Anthropologists and Archeologists

What the job really is

Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.

At a glance

• Sector: Life, Physical & Social Science
• O*NET-SOC code: 19-3091
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
• Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
• Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
• Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.
• Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.
• Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.
• Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials.
• Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement.
• Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.
• Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.
• Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.
• Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, C++, ESRI ArcGIS software, Facebook, Geographic information system GIS systems, IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Historians
• Sociologists
• Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
• Geographers
• Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
• History Teachers, Postsecondary
• Curators
• Archivists

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Anthropologists and Archeologists — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.