Off the Beaten Path: Employing an Archaeological Education in Non-Traditional Careers

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeology as a Public Good: Why Studying Archaeology Creates Good Careers and Good Citizens" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

What utility does an archaeological education provide students who choose careers off well-trodden archaeological paths? What do these students bring to their careers and society at large? This paper focuses on why academic training in anthropological archaeology can offer students a desirable and diverse smorgasbord of perspectives, skills, and knowledge that fits well with jobs and careers that may not initially jump to mind. The irresistible intellectual excitement of archaeology attracts students to a discipline that teaches them, through disciplined explorations, to envision places, people, and worlds at new scales. Archaeological education cultivates valuable skills in critical thinking, project management, and current technologies that are useful in many career contexts. Through archaeology, however, these skills are combined with a deeper understanding of how human societies have formed, functioned, and faltered. As a result, an archaeological education yields flexible, informed professionals who understand and embrace cultural diversity. Their dispersal beyond more traditional careers also enriches awareness in the public sphere about the importance of archaeology and cultural resource preservation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Archaeology as a Public Good: Why Studying Archaeology Creates Good Careers and Good Citizens

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25496