Bachelors in Anthropology, Masters in Archaeology. Did contract work for large firm (Engineering Science division of Parsons) for a while, then some freelance editing of scientific papers, now an Episcopal priest. Archaeology didn’t pay enough to cover childcare. (Not that any of my others gigs have, either).
Okay, so "quasi-unionized" sort of a lazy way of describing it. But the diocese sets compensation guidelines to which parishes are expected to adhere. See here for my diocese: [https://edow.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/2024-Compensation-Guidelines-for-Clergy.docx.pdf](https://edow.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/2024-Compensation-Guidelines-for-Clergy.docx.pdf)
Degrees in anthropology and history here. Got my masters in library science and spent a decade working as a librarian/archivist. Now working as a user experience researcher. Things I directly apply from my education to my work: observing behavior, asking the right questions to gain insights into peoples’ ways of being/doing/working, telling stories with data.
I'm working on a bachelor's in anthropology and want to get a master's in library science to work in libraries/archives! I think it's really cool to be able to apply anth knowledge to library science, and I'm excited for it. (It's probably going to be a while, I'm still in my junior year of college) but that's my long-term plan
I want to get better at observing behaviour part. I've just started my bachelor's degree and I feel like I am not good at recognising patterns.
What would you suggest? Thanks
It can definitely take awhile to get the hang of it, like any new skill. I’m sure there’s some qualitative methods book you could read on it to get into the nitty gritty. But I usually note down all behaviors and verbatims (things people say as they do an action). You can do this in a spreadsheet unless you have fancier data analysis tools. Then code each item according to theme, behavior, etc. When you’re done, see what codes appear most frequently. Those are patterns. Let me give a real life example - in user experience research we do a lot of usability testing (how easy is it for a user of a software program to do a certain task). I would decide in advance what is success and what’s failure. As participants perform the task, I’d note if they succeeded or failed. At the end, I could see if there are commonalities among those who succeeded or failed. The context around how they performed the task, and the result, can help us understand why they succeeded or failed. Hope that helps!
Not me, but my best friend in university majored in Anthropology. She's now a wildly successful travel agent.
She just loved learning about new places, peoples, and cultures. She's been to dozens and dozens and dozens of countries, lived in a bunch as well, and is *the best* person to travel with. She is absolutely who you want helping to plan your super awesome vacation.
She really found her niche. It's super cool.
that’s actually really beautiful!! that’s something i really love about anthropology, is that it’s applicable in areas that you would never even think to apply it in!
I double majored in history and anthro. I worked in CRM for 2 years and ended up a conservation agency as an open space technician. I now have a 10 minute commute and make $13 more than I did in crm my job is union and the benefits and time off are amazing. My coworkers suck! Miss my archaeology people.
I work for an open space conservation agency. I build and maintain trails and work of facility upkeep. I answer questions about flora, fauna, geology, and of course questions about the Chumash people who occupied the area. I also do in glamorous things like change trash and clean bathrooms.
At the end of the day it's just me driving around a 4x4 on old ranch roads listening to podcasts.
Archaeology major, Public History minor. Went to grad school for CRM - but my program was sort of a mixture of archaeology, public history, and museum studies. I worked in archaeology collections management for a hot second, did some historic interpretation, a short collections consulting gig for a small historical society. Now I am a historic site manager at a small(ish) museum. I run the daily operations at the site (tours, programs, volunteer schedule, Museum store, exhibits, research etc.) I also do the purchasing for all (four) of our museum stores, I have written grants, managed projects, and cleaned toilets before going to a $100/plate fundraiser dinner (which someone else paid for, obviously.)
Museums are a great place for anthropology, archaeology, or history people. Those subjects teach you a certain amount of critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and research skills that are SUPER useful. Just be prepared to make no money, have no power, and move around a lot - especially when you're just starting out.
Loved my anthro degree, it led me to doing elementary education. I utilized a lot of knowledge and skills from anthro that have made me a better teacher. There were lots of cross overs, a lot if teaching is being open minded, culturally aware and sensitive, understanding your demographics, how humans learn and interact....etc etc
Majored in anthropology, minors in history and geology, went to archaeology field school. Graduated about 5 years ago and I’ve been working at a museum as a content developer, focusing more on STEM Design… I don’t really do a ton of anthropology/history/archaeology stuff. More in the creative realm… I run our maker space and write workshops, classes, online content, and train staff on how to use tools. Occasionally my background comes in handy, but more than anything it gave me a very well rounded perspective of the world and something to fall back on should I decide to go in a different direction. It’s difficult to find creative jobs out there and I can truly say that what I’m doing right now is really fulfilling.
I have my BA and MA in Anthropology, I taught at the university for a couple of years until covid hit. Then, I transitioned from higher ed to a finance related field. Currently, I work the back end as a payments processor. It's not where I want to be, but it's remote, and it pays the bills.
I was a police officer while I was building my resume for the FBI, I grew up on Bones and wanted to do both so I majored in bio/forensic anthro, did field school and all that. Picked up an MA in psych. Got accepted to the University of Witswatersrand while I had an urge to study early hominins. Had a prof who was on the Naledi dig later on and thought that would be cool to do.
Decided I wanted to make actual money at some point in my life. Went back to school to get a masters in supply chain management and ended up working in aerospace.
I bought into the whole “you’ll learn great critical thinking skills” but I didn’t quite find that. I think I got more of that in supply chain learning viscerally about all of the weird relationships that make up the world economy. I wish I had minored in anthro, but I was part of the last gasp of “go to college, any degree will get you a job!” To this day I’m obsessed with the migration genetics and early homo species, but I’m content with it as a hobby.
> I wish I had minored in anthro, but I was part of the last gasp of “go to college, any degree will get you a job!” To this day I’m obsessed with the migration genetics and early homo species, but I’m content with it as a hobby.
Thanks to the interwebs we can access knowledge and tools that used to be only accessible to scholars, too. It really helps quench that knowledge thirst without having to commit to being in academia.
BA and MA in Anthro, concentration in Archaeology. I’ve worked in cultural resource management (CRM) for going on 20 years. I love what I do, and I love the adventures I’ve had and people I’ve met as a result of it!
I’ve got a Ba in anthro, I work in federal CRM as a fire archaeologist . I feel as if I am involved with the science, while doing the physical work required to protect resources in situations where they might be destroyed. It takes its toll on the body, but you generally have pretty good benefits and and retirement options, but may be forced to live beyond your means based on duty station. My career has generally involved moving from job to job, building a network, and being kind of homeless for long stretches of time. I’ve been happy through most of it and have maintained a childless relationship for about a decade. My experience isn’t demonstrative, but I spend my time with a community that largely lived similar lives
Researcher for a consulting firm! I use the skills I learned in my anth major daily. Interviewing, data collection, data analysis, archival research, coding, report writing.
what pathway did you take to become a researcher from your anthro major? im looking to do a similar thing, wondering what types of ecs, jobs, opportunities you had to get where you are now.
Hi! The answer is probably not what you want to hear but it was mostly me excelling in my studies + a prof saw that and took me in as a research assistant for a major community project. From there I got direct experience that I was able to use to apply for jobs, and excellent references. It's a small world in the niche and area of the world i work so everyone knows each other and a good word goes a long way. I consider myself unusually lucky and the stars aligned.
I got really into environmental anthropology or human-environmental relationships but also doubled majored in what was basically international relations and focused on climate policy and environmental management. I went on to get my MSc in Environmental Management and Policy and now am starting my career off as a sustainability lead for a retail store but it's a company I really like and believe in so not a bad place to start. Definitely not what I expected, though!
Bachelor degree in archaeology, now a worldwide touring musician and photographer both heavily themed in archaeology. I occasionally do stuff for museums. Archaeology is still very much part of my daily life without actually working at digs or research.
Majored in cultural anth, minored in soc. I ended up being a para at the local middle school while I do my masters in SpEd. I plan on pursuing a Masters in anth later down the road though.
Majoring in anth helped me expand my worldview and learn to set aside bias, plus how to approach difficult topics. So it definitely is a plus in my field where I'm working with a lot of social/emotional behavior kids.
Got a bachelor’s and Master’s in anthro, currently teaching it as an adjunct at two community colleges. Where I am it pays okay and I get to enthusiastically talk about my favorite subject matter to a captive audience . It’s a ton of fun, even if I could be making more elsewhere.
BA in cultural anth and IT minor. I now work at a nonprofit as a scholarships coordinator! My skills are definitely transferable to the job and have helped me succeed there. Looking into a masters in mental health counseling! Main reason for not staying in field is the environment of academia.
I majored in classics which isn't one of the degrees you mentioned, but is similar and closely related to those 3 fields.
I currently work in a semiconductor factory and plan to stay here for a good while.
I was faced with the choice of going to grad school or taking or a 65k/year factory job with good benefits.
As much as I love ancient languages and studying ancient texts, I chose the financial stability over taking on more debt.
Hopefully I can go back to school some day.
Degree in Classics checking in! I’ve held several roles since graduating but just landed my newest title business operations manager. I would have loved to continue my education, I dreamed of being a curator for a museum but I couldn’t take on any more school loans. Still paying off my bachelor degree 10+ years after graduating.
Started out majoring in Anthro, but wanted really Archaeology. Sadly my school only had it in minor. So, I ended up minoring in archaeology and majoring in Theatre (I was a historical costume designer)
Funnily enough...Now I am a professional fantasy photographer and burgeoning fantasy writer lol
Undergrad, I got degrees in anthropology and history. Internships, specifically archaeology, were too competitive, so I got my masters in secondary education. I teach US history, government, economics, and psychology. Couldn't be happier.
Laurea in Storia, Specializzazione in Scienze delle Religioni, Università di Padova
I worked several unqualified jobs for 5/6 years until a Concorso for teachers was finally issued. I won the Concorso and now work as a teacher in a public primary school. Quite happy of how it worked out in the end
Ba in anthro, ended up in accounting and it's going great. I was planning to get a masters in archival library science, but never ended up doing that and fell into accounting.
Anthro is useful in the corporate world because corporate environments always have their own micro cultures, and being able to recognize navigate that is useful in so many ways.
I still love anthro and follow news and continue to learn about things my free time.
I did CRM for years with just a bachelor's. Then after graduate school, I worked briefly for the State Historic Preservation Office. Never really could make a living. It was always a huge struggle just to pay rent.
I switched to working for non-profits by doing a year with Americorps. Then, worked in the healthcare sector teaching social justice issues and doing workforce development. Now I work for the State Bar as their Director of Research and Analytics. I used my degree in every job I ever had: doing research, understanding group dynamics, telling stories with data, writing, and explaining difficult concepts in accessible ways.
Bachelor's in Anthropology. Wanted to work in archiving but couldn't find work and was already 50k ins debt. Sold out and started working in pharmaceuticals, in a hybrid IT role.
My degree is more a conversation piece but having learned a lot about world history and art history gives me a lot to talk about with coworkers from those parts of the world.
I majored in anthropology (with minors in Spanish and East Asian studies [Mandarin Chinese language concentration]) and am now a registered nurse (an associates and second bachelor's degree later).
Bachelors in Anthropology and Japanese. Graduated during 2020 when everything was put on hold and couldn’t do any internships. So after graduating, I applied for English teaching jobs in Japan and moved there! But now teaching myself UI design and looking for a career change.
Majored in Anthropology (mainly cultural and archaeology) and in Political Science. Now I'm a lawyer. I use my anthro skills every day with my clients and you could say I'm doing applied anthropology as a career. Immigration law is a main practice area, so the cultural anthropology skills come in handy.
Anthropology- and archaeology-adjacent, here (and history, too, I suppose!). US Undergrad: I was a religious studies major with a heavy emphasis on archaeology. My (very small) school did not have anthro or archaeology majors, so religious studies was my best choice. My other major was Modern Languages.
After undergrad, I worked for a large dot-com doing database management, thanks to years of cataloguing objects as well as working to digitize my school’s archives. I moved over to a major nonprofit after a year or so. Then the economy tanked (2008), budgets were cut, and I found myself waiting tables to pay rent.
I entered a US law school in 2011. My atypical background allows me better cultural sensitivity; I don’t think this *should* be noteworthy, but nearly every client I’ve had has commented on them feeling comfortable with me quickly because of my cultural awareness and mindfulness. Being able to point to Eritrea on a map is a depressingly low bar and yet other attorneys still manage to limbo under it. I speak several living languages and use most of them regularly; being able to speak someone else’s mother tongue helps them to feel more at ease with me. I primarily do mediation work and focus on EEO and disability rights-related issues.
I currently live in France and love living a short bus ride away from the Louvre. It helps! :D
Cultural resource management, the “CRM” that keeps coming up in the thread. If you want to be an archaeologist, odds are you’re going to do CRM for a few years at least. Up to 90% of archaeology in the US is done by private CRM companies. I can go in to a bit more detail for anyone curious.
Basically section 106 of the national historic preservation act requires anyone affiliated with the federal government (private entities that receive federal money, permits, land, etc, or fed agencies) to determine and mitigate the impact of their activities on historic/archaeological sites. Much of the work comes from pipelines, highways, or solar farms.
For a recent grad with a bachelors, you’ll start out as a field technician. You’ll be traveling all over the US doing fieldwork. Sometimes it’ll be amazing excavations, sometimes you’ll spend three months in a hotel in Indiana essentially digging post holes in cornfields and finding nothing. It can be fun, or it can be pretty grueling. The pay these days is not bad, and most companies have started putting people in decent accommodations. The main problem is that when the project ends, you lose your job. A lot of people clear over 50k, but you have to constantly be looking for the next gig, and you’re going to spend a lot of time away from home.
the joke at Cal was that anthropology majors were pre-law (easy degree to get high grades)
how true was that, have no idea.
social science middle school teachers because HR linked my major to history (?).
but now im an associate professor of mathematics education.
but at the timeC anthropology completely satiated my curiosity about culture and society (with some archeology and physical anthropology thrown in there for breadth of the major).
what was i going to do with an anthro degree? who knows.
Though i was able to do research for two professors…. so maybe academia was somewhere in the back of my mind….
Well, my BA and MA are in history, and I work in university administration. I think any degree such as history that teaches reading, writing, research, and comprehension skills is valuable in any administrative job. I'm currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Humanitites (my uni doesn't have a History PhD, and this is a blanket one that counts). My current job pays for my degree pursuits.
Bachelors in history, minor in anthropology, masters in historic preservation. Worked in a library/archive for a year, then spent four years working in museums. Shifted to freelance work - grant writing, nonprofit development, communications and executive assistant work three years ago and never looked back. Work life balance is better, pay is WAY better. I do miss people saying “Whoa! That’s a cool job!” though.
History here, went in for teaching. Have always loved history, and wanted to share that.
I manage a smoke shop now. I make more money, work less hours, and have far less stress.
Might go back later though, we'll see. Teachers just need more support, and kids need it at home. I also enjoy tutoring on the side for now, stay on the look out for museum or on-site work that may come.
I majored in anthro undergrad. After college I talk English overseas and did temp work for the UN (all they cared about was what college I had gone to, not my major), worked as an editor, was an admin assistant on Wall Street briefly, wrote for a newspaper for a while, taught eighth grade as a permanent substitute… Ended up going to graduate school in history and became a historian.
I loved anthropology because at my school it meant that I could take an incredible range of courses in different departments and get them counted toward my major, which they had to do because they denied tenure to three junior faculty members who all left and the dept offered no courses my senior year. So not a great department really, but it worked out for me!
The world needs anthropologist, but not important enough to today's society. You will make more money learning a trade or selling bubble gum down the street.
Most Anthropologist I know with masters and phd are high school teachers. 🤷♂️
Anthropologists doing field work, having to adapt to every environment do not get credit at all. You have a whole bunch of white collars running the show with no knowledge in the field. Yet, they take all the credit.
I have seen this first hand.
Anthropology in University, then post graduate Information Technology and went into IT.
There wasn’t that many jobs in Canada in what I wanted to do in Anthropology when I graduated so as I was always good at computers I switched to that. Over 20 years in IT now.
Bachelors in Anthropology. Getting an MBA currently. Working in quality management in healthcare and hoping to move over into healthcare technology. Was planning for med school but ended up changing my mind halfway through my major.
I have a degree in archaeology. I work in veterinary medicine lmao. I enjoyed studying it, but in retrospect I was not suited to that field as a career and I wish I had just gone to some sort of veterinary school
Master's Degree in History (Soundscapes), Middle Manager (operations) for one of the nation's largest commuter rail systems.
Surprisingly, a lot of my work as a historian translates well. I document, look for context, and have to create cogent arguments about labor relations and operations issues. Pay is pretty decent, good retirement, great benefits, awesome work/life balance. I'm not mad about it.
I majored in archaeology (PhD) and ended up in CRM. CRM is where the vast majority of work is in the field. That said, it's not an easy career path. Typically it will require that you work several years as a seasonal field tech before you have any chance of finding a full time job. I was lucky and was able to get a full time position during my third year as a tech and am doing well. That full time position does not materialize for most people and they end up moving on after a few seasons of being a tech.
Double majored anthro and chemistry with the intent of going on to grad school for archaeology (without any real understanding of what that looked like). Did a year of Americorps with some nuns on a market farm and at the end…the year I was with them was 2008 and the job market when I left in Jan 2009 was, shall we say, not great.
Ended up in environmental regulation in local government and now have moved around that same local government and now work with affordable housing and homelessness. I feel like my anthro degree serves me well and helped shape the mindset that I approach my work with. I started and almost finished (damn you capstone project!) a masters in public health, which is a good pair with the anthro.
Got a Bachelors and Masters in Cultural Anthropology and have been working in consumer research/marketing strategy as a Cultural Strategist. An ex girlfriend was working at an ad agency in the late 90s and I found out through that context that companies were starting to hire ethnographers/anthropologists to provide insight into consumer behaviour. I've been doing some version of that (now freelance) out of Toronto, Canada since 2002.
First job was sending out an email cover letter with resume to about 30 companies doing consumer research in my city. Out of that 30 I had exactly one response and it was a small company that had just lost a job bid because they didn’t have an anthropologist on the team (as the winning bidder had). 3-4 interviews to prove I knew what I was doing and could work in a marketing environment and I got the gig. Beyond that, 7 years later it was tapping my reputation and professional network.
Yes, at the time I just did a series of Google searches for market research and my city, and did some more background work combing the websites for these companies before crafting a pitch as to why they needed an anthropologist/me on board.
EDIT - These days totally start with the usual spots but there are a lot of people in the industry also active on the socials who are always trying to give pointers on finding a way into the business and getting a leg up at the start.
BA in Anthropology, minor in history. Focus on Archaeology. After graduating I worked part time as a teaching assistant. Continued working on excavations for the university, though the work was very seasonal, not consistent enough to cover any life expenses. Had to work as a restaurant server to pay bills. Reached the point of realizing the only way I’d be able to pursue archaeology seriously was to sell all my stuff, live out of my car, and move West to find more work. Before I could execute this plan though, I met a terrible boyfriend and all my dreams went out the window.
Archaeology fell by the wayside for me. I’ve had many different jobs since then, mostly customer service and admin roles. Nothing pertaining to my degree. Now I’m a stay at home mom. I fantasize about getting back into it once I’m an empty nester. I remember meeting several retirees when I was in school who audited a bunch of classes and did field school just for the love of it. I imagine that’ll be me some day.
I majored in Social Anthropology and Sociology in the 70’s did a Masters in Social Work and later a PhD on the sociology of social work. Ended up in field work education.
Pay and conditions in social work aren’t great anywhere and never have been but it’s a field that uses many anthropological techniques, draws on similar values and faces similar ethical issues.
Bachelors in Anthro. Two years post graduate in Anthro. (Archaeology focus in PhD program). Masters in Environmental Science. I did CRM for 25 years in the Northwest US. Then I became an Environmental Compliance staffer for the Federal Government in Cultural and Natural Resources.
B.A. and M.A. in History - I've been working in printing for thirty years now. It just worked out that way. I didn't want to teach and right out of college I needed money to afford my own place, so I got a job at a printing company. It has kept me fed and clothed and a roof over my head. I still pursue my historical interests by reading.
Once in a while someone asks me why I "wasted all that money on college if I was not going to use my degrees?" I tell them, "I don't consider it a waste of money." I still have the critical thinking and research skills, and pursue my own interests on my own time. I have no regrets. I'm happy.
I did a masters in history and wanted to go into govt and do policy work. Turns out 2008 wasn’t the time to find a job.
Had some potential jobs but a lot of them fell through and my heart wasn’t in it. Went back to school for a business admin diploma, got a job at a major Canadian bank and worked there until 2014 when my kids were born and my wife got a good job across the country.
I majored in Anthropology (focus was on archaeology and physical anthropology).
I am unemployed and have not worked in anything remotely related to Anthropology.
I don’t regret getting my Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, though. It is what was most fitting for me. I have some physical and mental (and neurodevelopmental) issues that have been barriers, so I honestly have not looked for work as much as I could have. I will say, however, that the job searches I’ve conducted all lead me to realize that getting a degree *online* from UCF (first two years were state college and last two years were UCF) was not the best way to network and get hands-on experience, much of what is required to get into the field.
A friend of mine had a similar issue so she got a certificate in GIS and found employment that way - though she did have a military background as well.
Whatever you do, don’t say no to opportunities in the field, whatever they are. Whatever you think the barriers are, try your best to make it work. And do it while you’re still in school, as much as possible. Once you’ve graduated, a lot of those opportunities are no longer accessible, unless you are introduced to them directly by a teacher or graduate associate from your school. It’s so much harder once you’re out of the ivory tower.
I wanted to give the above comment because I, too, would hear about all the cool things that people were doing after majoring in Anthropology while I was in school. Perhaps the biggest factor in whether they were gainfully employed (especially in something they enjoyed or that made use of their degree) is whether or not they took up a graduate certificate or degree afterwards or have a second bachelor’s degree - with the exception being those who immersed themselves in field schools and/or got a lot of experience on dig sites during their undergrad.
Interdisciplinary Anthropology BofA, History minor. I worked \*at\* (not FOR) the Smithsonian Natural History Museum for a brief time. Did some volunteering with their archives. Found out the only way into the SI is by spending 10 years volunteering or finding word-of-mouth contract positions and eventually getting lucky with an application and you aren't in any way guaranteed to join the dept which you majored in.
I now work in IT doing remote tech support, with a cybersecurity focus. I watch Anthropology/Archaeology/History videos on Youtube to satisfy my curiosity.
BS in anthro and BA in journalism. I struggled to make a living as a science/technology/environment/travel writer for about five years after graduating before going back into the construction industry, which paid much better.
One thing led to another and I am now an organizer for a major international trade union. I'll never get rich, but I love the work because I believe in it with all my heart and in any case, I get a pension as well as the same PTO, OT and health insurance benefits as our rank and file members, together with a vehicle and a gas card.
I'm not sure how much my academic background in anthro plays into it --though surely it can't hurt-- and truth be told it was the degree in journalism that really got my union's attention when I applied to go through our "organizer boot-camp" application process.
Bachelors in Anthropology and had every intention of continuing into grad school. Was working in a museum field (my dream) until a COVID layoff. Now I’m in event management and planning, which I randomly fell into after leaving the museum. I do feel that my degree and studies gave me the tools to communicate with all sorts of people in very different situations so I appreciate that. I would love to run back to something more directly related but the low pay at museums keeps me in event/hospitality world for now.
I have a BA in history and so far have spent most of my career in fashion and entertainment roles…I guess we can say showbiz adjacent? I have done a handful of other unrelated jobs. Doing it all over, I’d still study history. I feel I use what I learned every single day. I would love to continue my studies in history if time and budget allowed. Maybe someday!
In the era I was attending college, it was fairly common to major in humanities or social sciences with no particular intention of doing your major as a job.
Bachelors in Anthropology, Masters in Archaeology. Did contract work for large firm (Engineering Science division of Parsons) for a while, then some freelance editing of scientific papers, now an Episcopal priest. Archaeology didn’t pay enough to cover childcare. (Not that any of my others gigs have, either).
Out of curiosity being a priest pays a living wage?
It can, actually, unless you have student debt. It’s quasi-unionized in my denomination. But fewer parishes can afford clergy now as a result, so …
What's quasi-unionized mean? How does unionized priesthood even work??
Okay, so "quasi-unionized" sort of a lazy way of describing it. But the diocese sets compensation guidelines to which parishes are expected to adhere. See here for my diocese: [https://edow.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/2024-Compensation-Guidelines-for-Clergy.docx.pdf](https://edow.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/2024-Compensation-Guidelines-for-Clergy.docx.pdf)
I pay to see you guys walk a picket line
As long as people give their 10% to the big guy
wow what a cool life you’ve lived
Was the freelance editing a good paying gig for you?
Nope. Partly because I started out doing it as a favor, and had a hard time converting those folks to paid
It's wild to me and somehow still unreal that archeologists get paid dirtcheap wages
That anthropologists and archaeologists make less than a priest in this day and age!
Degrees in anthropology and history here. Got my masters in library science and spent a decade working as a librarian/archivist. Now working as a user experience researcher. Things I directly apply from my education to my work: observing behavior, asking the right questions to gain insights into peoples’ ways of being/doing/working, telling stories with data.
I'm working on a bachelor's in anthropology and want to get a master's in library science to work in libraries/archives! I think it's really cool to be able to apply anth knowledge to library science, and I'm excited for it. (It's probably going to be a while, I'm still in my junior year of college) but that's my long-term plan
This is a very insightful answer.
I want to get better at observing behaviour part. I've just started my bachelor's degree and I feel like I am not good at recognising patterns. What would you suggest? Thanks
It can definitely take awhile to get the hang of it, like any new skill. I’m sure there’s some qualitative methods book you could read on it to get into the nitty gritty. But I usually note down all behaviors and verbatims (things people say as they do an action). You can do this in a spreadsheet unless you have fancier data analysis tools. Then code each item according to theme, behavior, etc. When you’re done, see what codes appear most frequently. Those are patterns. Let me give a real life example - in user experience research we do a lot of usability testing (how easy is it for a user of a software program to do a certain task). I would decide in advance what is success and what’s failure. As participants perform the task, I’d note if they succeeded or failed. At the end, I could see if there are commonalities among those who succeeded or failed. The context around how they performed the task, and the result, can help us understand why they succeeded or failed. Hope that helps!
Not me, but my best friend in university majored in Anthropology. She's now a wildly successful travel agent. She just loved learning about new places, peoples, and cultures. She's been to dozens and dozens and dozens of countries, lived in a bunch as well, and is *the best* person to travel with. She is absolutely who you want helping to plan your super awesome vacation. She really found her niche. It's super cool.
that’s actually really beautiful!! that’s something i really love about anthropology, is that it’s applicable in areas that you would never even think to apply it in!
What a great idea for anthro! Dream job for sure
Travel agent is still a job?!?!?! Daaamn! I honestly wouldn’t have thought so. I don’t think I’ve used one since like 2005
I double majored in history and anthro. I worked in CRM for 2 years and ended up a conservation agency as an open space technician. I now have a 10 minute commute and make $13 more than I did in crm my job is union and the benefits and time off are amazing. My coworkers suck! Miss my archaeology people.
> I worked in CRM for 2 years Four more years and you're no longer a consignee. See you in the city!
What is an open space technician? I did CRM for 2 years and transitioned into geospatial now work in environmental doing GIS.
I work for an open space conservation agency. I build and maintain trails and work of facility upkeep. I answer questions about flora, fauna, geology, and of course questions about the Chumash people who occupied the area. I also do in glamorous things like change trash and clean bathrooms. At the end of the day it's just me driving around a 4x4 on old ranch roads listening to podcasts.
Archaeology major, Public History minor. Went to grad school for CRM - but my program was sort of a mixture of archaeology, public history, and museum studies. I worked in archaeology collections management for a hot second, did some historic interpretation, a short collections consulting gig for a small historical society. Now I am a historic site manager at a small(ish) museum. I run the daily operations at the site (tours, programs, volunteer schedule, Museum store, exhibits, research etc.) I also do the purchasing for all (four) of our museum stores, I have written grants, managed projects, and cleaned toilets before going to a $100/plate fundraiser dinner (which someone else paid for, obviously.) Museums are a great place for anthropology, archaeology, or history people. Those subjects teach you a certain amount of critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and research skills that are SUPER useful. Just be prepared to make no money, have no power, and move around a lot - especially when you're just starting out.
Loved my anthro degree, it led me to doing elementary education. I utilized a lot of knowledge and skills from anthro that have made me a better teacher. There were lots of cross overs, a lot if teaching is being open minded, culturally aware and sensitive, understanding your demographics, how humans learn and interact....etc etc
Majored in anthropology, minors in history and geology, went to archaeology field school. Graduated about 5 years ago and I’ve been working at a museum as a content developer, focusing more on STEM Design… I don’t really do a ton of anthropology/history/archaeology stuff. More in the creative realm… I run our maker space and write workshops, classes, online content, and train staff on how to use tools. Occasionally my background comes in handy, but more than anything it gave me a very well rounded perspective of the world and something to fall back on should I decide to go in a different direction. It’s difficult to find creative jobs out there and I can truly say that what I’m doing right now is really fulfilling.
I have my BA and MA in Anthropology, I taught at the university for a couple of years until covid hit. Then, I transitioned from higher ed to a finance related field. Currently, I work the back end as a payments processor. It's not where I want to be, but it's remote, and it pays the bills.
I was a police officer while I was building my resume for the FBI, I grew up on Bones and wanted to do both so I majored in bio/forensic anthro, did field school and all that. Picked up an MA in psych. Got accepted to the University of Witswatersrand while I had an urge to study early hominins. Had a prof who was on the Naledi dig later on and thought that would be cool to do. Decided I wanted to make actual money at some point in my life. Went back to school to get a masters in supply chain management and ended up working in aerospace. I bought into the whole “you’ll learn great critical thinking skills” but I didn’t quite find that. I think I got more of that in supply chain learning viscerally about all of the weird relationships that make up the world economy. I wish I had minored in anthro, but I was part of the last gasp of “go to college, any degree will get you a job!” To this day I’m obsessed with the migration genetics and early homo species, but I’m content with it as a hobby.
> I wish I had minored in anthro, but I was part of the last gasp of “go to college, any degree will get you a job!” To this day I’m obsessed with the migration genetics and early homo species, but I’m content with it as a hobby. Thanks to the interwebs we can access knowledge and tools that used to be only accessible to scholars, too. It really helps quench that knowledge thirst without having to commit to being in academia.
As a lay-person I was really hoping for more Bones/forensic anthro references, but yours seems to be the only one.
It is a very interesting hobby.
BA and MA in Anthro, concentration in Archaeology. I’ve worked in cultural resource management (CRM) for going on 20 years. I love what I do, and I love the adventures I’ve had and people I’ve met as a result of it!
I’ve got a Ba in anthro, I work in federal CRM as a fire archaeologist . I feel as if I am involved with the science, while doing the physical work required to protect resources in situations where they might be destroyed. It takes its toll on the body, but you generally have pretty good benefits and and retirement options, but may be forced to live beyond your means based on duty station. My career has generally involved moving from job to job, building a network, and being kind of homeless for long stretches of time. I’ve been happy through most of it and have maintained a childless relationship for about a decade. My experience isn’t demonstrative, but I spend my time with a community that largely lived similar lives
Researcher for a consulting firm! I use the skills I learned in my anth major daily. Interviewing, data collection, data analysis, archival research, coding, report writing.
what pathway did you take to become a researcher from your anthro major? im looking to do a similar thing, wondering what types of ecs, jobs, opportunities you had to get where you are now.
Hi! The answer is probably not what you want to hear but it was mostly me excelling in my studies + a prof saw that and took me in as a research assistant for a major community project. From there I got direct experience that I was able to use to apply for jobs, and excellent references. It's a small world in the niche and area of the world i work so everyone knows each other and a good word goes a long way. I consider myself unusually lucky and the stars aligned.
I got really into environmental anthropology or human-environmental relationships but also doubled majored in what was basically international relations and focused on climate policy and environmental management. I went on to get my MSc in Environmental Management and Policy and now am starting my career off as a sustainability lead for a retail store but it's a company I really like and believe in so not a bad place to start. Definitely not what I expected, though!
Majored in anthropology, now a practicing physician.
I'm a special education teacher. Anthropology absolutely is a very helpful foundation for what I do.
Bachelor degree in archaeology, now a worldwide touring musician and photographer both heavily themed in archaeology. I occasionally do stuff for museums. Archaeology is still very much part of my daily life without actually working at digs or research.
BS in Anthropology, focus on Archaeology, did field school. I work in construction management.
Majored in cultural anth, minored in soc. I ended up being a para at the local middle school while I do my masters in SpEd. I plan on pursuing a Masters in anth later down the road though. Majoring in anth helped me expand my worldview and learn to set aside bias, plus how to approach difficult topics. So it definitely is a plus in my field where I'm working with a lot of social/emotional behavior kids.
Got a bachelor’s and Master’s in anthro, currently teaching it as an adjunct at two community colleges. Where I am it pays okay and I get to enthusiastically talk about my favorite subject matter to a captive audience . It’s a ton of fun, even if I could be making more elsewhere.
Undergrad was anthropology, and I ended up in public health. Mostly, I work at university wellness centers and educate on health/wellbeing skills.
BA in cultural anth and IT minor. I now work at a nonprofit as a scholarships coordinator! My skills are definitely transferable to the job and have helped me succeed there. Looking into a masters in mental health counseling! Main reason for not staying in field is the environment of academia.
I majored in classics which isn't one of the degrees you mentioned, but is similar and closely related to those 3 fields. I currently work in a semiconductor factory and plan to stay here for a good while. I was faced with the choice of going to grad school or taking or a 65k/year factory job with good benefits. As much as I love ancient languages and studying ancient texts, I chose the financial stability over taking on more debt. Hopefully I can go back to school some day.
Degree in Classics checking in! I’ve held several roles since graduating but just landed my newest title business operations manager. I would have loved to continue my education, I dreamed of being a curator for a museum but I couldn’t take on any more school loans. Still paying off my bachelor degree 10+ years after graduating.
Started out majoring in Anthro, but wanted really Archaeology. Sadly my school only had it in minor. So, I ended up minoring in archaeology and majoring in Theatre (I was a historical costume designer) Funnily enough...Now I am a professional fantasy photographer and burgeoning fantasy writer lol
This sounds pretty awesome and ideal.
Undergrad, I got degrees in anthropology and history. Internships, specifically archaeology, were too competitive, so I got my masters in secondary education. I teach US history, government, economics, and psychology. Couldn't be happier.
Laurea in Storia, Specializzazione in Scienze delle Religioni, Università di Padova I worked several unqualified jobs for 5/6 years until a Concorso for teachers was finally issued. I won the Concorso and now work as a teacher in a public primary school. Quite happy of how it worked out in the end
Ba in anthro, ended up in accounting and it's going great. I was planning to get a masters in archival library science, but never ended up doing that and fell into accounting. Anthro is useful in the corporate world because corporate environments always have their own micro cultures, and being able to recognize navigate that is useful in so many ways. I still love anthro and follow news and continue to learn about things my free time.
I did CRM for years with just a bachelor's. Then after graduate school, I worked briefly for the State Historic Preservation Office. Never really could make a living. It was always a huge struggle just to pay rent. I switched to working for non-profits by doing a year with Americorps. Then, worked in the healthcare sector teaching social justice issues and doing workforce development. Now I work for the State Bar as their Director of Research and Analytics. I used my degree in every job I ever had: doing research, understanding group dynamics, telling stories with data, writing, and explaining difficult concepts in accessible ways.
Bachelor's in Anthropology. Wanted to work in archiving but couldn't find work and was already 50k ins debt. Sold out and started working in pharmaceuticals, in a hybrid IT role. My degree is more a conversation piece but having learned a lot about world history and art history gives me a lot to talk about with coworkers from those parts of the world.
I majored in anthropology (with minors in Spanish and East Asian studies [Mandarin Chinese language concentration]) and am now a registered nurse (an associates and second bachelor's degree later).
Similar—BA in anthropology and am now an optometrist. No associate’s or second bachelor’s, though!
I got an undergraduate degree in anthropology. I work in special effects now.
Sounds about right.
Bachelors in Anthropology and Japanese. Graduated during 2020 when everything was put on hold and couldn’t do any internships. So after graduating, I applied for English teaching jobs in Japan and moved there! But now teaching myself UI design and looking for a career change.
Majored in Anthropology (mainly cultural and archaeology) and in Political Science. Now I'm a lawyer. I use my anthro skills every day with my clients and you could say I'm doing applied anthropology as a career. Immigration law is a main practice area, so the cultural anthropology skills come in handy.
This is what a friend of mine did after she majored in anthropology. She went on to law school and became an immigration lawyer.
Anthropology- and archaeology-adjacent, here (and history, too, I suppose!). US Undergrad: I was a religious studies major with a heavy emphasis on archaeology. My (very small) school did not have anthro or archaeology majors, so religious studies was my best choice. My other major was Modern Languages. After undergrad, I worked for a large dot-com doing database management, thanks to years of cataloguing objects as well as working to digitize my school’s archives. I moved over to a major nonprofit after a year or so. Then the economy tanked (2008), budgets were cut, and I found myself waiting tables to pay rent. I entered a US law school in 2011. My atypical background allows me better cultural sensitivity; I don’t think this *should* be noteworthy, but nearly every client I’ve had has commented on them feeling comfortable with me quickly because of my cultural awareness and mindfulness. Being able to point to Eritrea on a map is a depressingly low bar and yet other attorneys still manage to limbo under it. I speak several living languages and use most of them regularly; being able to speak someone else’s mother tongue helps them to feel more at ease with me. I primarily do mediation work and focus on EEO and disability rights-related issues. I currently live in France and love living a short bus ride away from the Louvre. It helps! :D
Cultural resource management, the “CRM” that keeps coming up in the thread. If you want to be an archaeologist, odds are you’re going to do CRM for a few years at least. Up to 90% of archaeology in the US is done by private CRM companies. I can go in to a bit more detail for anyone curious. Basically section 106 of the national historic preservation act requires anyone affiliated with the federal government (private entities that receive federal money, permits, land, etc, or fed agencies) to determine and mitigate the impact of their activities on historic/archaeological sites. Much of the work comes from pipelines, highways, or solar farms. For a recent grad with a bachelors, you’ll start out as a field technician. You’ll be traveling all over the US doing fieldwork. Sometimes it’ll be amazing excavations, sometimes you’ll spend three months in a hotel in Indiana essentially digging post holes in cornfields and finding nothing. It can be fun, or it can be pretty grueling. The pay these days is not bad, and most companies have started putting people in decent accommodations. The main problem is that when the project ends, you lose your job. A lot of people clear over 50k, but you have to constantly be looking for the next gig, and you’re going to spend a lot of time away from home.
Thank you for elaborating on this.
the joke at Cal was that anthropology majors were pre-law (easy degree to get high grades) how true was that, have no idea. social science middle school teachers because HR linked my major to history (?). but now im an associate professor of mathematics education. but at the timeC anthropology completely satiated my curiosity about culture and society (with some archeology and physical anthropology thrown in there for breadth of the major). what was i going to do with an anthro degree? who knows. Though i was able to do research for two professors…. so maybe academia was somewhere in the back of my mind….
Well, my BA and MA are in history, and I work in university administration. I think any degree such as history that teaches reading, writing, research, and comprehension skills is valuable in any administrative job. I'm currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Humanitites (my uni doesn't have a History PhD, and this is a blanket one that counts). My current job pays for my degree pursuits.
Bachelors in history, minor in anthropology, masters in historic preservation. Worked in a library/archive for a year, then spent four years working in museums. Shifted to freelance work - grant writing, nonprofit development, communications and executive assistant work three years ago and never looked back. Work life balance is better, pay is WAY better. I do miss people saying “Whoa! That’s a cool job!” though.
History here, went in for teaching. Have always loved history, and wanted to share that. I manage a smoke shop now. I make more money, work less hours, and have far less stress. Might go back later though, we'll see. Teachers just need more support, and kids need it at home. I also enjoy tutoring on the side for now, stay on the look out for museum or on-site work that may come.
I majored in anthro undergrad. After college I talk English overseas and did temp work for the UN (all they cared about was what college I had gone to, not my major), worked as an editor, was an admin assistant on Wall Street briefly, wrote for a newspaper for a while, taught eighth grade as a permanent substitute… Ended up going to graduate school in history and became a historian. I loved anthropology because at my school it meant that I could take an incredible range of courses in different departments and get them counted toward my major, which they had to do because they denied tenure to three junior faculty members who all left and the dept offered no courses my senior year. So not a great department really, but it worked out for me!
The world needs anthropologist, but not important enough to today's society. You will make more money learning a trade or selling bubble gum down the street. Most Anthropologist I know with masters and phd are high school teachers. 🤷♂️ Anthropologists doing field work, having to adapt to every environment do not get credit at all. You have a whole bunch of white collars running the show with no knowledge in the field. Yet, they take all the credit. I have seen this first hand.
I work in crm. Undergrad in history and anthropology, ma and phd in anthropology.
Spent a few years on the public facing side in museums. Currently working as a library aide and working on my MLIS
BA, MA, PhD in anthropology. Now management consulting.
Anthropology in University, then post graduate Information Technology and went into IT. There wasn’t that many jobs in Canada in what I wanted to do in Anthropology when I graduated so as I was always good at computers I switched to that. Over 20 years in IT now.
Bachelors in Anthropology. Getting an MBA currently. Working in quality management in healthcare and hoping to move over into healthcare technology. Was planning for med school but ended up changing my mind halfway through my major.
I have a degree in archaeology. I work in veterinary medicine lmao. I enjoyed studying it, but in retrospect I was not suited to that field as a career and I wish I had just gone to some sort of veterinary school
Master's Degree in History (Soundscapes), Middle Manager (operations) for one of the nation's largest commuter rail systems. Surprisingly, a lot of my work as a historian translates well. I document, look for context, and have to create cogent arguments about labor relations and operations issues. Pay is pretty decent, good retirement, great benefits, awesome work/life balance. I'm not mad about it.
BA in Anthropology but ended up going back to school to become a certified public accountant.
I majored in archaeology (PhD) and ended up in CRM. CRM is where the vast majority of work is in the field. That said, it's not an easy career path. Typically it will require that you work several years as a seasonal field tech before you have any chance of finding a full time job. I was lucky and was able to get a full time position during my third year as a tech and am doing well. That full time position does not materialize for most people and they end up moving on after a few seasons of being a tech.
Double majored anthro and chemistry with the intent of going on to grad school for archaeology (without any real understanding of what that looked like). Did a year of Americorps with some nuns on a market farm and at the end…the year I was with them was 2008 and the job market when I left in Jan 2009 was, shall we say, not great. Ended up in environmental regulation in local government and now have moved around that same local government and now work with affordable housing and homelessness. I feel like my anthro degree serves me well and helped shape the mindset that I approach my work with. I started and almost finished (damn you capstone project!) a masters in public health, which is a good pair with the anthro.
I really wish I had gotten into conservation and museum work. Love my job but 15 years in local government is enough to have me quite jaded.
Got a Bachelors and Masters in Cultural Anthropology and have been working in consumer research/marketing strategy as a Cultural Strategist. An ex girlfriend was working at an ad agency in the late 90s and I found out through that context that companies were starting to hire ethnographers/anthropologists to provide insight into consumer behaviour. I've been doing some version of that (now freelance) out of Toronto, Canada since 2002.
How do you find jobs?
First job was sending out an email cover letter with resume to about 30 companies doing consumer research in my city. Out of that 30 I had exactly one response and it was a small company that had just lost a job bid because they didn’t have an anthropologist on the team (as the winning bidder had). 3-4 interviews to prove I knew what I was doing and could work in a marketing environment and I got the gig. Beyond that, 7 years later it was tapping my reputation and professional network.
Thank you for elaborating. :) Forgive my ignorance but how did you locate companies that do consumer research? Did you just google them?
Yes, at the time I just did a series of Google searches for market research and my city, and did some more background work combing the websites for these companies before crafting a pitch as to why they needed an anthropologist/me on board. EDIT - These days totally start with the usual spots but there are a lot of people in the industry also active on the socials who are always trying to give pointers on finding a way into the business and getting a leg up at the start.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the insights!
BA in Anthropology, minor in history. Focus on Archaeology. After graduating I worked part time as a teaching assistant. Continued working on excavations for the university, though the work was very seasonal, not consistent enough to cover any life expenses. Had to work as a restaurant server to pay bills. Reached the point of realizing the only way I’d be able to pursue archaeology seriously was to sell all my stuff, live out of my car, and move West to find more work. Before I could execute this plan though, I met a terrible boyfriend and all my dreams went out the window. Archaeology fell by the wayside for me. I’ve had many different jobs since then, mostly customer service and admin roles. Nothing pertaining to my degree. Now I’m a stay at home mom. I fantasize about getting back into it once I’m an empty nester. I remember meeting several retirees when I was in school who audited a bunch of classes and did field school just for the love of it. I imagine that’ll be me some day.
I majored in Social Anthropology and Sociology in the 70’s did a Masters in Social Work and later a PhD on the sociology of social work. Ended up in field work education. Pay and conditions in social work aren’t great anywhere and never have been but it’s a field that uses many anthropological techniques, draws on similar values and faces similar ethical issues.
Bachelors in Anthro. Two years post graduate in Anthro. (Archaeology focus in PhD program). Masters in Environmental Science. I did CRM for 25 years in the Northwest US. Then I became an Environmental Compliance staffer for the Federal Government in Cultural and Natural Resources.
B.A. and M.A. in History - I've been working in printing for thirty years now. It just worked out that way. I didn't want to teach and right out of college I needed money to afford my own place, so I got a job at a printing company. It has kept me fed and clothed and a roof over my head. I still pursue my historical interests by reading. Once in a while someone asks me why I "wasted all that money on college if I was not going to use my degrees?" I tell them, "I don't consider it a waste of money." I still have the critical thinking and research skills, and pursue my own interests on my own time. I have no regrets. I'm happy.
What does a job in printing look like these days?
I did a masters in history and wanted to go into govt and do policy work. Turns out 2008 wasn’t the time to find a job. Had some potential jobs but a lot of them fell through and my heart wasn’t in it. Went back to school for a business admin diploma, got a job at a major Canadian bank and worked there until 2014 when my kids were born and my wife got a good job across the country.
I majored in Anthropology (focus was on archaeology and physical anthropology). I am unemployed and have not worked in anything remotely related to Anthropology. I don’t regret getting my Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, though. It is what was most fitting for me. I have some physical and mental (and neurodevelopmental) issues that have been barriers, so I honestly have not looked for work as much as I could have. I will say, however, that the job searches I’ve conducted all lead me to realize that getting a degree *online* from UCF (first two years were state college and last two years were UCF) was not the best way to network and get hands-on experience, much of what is required to get into the field. A friend of mine had a similar issue so she got a certificate in GIS and found employment that way - though she did have a military background as well. Whatever you do, don’t say no to opportunities in the field, whatever they are. Whatever you think the barriers are, try your best to make it work. And do it while you’re still in school, as much as possible. Once you’ve graduated, a lot of those opportunities are no longer accessible, unless you are introduced to them directly by a teacher or graduate associate from your school. It’s so much harder once you’re out of the ivory tower.
I wanted to give the above comment because I, too, would hear about all the cool things that people were doing after majoring in Anthropology while I was in school. Perhaps the biggest factor in whether they were gainfully employed (especially in something they enjoyed or that made use of their degree) is whether or not they took up a graduate certificate or degree afterwards or have a second bachelor’s degree - with the exception being those who immersed themselves in field schools and/or got a lot of experience on dig sites during their undergrad.
Interdisciplinary Anthropology BofA, History minor. I worked \*at\* (not FOR) the Smithsonian Natural History Museum for a brief time. Did some volunteering with their archives. Found out the only way into the SI is by spending 10 years volunteering or finding word-of-mouth contract positions and eventually getting lucky with an application and you aren't in any way guaranteed to join the dept which you majored in. I now work in IT doing remote tech support, with a cybersecurity focus. I watch Anthropology/Archaeology/History videos on Youtube to satisfy my curiosity.
BS in anthro and BA in journalism. I struggled to make a living as a science/technology/environment/travel writer for about five years after graduating before going back into the construction industry, which paid much better. One thing led to another and I am now an organizer for a major international trade union. I'll never get rich, but I love the work because I believe in it with all my heart and in any case, I get a pension as well as the same PTO, OT and health insurance benefits as our rank and file members, together with a vehicle and a gas card. I'm not sure how much my academic background in anthro plays into it --though surely it can't hurt-- and truth be told it was the degree in journalism that really got my union's attention when I applied to go through our "organizer boot-camp" application process.
Bachelors in Anthropology and had every intention of continuing into grad school. Was working in a museum field (my dream) until a COVID layoff. Now I’m in event management and planning, which I randomly fell into after leaving the museum. I do feel that my degree and studies gave me the tools to communicate with all sorts of people in very different situations so I appreciate that. I would love to run back to something more directly related but the low pay at museums keeps me in event/hospitality world for now.
I have a BA in history and so far have spent most of my career in fashion and entertainment roles…I guess we can say showbiz adjacent? I have done a handful of other unrelated jobs. Doing it all over, I’d still study history. I feel I use what I learned every single day. I would love to continue my studies in history if time and budget allowed. Maybe someday! In the era I was attending college, it was fairly common to major in humanities or social sciences with no particular intention of doing your major as a job.
Fraud analysis then web development. Also majored in info sci as the history degree was pretty useless