The Complete Guide to Becoming An Anthropologist and Archeologist
What you'll really do, what you'll really earn, and whether you have what it takes to dig in for the long haul
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
What do anthropologists and archeologists actually do all day? What do they earn? Is it right for you? The honest, numbers-based guide.
About this book
You've seen the movie version: Indiana Jones cracking a whip, brushing dust off a golden idol. The reality is different - and arguably more interesting. It's spending six weeks in a field tent cataloging 4,000 broken pottery sherds under a blazing sun. It's writing a 200-page report on burial practices that three people will read. It's a Ph.D. stipend of $25,000 a year while your college roommate earns $70,000 as a software engineer. But it's also being the first person in 3,000 years to touch a specific artifact, and the one who finally figures out why an ancient city collapsed.
This guide is for anyone who wants to know what this career is actually like before they commit years of their life and tens of thousands of dollars to it. We skip the inspiration and go straight to the specifics: what you'll do on a typical Tuesday, what you'll earn at entry, mid, and senior level, which regions and industries actually hire, how long it takes to get a foothold, and the honest personal traits that separate people who thrive from people who quit. You'll get timelines, costs, salary tables, self-assessment checklists, and a realistic day-in-the-life narrative. By the end, you won't just know about archaeology - you'll know if it's for you.
Reader Reviews
Amy Wright
★★★★★The salary and day-in-the-life chapters were genuinely useful - I appreciated the real numbers from cultural resource management firms, since that's not something you find in a university brochure. But I felt like Chapter 1 dragged a little with so much detail on excavation logistics. It's thorough, I'll give it that, but I skimmed a few sections. Still, if you're actually serious about this, it's a solid reality check before you take on $60k of grad school debt.
William Jones
★★★★★I've been going back and forth about switching into archaeology from a corporate job for two years, and this book made me stop waffling. The comparison table of education paths was worth the price alone - I finally understand the difference between a field tech job with a BA, an MA, and a Ph.D. The section on cultural resource management salary potential confirmed I could actually support myself. I wish it had a bit more on networking though - that felt thin compared to the rest.
Ronald Gonzalez
★★★★★As a 40-year-old considering a career change, I needed someone to tell me the truth about what I was getting into. This book did that. The self-assessment checklist in Chapter 2 made me realize I'm more suited for the lab work than the field work, and the Chapter 6 narrative gave me a real feel for what a day would look like. The numbers on funding and timelines were spot-on with what I've researched elsewhere. If you're serious, read this before you invest in a Ph.D. program.
Elizabeth Jones
★★★★★I bought this for my daughter who's a junior in high school and loves history. The book was probably more useful for me than for her - it made me understand that she'd need a master's degree at minimum and that the job market is heavily concentrated in consulting firms, not museums. I appreciate that. But I found the tone a little dry in places, and I wish the authors had included more personal anecdotes from actual working archeologists. Good book, just not a page-turner.