Expert: Ralph Salier - 10/12/2007

Question
QUESTION: hafa adai [hello] my name is Inez P. I am currently a junior in High School and i live on a small island called Guam. You probably get this all the time, but do you have any advice that will help me try to pursue a career in archaeology.
Being from such a small island there aren't many resources available about archaeology. We only have one college and there are really no professionals I can talk to.

Where should i start? what colleges are the best? what should i look forward to? will the income be enough for me to be financially stable? PLEASE HELP! like i said ANY advice would be greatly appreciated.
thank you for your time

-Inez P.

ANSWER: Hi Inez,

Guam has some very interesting archaeological remains both from a historical perspective but also from a prehistoric one as well.  A number of sites have been excavated at Guam over the last 30 years with interesting results.

There is a lot of Pacific rim/island Archaeology being done out of Australia and some of the US west coast universities like UC San Diego. Also U of Hawaii has a good program that focuses on Polynesia

Here is a list of U's that have the subject
U of Aukland
U of Queensland
La Trobe U- Melbourn
James Cook U
University of Chicago
U of Sydney

Of course this is making a bad assumption that you would want to do Pacific Archaeology vs. some other kind.  

What to look forward too:

Lots of digs
Getting dirty and smelly
getting very excited, puzzeled, amazed and sometimes bemused
deeply involved with soils, botanical remains, faunal remains, human remains etc...

And this brings us to income.  What do you view as financially stable? In the US most diggers will make between $12 and $18/hr plus stipend to cover food, hotel,gas etc... Some generous and some not. For full time employment you will need a Masters at least and potentially a PhD. But these range in yearly salery from about $35K to the low 80's if you are lucky.  There are US govt. jobs in the field with are ranging in the upper 40's to the low to mid 60's per year.  If this covers your needs then cool.

So tell me what are you interested in since making money is not one of them.  What about archaeology grabs you?  

Also to keep your parents happy, and to have a backup position should you decide to quit archaeology, look at a double major including economics, psychology, sociology or business.  This will help you find work even if you can't find it in Archaeology.  

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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again! this is Inez from Guam. First of all i wanted to thank you for replying so quickly. The information you provided was VERY helpful, and i stress very.

so here is my answer to your question

"what about archaeology grabs you?"

in so many words my answer would have to be EVERYTHING. Its something about being out there, learning about the world and its people, discovering things people today would have never even thought possible, being able to share what I know. Plus i love nature and digging.

I'm sorry i could only name a few things, otherwise the list would be endless.& you are right, it's not about the money

as to choosing a double major do you think a degree in forensic anthropology would be wise?

Answer
Hi Inez.  Yes, A double major with Forensic Anthro would be an excellent choice.  

The Physical Anthropologist I worked with in Chicago back in the mid 70's was an assistance Cook County Coroner and was called out for cases where only bones were found.  We, as a class were all deputized when a plane crashed in Chicago back then and we all got first hand training in the field as assistants to this person.  It was interesting and disgusting at the same time, but don't let the bugs keep you from pursuing this line.  

If you watch "Bones" on the TV, it will give you an idea of what they do.  If you don't get Bones on TV, you can get the program on DVD too.  

Yes, the reasons to be in love with the field are endless and most of all, you never stop learning, being amazed at the technology and beauty of these ancient peoples.

Good Luck!  If you ever have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  rsalier@hotmail.com and put Archaeology in the subject line.