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Have Trowel Will Travel

Part 2: So What Do I Need to Know?

By , About.com Guide

Have Trowel, Will Travel, The Series

So, what kind of background do you need to get a "hobo field crew" job? It can vary from company to company, university to university, and even site to site. Most often these days, archaeological field work demands at least an undergraduate degree in Anthropology, completed or in progress, and successful attendance at a field school. It's always important to make yourself marketable, and what that means depends on your intentions.

There are essentially two reasons to be doing shovel bum archaeology. The first is to gain experience and information about archaeological methods, with the final intent of obtaining an upper level degree and becoming a career archaeologist at some point in the future. In the United States, many anthropology students spend their summers on digs of one sort or another, and when they graduate, they spend two to three years traveling around gaining field experience before heading back to school for an MA or Ph.D. Field work cannot be taught in an academic setting; and the experience one receives in a six week field school is simply not adequate to allow someone to conduct his or her own field research. I must admit I'm speaking somewhat wishfully, because I have run across MA holders with no or limited archaeological experience, who are in positions of authority. These are almost always frighteningly inept individuals, in my (not so humble) opinion. If you intend to become a professional archaeologist, I strongly urge you to stick a trowel in your back pocket and head for the field before you finish that degree.

The other path leads to either status as an "old china hand" or field crew chief as an end point. An "old china hand" is a field hand with so much experience that they can reliably be set to work on their own. A field crew chief is a shovel bum with the responsibility to shepherd over small groups of field hands. Both of these persons are absolutely vital to large scale excavations, and most involve somewhat higher wages than regular field crew staff. Unfortunately, both of these employment situations are difficult to maintain, because most archaeological projects are short term, not well-paid, and normally lacking in medical or health benefits. The lack of benefits is particularly hazardous in the US where socialized medicine is yet to be established.

To be a successful hobo field crew at any level, you need to be willing to travel widely and do hard physical labor in pretty nearly all climatic conditions, be flexible enough to change your plans on a week's notice, and be willing and able to learn new things every single day. Be cheerful in the face of adversity. Be forbearing in the face of grumpiness and tight budgets. Become inured to the lack of modern amenities. Above all, keep your brain engaged. Archaeology is physically and mentally demanding. You'll love it.

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