13th July 2010, 11:36 AM
May I ask what it is that you ?and others want. There appears that there is a concept of a digging job in which there is set up a situation which requires people to dig and be paid. There is no example of where this has ever been a lucrative or permanent position-should that be called a job? People seem to chuck the word professional at it for some reason. What seems to be ignored is that in commercial archaeology this is paid for by a client who I will let you into a secret does not want to pay (there are no exceptions). I would also say that the client in most cases has no clue as to what it is that they are paying for and are rightly suspicious about anything that they are provided with. I think is that it is easier to sell the client non degree diggers than degreed and defiantly if I was to have postgraduate diggers the client would think that I am gold plating the situation. Where is the benifit to the client. If anything the qualifications of the diggers are never brought into the contract negotiations-probably because of qualification embarrassment. I have yet to see any archaeological company positively proclaim or see it as a bidding benefit that its diggers where degreed or postgraduate except once they have landed the contract and were dragged into doing PR for the client- Suddenly the supervisor interviewed on local radio is a medieval specialist on dog burials?
A way round the situation would be to show the client that one degreed or postgraduate was worth so many more non degreed and that in fact they saved the client money (made more out of the client). It would have to be in the order of several diggers wages. Not likely? Do postgrads dig faster, not really. Have you thought about manufacturing for yourself a non degree sleaze ball chancer persona as it is these that are the most sort after field fodder alternatively what you need to show your potential exploiters is that you can somehow maximise their profits by employing you. It could be that you have to show them how by employing you they can cover the same area of ground but dig less for the same price-the dark arts.
The other advice about aiming higher is possibly your best alternative but in this climate....have you though about setting up on your own...
A way round the situation would be to show the client that one degreed or postgraduate was worth so many more non degreed and that in fact they saved the client money (made more out of the client). It would have to be in the order of several diggers wages. Not likely? Do postgrads dig faster, not really. Have you thought about manufacturing for yourself a non degree sleaze ball chancer persona as it is these that are the most sort after field fodder alternatively what you need to show your potential exploiters is that you can somehow maximise their profits by employing you. It could be that you have to show them how by employing you they can cover the same area of ground but dig less for the same price-the dark arts.
The other advice about aiming higher is possibly your best alternative but in this climate....have you though about setting up on your own...