What exactly does an anthropologist do, who hires them and is there much need for this kind of work?

Question

What exactly does an anthropologist do, who hires them and is there much need for this kind of work?

Answer 1

There are several different branches within the field of anthropology- Physical/Biological, Cultural, Linguistics, Archaeology, and Applied.  All of these subcategories have different career opportunities, and all are very very different.  The common thread is that they study human behavior/culture.  There is some really great books out there that define the career possibilities for anthropologists, but don't limit yourself only to traditional anthro careers either- almost every company out there can utilize an anthropologist in some way, but companies rarely advertise the need for an anthropologist on their staff!  You'll be hard-pressed to find a job advertised for ANTHROPOLOGIST on careerbuilder or monster.  Market yourself creatively!  For example, the product Go-Gurt was created by an anthropologist who studied moms on the go with young children and saw the need for a quick but nutritious snack.  My favorite professor in college once told me that any company will hire an anthropologist if the need is presented to the company- many execs just don't know that they need this type of skill to make their company better!

Answer 2

I found this site recently and it was interesting to me. http://money.cnn.com/2000/11/17/career/q...