People often believe that the position of an archaeologist is quite boring, outdated, and low-paid. Still, it is not true. This job involves a lot of responsibilities and duties and the ability to work in different working settings. Thus, dig locations are not the only place of work for these specialists.
In this article, you will learn how much the entry-level archaeologist can earn and what skills this specialist should possess. Relevant experience and skills are important to get this position, and the best resume editing services on Skillhub can share expert advice on how to stand out from the rest of the candidates.
We will tell more about this job to discover why it is listed in the top seven highly-paid positions in the field of science. Let’s start our discussion of the archaeologist position!
About the Job
Archaeology is the science related to studying prehistory and human history by excavation and further analysis of the artifacts. People often believe that the archaeologist’s job is only about digging and searching for new findings. But this job involves a variety of duties and responsibilities.
Archaeologists also work with historical documents to identify the potential dig locations. Also, they cooperate with other experts to make accurate assessments and discoveries of artifacts belonging to different historical periods.
Salary
The average salary of the archaeologist is $64,982 per year. Of course, it can depend on several reasons, such as the dig location, work settings, and the candidate’s experience. Still, the wage starts from $21,000 and can reach $132,000 per year.
If you are an entry-level specialist, you should be ready that your salary will probably be lower than the average one. But with appropriate training, experience, and degree, you will have a chance to build a successful career in this field.
Rankings
It belongs to the top 10 best science jobs for several reasons. First of all, it is highly paid. What is more, the unemployment risk is quite a law because archeologists are needed in a variety of work settings:
- Location at a dig site. Such locations are situated around the world, and archeologists have to travel a lot
- University. Archeologists also work in educational institutions as archeology professors. It is also possible to combine the role of an educator with an archeologist at a dig location
- Museum. Thus specialists are also in demand in museums. In this position, they analyze and verify the items in the collections, describe the artifacts, as well as produce scripts for presentations and tours
- Laboratory settings. In this case, the responsibilities will be the following: assessing the recovered artifacts and performing the analysis
- Private companies. Finally, archeologists can work in the office and consult with modern and historical records to decide whether the location or site contains important artifacts.
Why Is It Highly Paid?
This job is highly-paid for several reasons. According to some rankings, an archeologist has an 8 of 10 stress score and a 6 of 10 job market demand score. It is quite stressful, and archeologists often work overtime. So, this job position predisposes quite a high wage.
Main Job Responsibilities
Archeologists have various duties and responsibilities. Here, you can find a list of the most common ones:
- Conducting excavations with different tools
- Performing research, evaluation, and testing of artifacts
- Washing and labeling artifacts
- Maintaining the inventories
- Conducting computer-generated simulations and assessments to create the examples of certain civilizations or historical structures
- Collecting data related to collected artifacts in a database
- Writing reports and academic papers to share information about the artifacts
- Coordinating with experts in the region to increase the accuracy of the assessments
- Consulting with the team about regulations and laws related to cultural resource issues
- Making presentations and scripts for the public about the artifacts or museum collections.
What Do You Need to Become an Archeologist?
If you want to become an entry-level specialist, you will need to get a Bachelor’s degree. Still, if you want to build a successful career path as an archeologist, a Master’s or Ph.D. degree will be required in this case.
Main Entry-Level Specialist Requirements:
- Undergraduate degree in this or related area
- Participation in a dig
Common Archaeologist Job Position Requirements:
- Advanced degree in this field
- Participation in digs
- Joining archeological associations
- Creating a resume
Thus, earning a Master’s degree will be helpful to advance beyond entry-level positions, while a doctoral degree is necessary to participate in international projects or work as a museum curator or university professor.
What Skills Do You Need to Get this Job?
The candidate for the position of the archaeologist (even the entry-level specialist) should possess certain skills to correspond to the employer’s requirements:
- Attention to detail
- Physical strength
- Inquisitive nature
- Technological skills
- Historical knowledge
- Leadership
- Communication
Among other skills related to this position are the following ones:
- Communication skills. Archaeologists should have perfect writing and verbal communication skills because they often present their work to the public;
- Critical thinking. Reasoning and the ability to solve problems are quite important to make decisions in critical moments;
- Active learning. These specialists should be ready to learn smth new all the time. This will help in the research of the new findings.
Final Words
The archaeologist position belongs to the top 70 highly-paid jobs in the scientific field. If you are an entry-level specialist, you need to consider that the undergraduate level is not enough to build a successful career path. To earn more, you need to have a lot of experience, a Master’s or Ph.D. degree, and a list of relevant skills. If you need any help on the creating stage you can always find the info on resumegenius.
