


What other jobs might this one lead to?


What opportunities for advancement are there?


What advice would you give to someone interested in this field?


Thank You very much!

Answer
Hi Crystal,

What I enjoy most is the opportunity to work with materials and objects which have not seen the light of day for hundreds or even many thousands of years.  And then to try to get into the mind of the person who was last to hold the same object.

Getting up very early in the morning, usually before the sun is up to get the crew to the site and ready for a long day of digging, bagging, mapping, photographing and a lot of other work. Then, head back to the lab for a night of cleaning, identifying, labeling, rebagging, computerization and similar tasks, then perhaps to eat and sleep.  

Math, sciences (chemistry, biology, earth science, ecology, organic chemistry) English, Writing, History, at least one language.  Don't forget extracurriculars since these are needed these days to get into college.

An undergraduate degree in Geology and Archaeology with a minor in Anthropology.  A Masters Degree in Anthropology. And as much field work as I could get myself involved in.  You can start now finding field schools to join.  Some are kind of expensive but last all summer long and give you great experiance.

With a degree in Anthropology you can get all kinds of jobs in industry like purchasing, logistics, consulting, culture change, and a lot more.

Advancement?  That is a tough one.  There isn't much in the way of advancement except what you make for yourself.  You will never make a lot of money doing Archaeology even if you get a professorship at a good university and  those are very very hard to get.

Advice?  Go for it.  But be sure that you leave yourself an opening to do other kinds of work too.  But while you are young, get out there and dig to your hearts content.