15th February 2014, 03:38 PM
Sikelgaita Wrote:Noooo.....(wails and gnashes teeth in despair).
The most important people on site are those that actually excavate and record the archaeology. Without the technical skills of those (old school) diggers there is no record for which a 'CIfA approved academic archaeologist' can work.
My biggest problem with the IfA is that its expectation of what an archaeologists career should look like is far too academic oriented. This IMO alienates a large number of potential members. Why cannot an archaeologist be recognised as a MIfA purely on his fieldwork skills. Not everyone can or wants to write reports but this does not in any way make them less worthy archaeologists.
Totally agree with that, too. A degree only teaches you how to think about a particular subject, it does not bestow some arcane knowledge. That ability to think can be learned in other ways, and is inherent in many to start off with (although sometimes needs a little honing). I have nothing against anyone pursuing a degree, having a degree, or even electing for the academic life. But that isn't the be all and end all of archaeology. You either have an aptitude for it or you don't, and a degree is no guarantee that you do.