How to become a professor archaeology?

Question

I would like to become a professor of archeology. I like to explore, and i love history. I looked all over the internet for a PROFESSOR of archeology, but all they had was a regular archaeologist. If you are a professor of archeology or just an archaeologist, would leave what you wish you would have known in your high school years. Thanks.

Answer 1

Well, I am a professor of music, so I can't say I know archaeology, but generally a professor is someone focused on conducting and publishing research.  There is an expectation that the person is an academic and has both read and written a substantial body of work on the subject.  While it is a helpful to also have some skills and background in education, it is not always required - in general, you want to have the kind of professional reputation that will bring recognition to a university - especially in the area of research (hopefully cutting-edge).  There really is not a set educational or professional path to getting there - it is more of a process in which you find your own interests and begin to share them through teaching.  Hope that helps!!  

Answer 2

Various versions of this question have come up many times recently.  You may want to do a search of resolved questions to see what others have said.

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.

You will also need to demonstrate that you can write well, get your work published, and drive a project from start to finish (the most difficult of these areas of experience).  

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.

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 opportunities 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.