When people reflect on Careers in archaeology, they tend to picture digging in a muddy field all day, unearthing damaged bits of pottery for a living. Perhaps this may take up a small chunk of your archaeological life, there are actually many Career Ideas you can do that are associated with archaeology. Anyone interested in New Careers might not have contemplated working in anything archaeology related, even when they have an appeal in history, as the common misconception is it’s all about sleeping in tents and excavating all day. You can take this on if you like, but there are also other Careers to be had. Here are just several of the Career Ideas you might like to bear in mind to get into archaeology.

There are a few fairly New Careers accessible in archaeology, and one such position is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst. A GIS Analyst will use software to create maps and graphs with representation of data from findings. They are often used in archaeology to record where finds have been made, to help estimate where the next possible dig sites could be situated. To become a GIS Analyst you will find to necessary to be educated to degree level. You don’t have to get any experience with archaeology if you want to become an archaeological GIS Analyst, only an interest in the field would be useful.

Another career which can be branched into as an outcome of working in archaeology would be a museum curator. A museum curator has many responsibilities, involving selecting what items would be worthwhile on show in the museum, and purchasing or borrowing the items. The curator will also keep the museums records and catalogues up to date, and will oversee the budget of the museum in most cases. They will also be depended on for the arranging of displays and exhibitions inside the museum, and also planning fundraising and promotion events. This is an incredibly varied and professional position, and as such you will be required to be educated to degree level. In order to be approved to specialize in archaeology in the museum your degree will be expected to reflect this.

Degrees aren’t the only routes into Careers within archaeology – you can develop your way from the bottom up. This will consist of a lot of freelance, maybe even voluntary work on digs and sites anywhere you can get it. This way up through archaeology can be very demanding, but some archaeologists say this is when they have the most fun. Temporary work is fairly common, and most of it will be digging at the sites. As you get more experience you may be able to obtain a more secure role working for either a government trust or university, and then progress your way up to the many roles such as Field Supervisor, Project Archaeologist or Project Manager. These jobs have varying degrees of responsibility, and can be very challenging roles to enter. Having a degree will make it easier for you to get a more responsible role, but experience in the field, as well as analysing and processing information from finds is equally important. These are just a small selection of the different Careers available in archaeology.