What jobs can an archaeologist get?

Question

It has always been my childhood dream to become an archaeologist but the problem is I don't what jobs they can get and how much it pays.....etc

Thanks!

Answer 1

I'n not an archeologist but nobody else has answered your question so I'll give it a stab.

Of course the most obvious thing is a professor. You teach archeology to other students, and you study archeology in the field. This is probably the most interesting thing you can do, because you are discovering things about ancient civilizations while you work. Professors can get tenure (super job security) and make in the low six-figure range - although certainly lower to start.

Alternatively you can become an expert on a certain type of civilization and work in a museum or auction house. If you know Roman artifacts, for instance, there is a great need amongst collectors and wanna-be collectors to identify those objects. If you watch Antiques Roadshow you may get to see a couple. These guy's salary is all over the place. Somebody really famous guy who might be consulted for a Hollywood movie and serves as an expert at Christie's  might make seven figures, while some other guy might have to wait tables to make ends meet.

Below a PhD, a greatest need for archeologists is in crime. Usually people that perform major crimes such as murder do not leave a lot of evidence behind. Even if they do leave a lot of evidence behind, somebody has to document that evidence professionaly. It will be up to you to visit the crime scene, find artifacts (even if they are not ancient), and reconstruct the most likely events of the crime. I know the FBI has archeologists, and many police forces do as well. I recall some time ago they were looking for Jimmy Hoffa in Michigan and the FBI had two archeologists working the scene. Check out your county sherrif's office website and see what type of salary they offer. A master's degree and a decade of experience should get you at least $60 K per year.

There are also consulting jobs available, although in USA these are not so plentiful. It is rather important when building structures that you are not destroying important archeological evidence. For this reason archeologists are typically consulted to ensure that the proposed structure does not impact something like an Indian buriul ground. In Europe, the Middle East, or Asia this position is somewhat more important as there are many more archeological artifacts out there. Still, archeologists are used in construction to ensure that nothing important is being impacted. Consulting jobs pay all over the place. If you are an entry level guy, you will be lucky to make 18K a year. The senior partner will make six figures, and maybe seven.

And then of course there is the treasure hunter as well. I can't think that this is a very lucrative career, however, as it is generally illegal to remove artifacts from countries, and it must be rather difficult to get permits to do it legally. Given the proper permits, however, you might be able to dig up artifacts to sell on the general market. There's a treasure-hunting company in Florida that goes after sunken vessels - I have seen them go bankrupt at least twice.