My personal feelings are that Anthropology (as a degree) never closes a career door, but it doesn't necessarily point to an open door either. 
This is very dependent on what sort of Anthropology you do and what sort of salary you need! Being "part of a team" with a BA often means working on a physical dig or project, essentially as an intern or volunteer. So if you're interested in physical anthro/archaeo and don't need to support anyone other than yourself this is an option but if you're supporting a family it's not a great chioce for long. I've looked for teaching gigs with my MA (from Columbia University at that!) and I have to say, even in "school rich" environments like the Boston Bay Area, putting together a life as an associate professor/adjunct professor/speaker at community colleges is hard. You might spend hours each day commuting from one school to another, your work load is totally unpredictable since a lot depends on the incoming class, and health insurance isn't a given. And full faculty positions or, the holy grail of academica, full tenure track positions are few and far between. The women I know who have committed to tenure track academic paths have had to make some big sacrifices. Anthropology has more female faculty than many other disciplines but academia is still stacked against women with families!
I don't mean to discourage... I have a BA and an MA in anthropology and I LOVE anthro, I don't regret my choices... but it's important to go into this field with eyes open. Anthropology has lots of use outside of academia so if you're willing to be creative there are hundreds of options! I've worked in education, research, consulting, even graphic design all as a result of my anthro background. The military and various government agencies are always interested in anthropologists if you're ok with that sort of work (especially if you have a few languages too). Applied anthropology is in demand for corporations and international businesses, museums and law firms need anthropologists too (especially when dealing with First Nation or Treaty law, the Dawes Act, day to day curation, etc). And you could always go all CSI... either straight up forensic anthropology or with a combined degree in Anthropology and Forensics (there is a nice forensic program at SUNY Albany that would be perfect as an "add on" to an anthro degree). Like I said, a degree in Anthropology doesn't close doors. But it isn't a degree with a clear cut progression... you get to be creative and build your own future.
Oh, and what I realized was that I adore research and information. I'm going back to school to complete a library science degree. My ultimate goal is to work in an anthropological collection, like this one or in a more general research library that has an active anthropology collection (so most liberal arts colleges or research universities). MMMmmmm.... bliss!
Quote:
| From what my professor has said, it's possible to get a job as part of a team with a bachelors, with a masters you can teach at community college and work higher up within the team, and a phd is great, but unless you want to do your own research, you can make it just fine without one. |
I don't mean to discourage... I have a BA and an MA in anthropology and I LOVE anthro, I don't regret my choices... but it's important to go into this field with eyes open. Anthropology has lots of use outside of academia so if you're willing to be creative there are hundreds of options! I've worked in education, research, consulting, even graphic design all as a result of my anthro background. The military and various government agencies are always interested in anthropologists if you're ok with that sort of work (especially if you have a few languages too). Applied anthropology is in demand for corporations and international businesses, museums and law firms need anthropologists too (especially when dealing with First Nation or Treaty law, the Dawes Act, day to day curation, etc). And you could always go all CSI... either straight up forensic anthropology or with a combined degree in Anthropology and Forensics (there is a nice forensic program at SUNY Albany that would be perfect as an "add on" to an anthro degree). Like I said, a degree in Anthropology doesn't close doors. But it isn't a degree with a clear cut progression... you get to be creative and build your own future.
Oh, and what I realized was that I adore research and information. I'm going back to school to complete a library science degree. My ultimate goal is to work in an anthropological collection, like this one or in a more general research library that has an active anthropology collection (so most liberal arts colleges or research universities). MMMmmmm.... bliss!
I am soo excited and also VERY VERY nervous about the extra work and the senior thesis!
Gotta take history-for-all-freshmen that as a senior in anth, feels very 'yawn' in the way it's presented.
