17th November 2013, 08:04 PM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:I think that's absolutely right. I also suspect that these days many archaeology graduates do not even bother to dip their toes in the water, so they give up before giving up!!. The percentage of archaeologists in their 20s in the most recent PtP survey is 13%, in 2002 it was 26%...
Not sure if it's changed, but back in my Uni days (early mammals had just arisen from the ashes of the killer asteroid...) there were quite a few archaeology students who never had any intentions of pursuing it as a career. Some were using it as "a handy degree" to get office work (the legal profession particularly liked the the mix of research and puzzle-solving skills), while others were killing time before finding a mate or inheriting the family business/fortune. Of the folks I knew, I'd say less than half treated it as the start of a career. That's a large chunk taken out of the graduating class before we even get to those who either can't get started, or give up after a short stint.
With such a high attrition rate before they even start, it's no wonder we're seeing an aging population in the sector!