why can't I just find some work?

[Tool]

Keep the faith! Had the absolute shock and surprise this morning to be offered work on a site near home, with no previous commercial experience and years in another industry. OK, so it's starting at the bottom, but it's a start. So it is possible to find the work if it's what you want to do, you display enthusiasm and keep on trying. Good luck!

Oh, and I don't have a degree in archaeology, either...

[Doug]

sorry but posting on here does not equal archaeology nor does it make you an archaeologist - any more than obtaining a degree in archaeology does either

All right, I'll be the one to bite, what makes you (or anyone) an archaeologists?

And down the rabbit hole we gooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...... please no one actually answer this or the thread will be hijacked


I would say that posting here, talking with people, asking questions, is more likely to land someone a job as an "archaeologists" than classes at university. Which is more of the point I was making than the literal posting = archaeology. Sorry if that was not too clear there.

I guess I should also clarify- asking questions will make you a good or great archaeologists. Though I still think asking questions is archaeology, but that is just semantics.

[Tool]

All right, I'll be the one to bite, what makes you (or anyone) an archaeologists?

And down the rabbit hole we gooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...... please no one actually answer this or the thread will be hijacked


I would say that posting here, talking with people, asking questions, is more likely to land someone a job as an "archaeologists" than classes at university. Which is more of the point I was making than the literal posting = archaeology. Sorry if that was not too clear there.

I guess I should also clarify- asking questions will make you a good or great archaeologists. Though I still think asking questions is archaeology, but that is just semantics.

That's how I've got to where I am, by asking questions.

[Dinosaur]

You've clearly mastered the trick of asking the right ones, keep it up! :face-approve:

[Tool]

I suspect there are many archaeologists around here that would disagree with you...
Nah, people can either make the effort to answer, or they can't. You still learn!

I guess what I was trying to say was that by asking even what you might perceive as a stupid question you are displaying that desire to learn. Displaying oyur lack of knowledge is not always a bad thing - no one, not even some of the contributors to these forums, knows everything...

[Unitof1]

it sounds more like bonesgirl should have done a museum conservation degree from the outset. What should be questioned is why anybody should think that these trumpeted up masters are any good. also why is it that some unis try to make conservation some post grad ripoff -ucl and others start with the undergraduate Cardiff. Out of interest bonegirl have you got any science "A" levels.

[Bonesgirl]

it sounds more like bonesgirl should have done a museum conservation degree from the outset. What should be questioned is why anybody should think that these trumpeted up masters are any good. also why is it that some unis try to make conservation some post grad ripoff -ucl and others start with the undergraduate Cardiff. Out of interest bonegirl have you got any science "A" levels.

I don't have any A levels if I'm brutally honest, I went from school straight into work and from there after some time to my undergrad as a mature student. I'm starting a 4 month long distance chemistry course in september which will get me the last thing I need to get onto my masters course.

I did the archaeology degree because when I first started I wasn't entirely sure what my end game was. I was in a dead end job with no chance of progressing and had had enough of call centres and such.

While on one side you maybe right that doing a museum course from the outset was a possibility, the archaeology has I felt given me useful tools for other things such as an understanding of stratification and harris matrices, moderate understanding of human bones and charred seed/plant remains. Furthermore from my placement year I heard from several museums that having front of house staff who were also archaeologists would be beneficial especially places such as Jorvik as they can bring a deeper understanding to the role and the explanation of excavations and so forth.

So while yes I see myself working in museums in the long run I feel the degree as well as the placement year at Bradford has given me some arsenal that if I had gone straight into museum work I may not have had.

[Unitof1]

Its my contention that most museums in this country are seriously bust and that they are a rip off. They particularly rip of archaeologists. [EDIT- naming companies] Have you got a museum that you would like to work in and doing what?

[P Prentice]

I would say that posting here, talking with people, asking questions, is more likely to land someone a job as an "archaeologists" than classes at university.

I guess I should also clarify- asking questions will make you a good or great archaeologists. Though I still think asking questions is archaeology, but that is just semantics.

doug. both these statements, however well-meaning, fall very short of making sense. whilst i can see why you think they are worth saying i have a couple of minutes in port.
the first is a great advert for bajr and his excellent forum but has no bearing on fact or even statistics
the second is a fallacy as any idiot can ask a question ...........

[Wax]

any idiot can ask a question ...........

And by asking the questions and listening to the answers they are on the road to becoming less of an idiot.