24th July 2010, 10:19 AM
Somebody said but there is probably a generalised view that someone with a PhD would find doing a fairly rubbish watching brief beneath them, and the HR person would probably be questioning why someone with a PhD is applying as a digger again.
Yes this is an element of this in archaeology. Yes some people do not see the PhD as an advantage but in my view it all depends on what the PhD was about. There is, for example, a shortage of finds specialists at the moment. Rich_cuk you say your specialist area is Egypt. I assume that that your PhD was about an Egyptian subject. If it was I think this is the problem ? yes the techniques will be similar but the specialised knowledge from comes from doing a PhD are not that relevant to your average commercial UK project.
You say your Viva is pending. I think you will find that you will feel much better about all of this once the Viva is over and you have recovered from finishing the PhD (which takes months) and your new direction in life will emerge.
There is one consultancy which specialises in Arabian Archaeology http://heritage.brookes.ac.uk/. I think you must research the market and see if there are niche organisations who would value your PhD.
If I was you I would not give up on research jobs ? age should not be a barrier.
Peter
Yes this is an element of this in archaeology. Yes some people do not see the PhD as an advantage but in my view it all depends on what the PhD was about. There is, for example, a shortage of finds specialists at the moment. Rich_cuk you say your specialist area is Egypt. I assume that that your PhD was about an Egyptian subject. If it was I think this is the problem ? yes the techniques will be similar but the specialised knowledge from comes from doing a PhD are not that relevant to your average commercial UK project.
You say your Viva is pending. I think you will find that you will feel much better about all of this once the Viva is over and you have recovered from finishing the PhD (which takes months) and your new direction in life will emerge.
There is one consultancy which specialises in Arabian Archaeology http://heritage.brookes.ac.uk/. I think you must research the market and see if there are niche organisations who would value your PhD.
If I was you I would not give up on research jobs ? age should not be a barrier.
Peter