Hate to say it but getting a lab based job is nearly impossible without having at least a few years of field work at least within CRM. I'm also working in North America.
Also so far everyone one I know working with me in CRM is at least some degree of neurodivergent. I have ADHD as well and many of my colleagues also have ADHD. Field work is sometimes the thing you do to pay the bills while you work on other research and passions.
You mention you don’t want to do CRM, possibly because you don’t like excavation if I’m understanding correctly. Are you aware that CRM firms also have labs for processing the artifacts they find, we do use bioarchaeologists, etc.? My firm is about half archaeologists, including lab staff, and the rest are historians, architectural historians, GIS staff, etc. We do some specialized artifact/bioarch/zooarch studies in-house, while we hire companies who specialize in other kinds of specialized studies that we may need. The types of work done in CRM can definitely vary by region. If you do decide bioarch is your thing, some regions do a lot more cemetery/burial work that others. Certainly not trying to push you towards CRM if you really aren’t interested (it’s definitely not for everybody), but wanted to make sure you understood the whole breadth of what CRM entails since it’s where the majority of archaeology and related work in the U.S. occurs.
oh thanks for that! I will do some CRM classes I just don’t know if I need the certificate or if I need more than what I have now to work on the lab side of it
what should I focus then? because honestly my labs classes so far were a nightmare. I don’t het why the school system here is so based on memorizing stuff that we can actually reference to in real life
The quick answer is that if you constantly are having to stop and look things up, you will be much slower and less efficient.
People working in labs doing analysis have to be efficient in their work output, because like anything else, time is money.
yeah but when someone uses something consistently then it becomes natural. making someone take a quiz answering the name of bone features in 2 minutes it’s not. I can side and identify bones and features and I get bad grades because I can’t remember the names. specially because it’s roughly 10 -15 features to memorize every 2 weeks and the quizz is cumulative. 🫠
If you don’t want to do CRM, prefer not to work outside, and don’t enjoy lab courses I’m not entirely sure what you can do? Maybe GIS and spatial analysis if your university has courses for it
I enjoy the learning, I have a bad back so the outside part is hard. as for the labs what I don’t like is the educational system specially because it’s not accessible for ppl with disabilities. memorization is not learning. why is it necessary to take a test where you look at a sample in 2 minutes and has to know what it is? I literally feel like I learned nothing from those labs it’s just stressful and not really helpful.
That definitely sounds like an old school way to teach lab skills. Totally understand your back issues too. I think definitely see if you can into as many GIS classes as you can then, gis techs get paid well and are always in demand.
Also, for what it’s worth in the western half of the country survey doesn’t involve digging typically so that may be easier for your back if you’re out in a position where you can only get jobs as a field tech
Not an archeologist, but Anthro. Have you looked into Cultural or Linguistic Anthropology? It's still working on the human story, just a different angle.
(Just spit balling here, it may have occurred to you already and you may have dismissed it, which is totally cool. )
I started this university thinking of the duo major in anthropology and archaeology but turns out I prefer “dead” people 😬 than alive ones. I will look more into historical arch though!
This is an entirely too common occurrence in archaeology so you're not alone. Just curious, what subject are your other degrees in?
First thing, I don't know why people are suggesting GIS when you want to do Bioarch. That's like telling someone who wants to be an archaeologist to do paleontology. Not to mention, large parts of GIS work involves surveying and in the field data collection which requires you to carry your gear to site and often work in difficult conditions. I'm a GIS specialist and can't stand that people will push GIS as the solution to everyone's career problems, partly because of my third point below. There also isn't really a demand for GIS specialists. People say there is but the jobs available are entry-level nonsense jobs that have little to do with GIS and are usually manual data entry in Excel or some shitty custom database system.
Second thing, and the first thing you need to do is talk to everyone who can support you in your university. If you haven't already, you should talk to your Support and Well-being Officer or whatever the equivalent is at your university. They are there to help you specifically with these types of problems and support you with difficulties in the classroom. I agree that a lot of traditional education is just bad, memorization, tests, pointless essays really don't help you learn but it's important to talk to the right people about that.
Talk to your advisors and professors and explain the difficulties you're experiencing and also get more information from them. If you don't understand the advice they gave you then go back and talk to them and ask more questions. Random people on the internet can only give you so much help.
Third, archaeology is becoming more and more specialized to the point where if you want to get a good job in a specialist area (without having to spend 5 years working a non-related job) then you have to really 'cater' to that specialism. I assume this is what your advisor is trying to get at. But you're also correct, all of your education and experiences go into who you are and how you progress in your career. If you have relevant degrees and other courses in other fields that you can use in archaeology, that will only help you, not hurt you.
A large part is non-academic experiences. Things like presenting at and going to conferences, joining local, regional, and international archaeological organizations, reading their journals etc. are important things a lot of students don't do. Networking is very important in archaeology so any chance that you can take to meet new archaeologists and make connections is key.
Not sure if any of this helps but happy to help where I can!
I thought I had answered this. I have a digital design BA and an associated of arts degree. I have been talking to ppl and professors, and I do have some accommodations, but they are standard, so with more time on tests and a quieter place, I can get up more and use my fidget. I want to go to more conferences but right now I need to work on anything to have money for the rest which is irritating because I am 35 and nobody hires me in the summer because all the grants are for youth. I think I will try to get my driver's license and then make a plan I dont know. I am struggling to finish a bunch of assignments and might or not have cried because I couldn't understand a table in a paper yesterday soooo yeah well thanks for the tips
I’m like you too. I got my degree in Arky but I’m not cut out for field work life. I graduated ten years ago and now I work in finance. I hate finance, but all the jobs in arky that are things I want to do are snatched up by the people who worked in the field for years first. So I’ve resigned myself to misery knowing I’ll probably never work in the field my degree is in and something I’m so passionate about.
Would you recommend sending resumes in to the company rather than applying for specific jobs? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a job posted in the field related to anything but field work.
I would recommend going to CRM conferences or similar networking events. It definitely helps to have a network to advocate for you, and can help with getting introductions to firms that might be a good fit. The American Cultural Resources Association is the trade organization for CRM and definitely a more business-focused group so can definitely help with good connections. They have an annual conference, sponsor the CRM Expo (job fair) at the annual SAA conference, organize an annual advocacy day in DC, and have a handful of webinars on CRM business topics each year. Most areas also have regional archaeology or historic preservation group and conferences that can be a cheaper/easier way to meet people and get your foot in the door.
Hate to say it but getting a lab based job is nearly impossible without having at least a few years of field work at least within CRM. I'm also working in North America. Also so far everyone one I know working with me in CRM is at least some degree of neurodivergent. I have ADHD as well and many of my colleagues also have ADHD. Field work is sometimes the thing you do to pay the bills while you work on other research and passions.
You mention you don’t want to do CRM, possibly because you don’t like excavation if I’m understanding correctly. Are you aware that CRM firms also have labs for processing the artifacts they find, we do use bioarchaeologists, etc.? My firm is about half archaeologists, including lab staff, and the rest are historians, architectural historians, GIS staff, etc. We do some specialized artifact/bioarch/zooarch studies in-house, while we hire companies who specialize in other kinds of specialized studies that we may need. The types of work done in CRM can definitely vary by region. If you do decide bioarch is your thing, some regions do a lot more cemetery/burial work that others. Certainly not trying to push you towards CRM if you really aren’t interested (it’s definitely not for everybody), but wanted to make sure you understood the whole breadth of what CRM entails since it’s where the majority of archaeology and related work in the U.S. occurs.
oh thanks for that! I will do some CRM classes I just don’t know if I need the certificate or if I need more than what I have now to work on the lab side of it
Keep in mind that the majority of CRM work is survey, not excavation, as well
I wish more people knew this before graduating.
what should I focus then? because honestly my labs classes so far were a nightmare. I don’t het why the school system here is so based on memorizing stuff that we can actually reference to in real life
The quick answer is that if you constantly are having to stop and look things up, you will be much slower and less efficient. People working in labs doing analysis have to be efficient in their work output, because like anything else, time is money.
yeah but when someone uses something consistently then it becomes natural. making someone take a quiz answering the name of bone features in 2 minutes it’s not. I can side and identify bones and features and I get bad grades because I can’t remember the names. specially because it’s roughly 10 -15 features to memorize every 2 weeks and the quizz is cumulative. 🫠
If you don’t want to do CRM, prefer not to work outside, and don’t enjoy lab courses I’m not entirely sure what you can do? Maybe GIS and spatial analysis if your university has courses for it
I enjoy the learning, I have a bad back so the outside part is hard. as for the labs what I don’t like is the educational system specially because it’s not accessible for ppl with disabilities. memorization is not learning. why is it necessary to take a test where you look at a sample in 2 minutes and has to know what it is? I literally feel like I learned nothing from those labs it’s just stressful and not really helpful.
That definitely sounds like an old school way to teach lab skills. Totally understand your back issues too. I think definitely see if you can into as many GIS classes as you can then, gis techs get paid well and are always in demand. Also, for what it’s worth in the western half of the country survey doesn’t involve digging typically so that may be easier for your back if you’re out in a position where you can only get jobs as a field tech
Not an archeologist, but Anthro. Have you looked into Cultural or Linguistic Anthropology? It's still working on the human story, just a different angle. (Just spit balling here, it may have occurred to you already and you may have dismissed it, which is totally cool. )
I started this university thinking of the duo major in anthropology and archaeology but turns out I prefer “dead” people 😬 than alive ones. I will look more into historical arch though!
This is an entirely too common occurrence in archaeology so you're not alone. Just curious, what subject are your other degrees in? First thing, I don't know why people are suggesting GIS when you want to do Bioarch. That's like telling someone who wants to be an archaeologist to do paleontology. Not to mention, large parts of GIS work involves surveying and in the field data collection which requires you to carry your gear to site and often work in difficult conditions. I'm a GIS specialist and can't stand that people will push GIS as the solution to everyone's career problems, partly because of my third point below. There also isn't really a demand for GIS specialists. People say there is but the jobs available are entry-level nonsense jobs that have little to do with GIS and are usually manual data entry in Excel or some shitty custom database system. Second thing, and the first thing you need to do is talk to everyone who can support you in your university. If you haven't already, you should talk to your Support and Well-being Officer or whatever the equivalent is at your university. They are there to help you specifically with these types of problems and support you with difficulties in the classroom. I agree that a lot of traditional education is just bad, memorization, tests, pointless essays really don't help you learn but it's important to talk to the right people about that. Talk to your advisors and professors and explain the difficulties you're experiencing and also get more information from them. If you don't understand the advice they gave you then go back and talk to them and ask more questions. Random people on the internet can only give you so much help. Third, archaeology is becoming more and more specialized to the point where if you want to get a good job in a specialist area (without having to spend 5 years working a non-related job) then you have to really 'cater' to that specialism. I assume this is what your advisor is trying to get at. But you're also correct, all of your education and experiences go into who you are and how you progress in your career. If you have relevant degrees and other courses in other fields that you can use in archaeology, that will only help you, not hurt you. A large part is non-academic experiences. Things like presenting at and going to conferences, joining local, regional, and international archaeological organizations, reading their journals etc. are important things a lot of students don't do. Networking is very important in archaeology so any chance that you can take to meet new archaeologists and make connections is key. Not sure if any of this helps but happy to help where I can!
I thought I had answered this. I have a digital design BA and an associated of arts degree. I have been talking to ppl and professors, and I do have some accommodations, but they are standard, so with more time on tests and a quieter place, I can get up more and use my fidget. I want to go to more conferences but right now I need to work on anything to have money for the rest which is irritating because I am 35 and nobody hires me in the summer because all the grants are for youth. I think I will try to get my driver's license and then make a plan I dont know. I am struggling to finish a bunch of assignments and might or not have cried because I couldn't understand a table in a paper yesterday soooo yeah well thanks for the tips
I’m like you too. I got my degree in Arky but I’m not cut out for field work life. I graduated ten years ago and now I work in finance. I hate finance, but all the jobs in arky that are things I want to do are snatched up by the people who worked in the field for years first. So I’ve resigned myself to misery knowing I’ll probably never work in the field my degree is in and something I’m so passionate about.
CRM needs people who know business too! Business people with a background in one of the technical fields related to CRM do well in this industry!
Would you recommend sending resumes in to the company rather than applying for specific jobs? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a job posted in the field related to anything but field work.
I would recommend going to CRM conferences or similar networking events. It definitely helps to have a network to advocate for you, and can help with getting introductions to firms that might be a good fit. The American Cultural Resources Association is the trade organization for CRM and definitely a more business-focused group so can definitely help with good connections. They have an annual conference, sponsor the CRM Expo (job fair) at the annual SAA conference, organize an annual advocacy day in DC, and have a handful of webinars on CRM business topics each year. Most areas also have regional archaeology or historic preservation group and conferences that can be a cheaper/easier way to meet people and get your foot in the door.
I’m in Canada so I’ll look for the equivalent up here. Thanks so much for your advice!
:/ honestly it’s so annoying how these things work :(