20th February 2006, 01:54 PM
Troll and Diggerhobbit - we're not disagreeing about the level of skill a field archy has or their value on site, just the specialist label. I spent 7-8 years as a digger and a few more as a supervisor on a wide variety of sites in this country including very complex deep-strat sites in urban centres. I believe I mastered complex stratigraphy (although you never stop learning)but I never labelled myself a specialist and neither should you. I have proven myself after years of slog but I don't feel the need to try and enhance my achievements or CV with an irrelevant term.
The job of excavator demands that you understand complex etc strat as part of the basic job description. It's a valued skill to master all that stuff but its not a specialism. Finds and enviro etc are specialists, but just because they are should not mean they are valued above experienced site staff. I for one don't believe they should be.
To repeat my point the other day - if diggers are specialists then so is absolutely everyone alse in all sectors of the profession. By definition that's ridiculous
The job of excavator demands that you understand complex etc strat as part of the basic job description. It's a valued skill to master all that stuff but its not a specialism. Finds and enviro etc are specialists, but just because they are should not mean they are valued above experienced site staff. I for one don't believe they should be.
To repeat my point the other day - if diggers are specialists then so is absolutely everyone alse in all sectors of the profession. By definition that's ridiculous