Career Alternatives for Anthropology degree students if I have a degree in Anthropology?

By Erik Paolino


Anthropologists focus on studying human beings, particularly the areas of human origin, development, and behavior.

The entire history of homo sapiens is included in this field of study, which examines anything from archeological finds, human physical characteristics, languages, and the ways of life of men and women in all time periods and from all parts of the globe.

Anthropologists document the values, customs and social structures of diverse cultures using comparative evaluations.

Some anthropologists study contemporary difficulties like overpopulation, poverty, and war.

Or they may look at the most primitive humans and similar primates to find out how our brain has evolved throughout our development.

No matter what era they focus on, anthropologists will need education in statistics and mathematics in order to appropriately utilize modern quantitative research techniques.

Along with mathematical capabilities, anthropologists must be able to communicate effectively to share data with fellow researchers or report their research findings.

Entry-level anthropology jobs include laboratory or research assistant and some junior teaching positions, that are suitable for anthropology graduates with a bachelor's degree.

Even so, quite a few anthropology students will find that they need to have at least a graduate degree and/or some internship or field experience from local museums, historical societies, government agencies, and nonprofit along with other organizations to be able to advance in their careers.

And for all those who would like to do field work, training at an archaeological field school in ways to excavate, record, and interpret historical sites is necessary.

Anthropologists normally select a particular subfield out of the three principal areas to specialize in.

Sociocultural anthropologists study the cultures, customs and social lives of human groups in settings that range from primitive, unindustrialized societies to the most modern urban centers.

Commonly this is carried out by focusing on a particular topic like economics, religion, art or politics.

The anthropologist then conducts observations or face-to-face interviews in which two separate groups of people who have differing approaches towards the concern and compares them against one another to better understand their respective cultures.

Linguistic anthropologists investigate how language influences human social life.

Linguistic anthropology goes far beyond studying dead or dying languages in an effort to understand the ways in which modern day languages facilitate and/or hinder communication, popularize the opinions, beliefs and ideals of a specific group, and delineate group membership and social status.

Biological anthropologists (also known as Physical anthropologists) focus on studying the evolution of the human body.

They also look for the oldest traces of human life, and analyze how culture and biology influence one another.

Physical anthropologists investigate the results of climate alterations, diet, and illness on humans with time by studying human remains from archeological sites.

Overall, to be able to have a successful research career in any of these anthropological areas, it is normally essential to have a master's or Ph.D. degree, with thorough education in quantitative research strategies, along with superior written and verbal communications abilities.

For those anthropologists with a graduate degree who make a decision not to pursue academic research, job prospects at management, scientific, and technical consulting firms are a possibility, in particular in the areas of social policy, market research, or marketing and advertising.

And a growing quantity of anthropologists also are going to be required by government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, to assess the regional customs and values-or "cultural terrain"-of a variety of societies worldwide.

Anthropologists are going to be needed either as federal staff or consultants to apply their specialized analytical abilities and knowledge to issues ranging from economic development to forensics as the increasingly international economy forces the US and other nations to interact far more closely with one another in the coming years.




About the Author: