How to Become an Anthropologist

Anthropologists are scientists who study the physical aspects and cultural behavior of human beings, past and present. Those who concentrate on social customs and histories are called cultural anthropologists. Individuals who specialize in skeletal remains, including those of primates millions of years old, are known as physical anthropologists.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Anthropology Books
• Graduate School Catalogs And Application
• Grant-writing Courses
• Professional Journals Subscriptions
• Computers
• Online Career Search

1. Obtain a Ph.D. as quickly as possible. It is the minimum requirement to work in this field, along with expert computer knowledge for conducting research. The degree is also necessary to teach at a university, which you will most likely be doing much of the time.

2. Get a highly regarded professor in your area of interest to be your mentor while you are in graduate school. Turn in only top-quality work.

3. Understand that you will obtain research funds from a university, the federal government or a foundation, and that competition for the funding is fierce. You will need highly polished and persuasive grant-writing and networking skills.

4. Expect to spend relatively little time in faraway locales. Many professors spend only summers in the field.

5. Write books, articles and papers for journals as often as possible to keep yourself recognizable for future funding.

6. Visit the American Anthropological Association Web site for further insight into the field (aaanet.org).

Tips & Warnings

• Specialize in the study of people living in remote areas only if you are adventurous and not afraid of working in primitive conditions for any length of time.
• Consider a career as an anthropological consultant for corporations that market products to different cultures.
• Become proficient with a variety of software programs that analyze data. Learn to love statistics.

on 11/22/2005 If you don't want to work solely in academia, you can use your anthropology degree and experience to get jobs doing any number of other things: marketing consultant, forensics, administration, or diversity training. The trick here may be to convince your potential employer that your wide perspective as an anthropologist makes you a valuable addition to their company or business. You don't need a Ph.D to do this -- it can be accomplished with a B.A. if you work at it.

on 11/22/2005 In America, there are four subfields in anthropology, not just two as listed in the description: cultural anthropology, biological (or physical) anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology. Some consider applied anthropology a fifth subfield, but any of the subfields can produce ideas valuable in daily life.