The time to change the cultural resource management industry is now
We didn’t choose for things to end up the way they are in cultural resource management archaeology, but we can choose to change them. I’ve only been a CRMer for a decade or so. I’ve seen things change...
View ArticleHow cultural resource management can illuminate our communities
Whenever I think about how we can transform cultural resource management into a mélange of applied anthropology and heritage conservation that can actually change society, I always think about the...
View ArticleThe number one lie people believe about a career in archaeology
Every now and then, I hear from an aspiring archaeologist who is confused by the things they read on social media about the cultural resource management industry. The source of their confusion comes...
View ArticleGood archaeology writing is based on hamburgers
I nearly lost my first job in cultural resource management archaeology because I didn’t know how to write technical reports. During my first week on the job, my boss asked me to work on an...
View ArticleCan archaeological field techs get married?
Of course two archaeological field technicians can get married, but they’d better be ready for a rocky road. My spouse, who is not an archaeologist, is well-aware of how difficult it can be to be...
View ArticleThe Future of Cultural Resource Management Archaeology, Part I
(This is the first in a 3-part series on a workshop focused on the future of cultural resource management archaeology that was given as part of the University of Arizona’s School of Anthropology...
View ArticleHere Comes #SHA2016
For over a decade I have been traveling around the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for the yearly Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) conference. I always have a good time,...
View ArticleWhat happened at #SHA2016 besides the Seahawks winning again
Archaeologists like to think of themselves as progressive. We believe we are above the meanderings of the rest of society. Enmeshed in our academic achievements and intellectualism, it’s easy to see...
View ArticleWhat can Sci-fi tell us about Archaeology’s Grand Challenges?
Usually the Huffington Post is full of irrelevant, speculative fluff pieces, but one of their recent articles actually caught my attention. A senior astronomer at SETI, Seth Shostak, asked “Could this...
View ArticleThe Future of Cultural Resource Management Archaeology, Part II
(This is the second in a 3-part series on a workshop focused on the future of cultural resource management archaeology that was given as part of the University of Arizona’s School of Anthropology...
View ArticleThe Future of Cultural Resource Management Archaeology, Part III
Tweet (This is the second in a 3-part series on a workshop focused on the future of cultural resource management archaeology that was given as part of the University of Arizona’s School of Anthropology...
View ArticleDo archaeology graduates have unrealistic expectations?
Tweet I recently had a conversation with a college undergraduate who was at #SHA2016 looking for a job. He spoke with such intensity and stared me in the eye as he spoke. “I don’t care what job I get...
View ArticleThe number one thing you can do to improve your archaeology job search
Tweet In case you didn’t know, for at least 4 hours a day, for eight months after completing my Master’s degree, I dedicated myself to applying to jobs in cultural resource management archaeology....
View ArticleWhen cultural resource management archaeology makes you happy
Tweet I don’t know why, but I’ve been feeling happier the last few days even though I’m in the middle of preparing for my comprehensive exams for my anthropology PhD. Comps is supposed to be one of the...
View ArticleWhen business people think they can teach cultural resource management
Tweet A friend of mine recently asked if I could help him hire an employee to help with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance. He was interested in someone with technical writing...
View ArticleLet biology guide your archaeology job search strategy
Tweet Living organisms have evolved two basic reproduction strategies. Interestingly, these reproductive strategies closely resemble the way people look for a job: r-selection strategy—Produce a large...
View ArticleTis the season for finding a job in Archaeology
Tweet As I write, the birds are singing outside. The sun is shining. My garden is beginning to sprout (I live in Tucson. Spring comes in February here). My thoughts are turning towards getting back out...
View ArticleTwentysomethings: CRM Companies Want Archaeological Technicians to Have a...
Tweet I didn’t want to believe it but maybe Doug Rocks-MacQueen is right; maybe your degree is worth less, and less as each year passes by. The other day I saw a job posting for a temporary...
View Article6 Reasons why CRM companies shouldn’t hire archaeological field techs with...
Tweet Last week, I talked about how degree inflation is making it harder for young archaeologists to land entry-level archaeological field technician jobs without having a graduate degree. There is a...
View ArticleDegree Inflation in Cultural Resource Management: Some Solutions
Tweet Everybody seems to be telling college students an anthropology or archaeology degree is a bad idea. They all focus on the fact that you won’t make much money. Since when did a worthwhile job...
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