Artifacts, mummies etc. i'm a high school student whose interested in a career

Question

i'm really interested in mummies and my favorite subject is history

and career choices?

how much would i make in my career?

i want an exciting career.

travel all around the world.

Answer 1

I have been a professional archaeologist for 21 years, and, like you, became interested in the field at a very young age.

There are many different answers to your question. If you want to earn a living doing archaeology, there are two routes that your career might take - you can either be a consultant or an academic (think college professor). To do either professionally, you will need, minimally, a Masters degree, and to teach full time at a university you will need a PhD.

Neither route is more challenging, realistically (I have done both), but even with all of the credentials in the world, getting a job in the academic world is very difficult and more a matter of luck than anything else. I generally do not recommend pursuing academic archaeology to people who are not independently wealthy. But either way, you will be in college for a fairly long time and finding a job after school may be more of a challenge than your professors say.

Egyptology is a separate, though related, field which has more to do with the study of ancient languages and classical history than contemporary forms of archaeology.

If archaeology as a whole interests you, then you should consider learning about how it is practiced in the private sector by consultants. The job oppurtunities for consultants are better, the variety of projects is wider, and there is simply more money in it.

Patience and the ability to travel are key to either path. But traveling around the world  and often is atypical.

Best of luck! I don't mean to sound discouraging - after all, if I have done it, so can you! And archaeology is a fun and very rewarding way of life. Be ready to work hard though, and don't expect everything to be as interesting as what you see on TV.

Answer 2

You are interested in history when Americans in general can't remember World War 2??  That is great.  

But how to make money off of it - and get lots of travel and fun and mummies and old bones and undiscovered tombs and secrets and stuff like that????  That part is tough - there's sure lots of jobs like that, but they're not easy to get.  People who do field work are dependent upon funders - donors - museums - National Geographic Society.  And to get that money you have to impress them somehow - write a little book - be a great speaker or actor.  

Answer 3

Egyptology: study of Ancient Egypt

Forensic Anthropology: physical anthropology (bones, anatomy, evolution, etc.) applied to mysterious death. This would broaden the field so you could work with mummies from all over the world.