Office Waller

[drpeterwardle]

Trowelhead,

Do you really want to be a consultant when you get such ridicule? I would suggest you talk to some consultants first before joining the dark side. You will still have nights away from home, you will have longer hours and endless hours stuck in traffic jams. The responcibilty will be far greater than in a field job in some respects.

As for thinking that you will "inject into this part of the industry some knowledge of what all you fine people do every day." I suspect that you will annoy your colleagues because you are suggesting that they dont know and thus your career as a consultant may be very short.

I would suggest that there is far more to it than PPG and cake. There are other skills you may or may not have. Dealing with people who may be antagonistic and conflict resolution are key. Good driving skills. You may end up doing 30000 miles a year. Then there are the other things you need to know. The party wall acts, local government organisation, street closure regulation and a host of other minutae.

One plus point is the salaries - but there are field jobs which are as well paid. Doing research in archives and libraries. I am currently researching coaching inns and the info I need can only be obtained by visiting them. Would you want to spend three days going through trade directories. Awarding contracts is nice. Challenging bills is not so nice.

So I would suggest ignore the snide remarks about the dark side. Find out if the life would suit you and then decide if you want to be a consultant because you will enjoy the work.

Peter

[Sith]

quote:Originally posted by drpeterwardle

Do you really want to be a consultant when you get such ridicule?

Whoa, lighten up dude!

Seriously, we do like a joke at the expense of the prevailing image of consultants, however, I don't think that you can accuse us of perpetuating that image ourselves.

D. Vader
Senior Consultant

Vader Maull & Palpatine
Archaeological Consultants

Not just there for the rotten things in life like a blocked wormhole

[trowelhead]

Dear DR,
You paint a grim picture of the world of consultancy. I get the distinct impresion you dislike your job with great gusto.

I put it to you Sir that if the situation arose and the opertunity presented itself which offered the same pay/conditions as you get at present but was based in the relm of excavation and in the front line of archaeology would you, Sir, swap.

I am street works qualified and work for a local authority. The company I am moving to has expertise in Planning inclusive of Party Wall matters.

I known my PPg`s, Pan`s, bbc`s and B&Q`s and MFI`s. I indeed laugh in the face of DBA`s as anyone who can write and stand is capable of compiling one if he or she knows where the SMR/Records office is.

My main concern is what the company expects, nothing less, than blood sweat and tears I suspect.

As for cakes lot of fat feild archaeologists out there, which is surprising considering the arobic nature of digging. Perhaps I will bring rice cakes instead.

As for bringing some good to the proffesion from my role, I found your remark most patronising, what I ment was that when I would be on site and with the usual clean Hi-Vi brigade I would listen to what the archaeologist had to say rarther than the ill informed ivor tower brigade. So there Doc put that in yer pipe and smoke it...

[achingknees]

Tell you what...this consultancy lark seems like a career trajectory for me! Despite the grim warnings about the grey side I reckon I'd be up for it. I can spell as well [:p][:p][:p]

Seriously though Trowelhead, there are other jobs that can be done from the office apart from consultancy and curatorship...there is a ton of post-ex work out there. There is also specialist finds work, management, ITC posts etc. Mmmmmmm...just off to check the bajr job list

[1man1desk]

Trowelhead,

Consultancy is fun.

I came into consultancy rather reluctantly, as a stop-gap during a hiatus in fieldwork opportunities. I reckoned I'd be back down a muddy hole in under 6 months. 12 years later, I'm still here, although I have done a little fieldwork during that time as well.

I stayed because the job is varied, interesting and intellectually challenging. There's lots that I miss from a fieldwork - based job, but also lots in this job that I'd miss if I left it.

One particular attraction is that I work closely on a daily basis not just with other archaeologists but also with ecologists, landscape architects, environmental scientists, town planners and a whole rainbow coalition of different types of civil engineer. It certainly broadens the mind.


1man1desk

to let, fully furnished

[trowelhead]

Thanks Mr Desk,
Sounds like exactly the same sort of firm Im joining its an EIA dept that has a whole miriad of specialisms.... confidence bolstered again cheers mate.

[drpeterwardle]

Just to clarify. I do enjoy about 80% of my job about 80% of the time.

Would I swap if I was offered a field/research job on the same pay and and conditions (and I was fit enough to do it). Yes I would I been a consultant for over 15 years now. I enjoyed fieldwork.

I apologise if you found my remarks patronising they were not meant to be.

Best of luck in your new job.

Peter