Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
A degree in anthropology is way more useful and versatile than any other major…except not really. Okay, to be honest, that little piece of paper that verifies your anthropological prowess doesn't make you all that marketable. While other students can score a general engineering job if they studied mechanical engineering, the same does not apply to anthropology.
Sigh.
It isn't all bad, though. There are definitely fields that accept anthropology majors with open arms. Get ready to work with people associated with colleges and universities, because that's where most of your funding is coming from. This means buddying up with a dean or two. Without the aid of these organizations, the world of anthropology would shrivel up like an apple in the Death Valley.
Common Career Fields
Archaeological Technician: This is a fancy way of saying "archaeologist." You'll do everything from taking notes to making grids on the ground to assure everything is well-documented. As technology gets better, your job will, too, because digital mapping and similar technologies make the life of an archaeological technician a lot easier. Also, get ready for a lot of Ross Geller jokes.
Cultural Resource Management Specialist: Preserving the technological framework of societies is important, but so is retaining their art and heritage. This is what cultural resource management specialists do. Studying a society's art and heritage can lead to pretty cool discoveries. For example, if you're wondering how the Greeks used to wrestle, as we're sure everyone does on occasion, you can check out their vases (Hint: There was very little clothing).
Environmental Researcher: In order to know what kind of impact we're having on our environment, we need to have people out there doing tests. These are the people who reprimand big corporations for polluting or praise them for doing an ace job at preserving our natural resources. Also, as an environmental researcher, you're equipped with the proper ammunition to shoot down any doomsdayer who didn't do their research. "Lemme see that sandwich board!" you'll cry, Sharpie in hand. "The end is not nigh."
Historical Museum Administrative Assistant: So you've studied human culture, and now you want to show off all that knowledge. Well, kid, there's no better place than a museum to do that. You can be the person who stands next to that sweet exhibit on primitive humans and explains why loincloths were the thing to wear back in the day, and why the hulking, brutish look went so darn well with it.
Prospector: As an anthropology major, you're likely to soil many a khaki trouser in learning how to dig for bones. Luckily, all that training can come in handy in looking for other materials, too. Yeah, contrary to popular belief, bones are not the most valuable thing in existence. Gold, diamonds, and certain minerals and gemstones can all be extremely profitable if you know who to sell them to.
Research Assistant: "Publish or perish" is a famous saying among professors, and it roughly means, "If you're not producing original work, you're not going to make it." Mind you, professors aren't the only ones behind the papers. They'd be floundering without the hard work of their assistants, who often end up doing much of the grunt work. There are plenty of professors who are willing to pay a lucky little someone to fetch them some tea or color-code their research findings, alphabetically, by date.
Urban Planning Assistant: Studying people means understanding where we've come from, and this can help us figure out where we're going. In this regard, you can help plan where to put more dog parks, or another McDonald's or Starbucks. Heaven knows we need more of those. Being an urban planning assistant is a pretty cool gig because you're a part of the what-goes-where-and-how-many decision. Jell-O bar, anyone?
Current unemployment of the major
6.8%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
43%Stats obtained from this source.