Career As an Archaeologist: Courses, Jobs, Scope, Salary

An archaeologist studies human activity by the recovery and analysis of material culture. Although archaeology is often considered a branch of socio-cultural anthropology, an archaeologist also draws from his/her studies of the past to biological, geological, and environmental systems. An archaeologist’s records consist of artifacts, architecture, bio-facts or eco-facts, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered as both a social science and a branch of the humanities for an archaeologist.

An archaeologist is a scientist who studies groups of people and the ruins of past civilizations. It can also be derived that an archaeologist also studies what old people left behind, such as homes, clothes, tools, bones, dishes and so on.

An archaeologist collects various evidences of humanity’s past in various places, observes and examines the results. To become an archaeologist requires a deep knowledge of history and geography.

The responsibility of an archaeologist is to use different methods and tools to conduct surveys on different sites

An archaeologist also manipulates data using figures, notes, photographs etc.

Here are some of the reasons to become an archaeologist:

1) Understanding various cultures:

If you, as an aspirant to become an archaeologist, are interested in learning about other cultures, both past and present, becoming a successful archaeologist by enrolling in an archaeology program can be the start of an amazing adventure. An archaeologist studies ancient human life by studying the remains of early settlers all over the world. This gives us a glimpse into the past to understand how the various groups lived, expanded, and in some cases disappeared. These findings of an archaeologist often clarify how our own societies have been, and provide important evolutionary links to the not-so-distant past.

2) Uncover the past:

The world’s most famous (fictional) archaeologist, Indiana Jones, is a scholar and detective who has taken on the task of uncovering the mysteries of the past as well as adventure. And Hollywood isn’t the only place where the line between an archaeologist and a detective is beginning to blur. Many prominent scholars emphasize the similarities between the two professions and it is easy to see why. An archaeologist, like a stubborn criminal investigator, looks for evidence and analyses clues before reaching a conclusion. An archaeologist often works intuitively, trying to understand why and motivates early humans to act in a particular way or maintain a particular belief.

3) Fun & Enjoyment:

When it comes to higher education of an archaeologist, we often find ourselves trapped in the most serious aspects. And it’s always important to get these highest scores, focusing on things like student loans, long-term work projects, but there is another important element for an archaeologist, which is of learning that is fascinating, interesting, and above all fun. This means that you may forget the fact that you need to! Finally, if we remember why we prefer to do the work we do, we will inevitably start doing the work better.

Just like this, interesting discoveries, for an archaeologist, can be very difficult. On some bargains, an archaeologist is likely to just be unlucky. But there are some amazing artifacts to find out! Thus, a lot of fun & excitement awaits an archaeologist along the way.

4) Building a great academic career:

For an appropriate education to become an archaeologist requires passion, dedication, and dedication, in addition to undergraduate and graduate degrees. Further investigation about the truth & sanctity of a great finding requires, for an archaeologist, good organizational skills, such as time management, the ability to prioritize workloads and achieve that time period, which an archaeologist can apply everywhere.

Thus, these are some of the reasons to become an archaeologist!!!

India has a rich cultural heritage, so the demand for an archaeologist is high in India.

An aspiring archaeologist can support a variety of vocational profiles in the government and private sector. If you have a master’s degree in archaeology, you, as an archaeologist, can support yourself at various universities and institutions by becoming an instructor.

An archaeologist may work in private or government-owned museums to maintain and manage the museum’s relics.

This speciality of an archaeologist offers work to anyone interested in learning about the past of humans, animals, or civilizations that existed thousands of years ago. A budding archaeologist can find various employment opportunities in the government sector through exams conducted by the Union Public Services Commission or the Employee Selection Commission etc. Besides this, an archaeologist can also work as tourist guides, heritage managers, and interpreter and resource managers for tourist travel organizers. A budding archaeologist has a large range for work as well as research at various universities.

Do you wonder how to become an archaeologist? In addition to the education needed to become an archaeologist, you need to have some skills. Here are some skills, abilities & techniques that can help individuals build their careers as an archaeologist:

1) Imagination and Creativity:

As an archaeologist, the profession is creative and requires, exhibiting it in your own work. Imagination & Creativity are what you need to be successful as an archaeologist. The ability to visualize projects, to accept new ideas and views of things, to imagine the possibilities of places, to imagine different scenarios, and, most importantly, to think in three dimensions. These are some of the unique skills you need to master to become a sage archaeologist. This is a critical skill for the careers of a few other authors, content writers, bakers and more.

2) Managing various things:

Candidates in their career as an archaeologist are responsible for controlling, planning and managing their overall strategy while working on all projects. Therefore, you, as an archaeologist, need to be profound to plan and manage the whole process from start to finish. An archaeologist or an anthropologist must be able to plan and formulate effective strategies, require decision-making skills, leadership qualities, problem-solving skills, and lead teams on how to manage time. You need to know how to control and motivate. In addition to this, you must have excellent organizational strength. The archaeologist needs to allocate and manage the resources to successfully execute the plan. It is one of the important management abilities as it helps determine the list of pending jobs, combine them into work, group the work into units, and provide forms to the structure of your organization as an archaeologist. It is also an important skill in some other professions such as managers, engineers and doctors.

3) Detail-oriented:

When it comes to career as an archaeologist, work should be precise and detailed oriented about what you are doing. This technique will help you, as an archaeologist, notice small but important details that others may not notice. While studying the ancients, it is useful to turn to the details. Paying attention to detail is a skill that must be mastered just like any other skill, and like any other skill for a career as an archaeologist.

4) Analytical Skills:

If an archaeologist cannot share his/her analysis with others, it is not worth having powerful analytical techniques. You, as an archaeologist, need to be an effective communicator who can explain the patterns observed in peripheral things. Occasionally, an archaeologist needs to provide verbal information at meetings and presentations. At other times, an archaeologist needs to produce a report. Therefore, the lack of communication skills cannot be compromised for an archaeologist.

5) Communication Skills:

Being able to communicate properly will help an archaeologist both professionally as well as personally. Communication skills in the career of an archaeologist are important because they require proper dialogue with a variety of people while maintaining good eye contact. It allows an archaeologist to interact and manage his/her business and organization among others.

6) Being empathetic:

A career of an archaeologist is such in which you have to integrate planning processes, implementation and implementation in a wider sustainable framework. The job of an archaeologist includes the internal project of a project. It is the responsibility of an archaeologist as social aspects and environmental factors that are affected by the project. An archaeologist is responsible for finding the model with the type of localities compatible. These models are needed by an archaeologist, who is sustainable.

7) Project Management:

An archaeologist is responsible for initiating, planning, executing, and controlling team work to achieve specific success criteria at specified times. The main goal of an archaeologist is to manage projects to achieve all project objectives within specific constraints of scope, time, budget, quality, etc. You, as an archaeologist, should also be able to optimize the assignment of required inputs and adapt them to meet predefined objectives.

Some of the other job preferences for an aspiring/budding archaeologist are:

1) Field Technician:
Field Engineer is the first paid level field experience you get as an archaeologist. With field skills, you travel the world as a freelancer and conduct excavations and research wherever you work. When it comes to health benefits, like most other kinds of freelancers/an archaeologist, you are generally yourself, but the “travel your own world” lifestyle has its advantages for an archaeologist. You can find work in CRM projects and academic projects, but CRM work is usually a paid position, whereas academic field work is a volunteer position or may require tuition. Crew bosses and field managers are field technicians with enough experience to accumulate additional responsibilities and better pay as an archaeologist.

2) Project Archaeologist:
A project archaeologist is an intermediate level in the role of a cultural resource manager who oversees excavations and produces excavation reports that have been carried out. These regular jobs and health benefits are common for an archaeologist. You, as an archaeologist, can work in CRM projects and academic projects, and in the general situation both are paid jobs.

3) Principal Investigator/Archaeologist:
A principal investigator/archaeologist conducts archaeological research at cultural resources management companies, makes proposals, prepares budgets, keeps project schedules, hires crew members, oversees archaeological research and excavations. A principal investigator/archaeologist works in the laboratory. Apart from that, a principal investigator/archaeologist oversees processing and analysis and prepares independent or co-authored technical reports.

4) Historic Buildings Inspector/Conservation Officer:
Below are some responsibilities of a Historic Buildings Inspector/Conservation Officer, which includes an archaeologist too:

As a Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer/archaeologist, you will have to plan & develop policies, visiting sites, inspecting historic sites and buildings. As a Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer/archaeologist, you will have to assess and recommend buildings or areas for conservation. As a Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer/archaeologist, you’ll need to supervise regional and national planning and development policy makers. As a Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer/archaeologist, you will have to work on applications representing conservation issues. As a Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer/archaeologist, you will have to influence the repair and alteration of historic structures, areas, and sites to advise on planning and drive new development. As a Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer/archaeologist, you will have to engage in projects that regenerate heritage, social, economic and environmental benefits.

And so on!!!

5) Archaeologist Lecturer:
Becoming an archaeologist professor can be a complex task that requires individuals to balance a series of educational, research, and administrative tasks. Archaeologist professors also need to be familiar with new research and development in the field of archaeology, and can provide professional advice to researchers in private companies, organizations, government agencies and other academic fields.

Technical training load depends on a number of factors. For example, an archaeologist professor at a two-year university typically has a higher educational load than an archaeologist professor at a four-year university. Additionally, experienced archaeologist professors may spend more time conducting research and new professors may teach more subjects.

And many more!!!

Following are some of the universities/institutions for a budding archaeologist:

1) Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi- https://www.bhu.ac.in/

2) University of Calcutta, Kolkata- https://www.caluniv.ac.in/

3) University of Madras, Chennai- https://www.unom.ac.in/

4)Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune- https://www.dcpune.ac.in/

5) University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram- https://www.keralauniversity.ac.in/

6) University Of Mysore, Mysuru- https://uni-mysore.ac.in/

7) Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam- https://www.andhrauniversity.edu.in/

Therefore, as an archaeologist, you will be able to step into a job that allows you to explore the past, while still working to understand the present. So, you might be wondering, what kind of person would be interested in becoming an archaeologist? An archaeologist is an explorer at heart. He/she wants to be out in the field, going on adventures, and seeing the world. He/she loves getting to travel and is excited to learn about other cultures and history. These are the kinds of people who make an excellent archaeologist.

Hence, this was all about ‘Career as an Archaeologist’.

We hope you found it to be useful & learnt something today.

Scope for an Archaeologist in India is growing with more & more aspirants coming up. If you are someone who is interested in exploring, adventures, travelling etc, then you must give this profession of an archaeologist a shot because it is your best bet to be successful in becoming a successful archaeologist.