11th May 2012, 12:46 PM
Experience is far more important in the world of specialists.............maybe becoming an apprentice of a well-known and well-used specialist and learning the practical skills from them would be more useful to anyone wanting to become a specialist.
An Msc etc. would be a start though. But nothing beats experience.
But yes I have also worked with diggers who have completed a post-grad course in some specialism or other.
So a Msc in say zooarchaeology does not mean you can suddenly jump into assessing assemblages and doing analysis fit for publication, in the same way as a degree doesn't mean your suddenly an expert archaeologist capable of running a site, doing the post-ex and producing a decent archive and site report.
Not poo-pooing any particular person or course, but I've come across at least one graduate of a bones-related Msc would couldn't tell the difference between animal and human disarticulated bone.
An Msc etc. would be a start though. But nothing beats experience.
But yes I have also worked with diggers who have completed a post-grad course in some specialism or other.
So a Msc in say zooarchaeology does not mean you can suddenly jump into assessing assemblages and doing analysis fit for publication, in the same way as a degree doesn't mean your suddenly an expert archaeologist capable of running a site, doing the post-ex and producing a decent archive and site report.
Not poo-pooing any particular person or course, but I've come across at least one graduate of a bones-related Msc would couldn't tell the difference between animal and human disarticulated bone.