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Archaeology is one of the most horrifying fields to work in. I just read the story of "Slave," and I couldn't agree more. As a result of all of the experience that I have gained I have become so thoroughly disgusted by the profession that I have lost all love for archaeology. I feel like I’ve been kicked, starved and abused. There is definitely a much “darker” side to archaeology, and I feel so strongly that it should not be ignored. It would have been a help to have had a realistic picture of what I was in for when I started.
(As a side note, I too have my Bachelor's from an ivy league school. What a waste of my education.)
Let me give you a few examples:
I’ve worked many more hours than I’ve actually been paid for.
I’ve been denied breaks, denied lunches--simply as a “punishment” for having crossed a Field Director. (OSHA breaks are a joke in archaeology). I have actually heard the words “no, I think I will punish you today by making you work an hour late.”
I had a Field Director that refused to bring water out in the field, in the summer in the South. We had to pack out enough water for 10 hours of work. We were not allowed to go back to the van. We were not allowed to find another field tech (we were not to leave our transects). There were days I would run out of water around 11:00 and be so weak by the end of the day that I was dizzy. Don’t get me wrong--I’m as strong as they come, and can certainly hold my own. But no water in 95 degree heat is insane.
Let's not forget the loneliness of the job. I've done survey work where you are on a transect by yourself, 50 meter intervals, and would literally not see another person for the entire day. Hope you can read a compass.
Sexual harassment--It’s alive and kicking in archaeology. I’ve watched Field Directors turn their backs while guys made jokes, comments and gestures--you name it, I've probably heard it.
Let's not forget the head-to-toe poison ivy rashes, and picking literally 30-50 ticks off of your body at the end of the day.
Or the fact that living out of a hotel is trying. It can be exciting, until you quickly learn that in order to make a profit on a contract, CRM companies are going to cut costs any way they can. Which means you're bunking with the roaches, sleeping in places that have odd stains (resembling blood) in the carpet, and listening to screaming neighbors all night. Not to mention that field techs are all a bit quirky, so who knows how annoying your roommate is going to be. One thing is for certain--he or she is going to snore like a champ.
Prevailing wage law violations. In theory if you're classified as archaeological technicians I, II, or III, you fall under a certain category, and as such are entitled to prevailing wages, blah blah blah. I've worked for a company that has been audited twice now, and is in the process of their third audit for blatantly violating these laws (I've spent many hours in a law library looking this thing up, and been shocked to find that there is really nothing that can be done.). Here's the kicker--that company salaried everybody, with some techs starting at $6.50. Can you believe that? "College-educated professionals," some even with Master's degrees, making $6.50. That makes you feel just great about your job.
Here's a big one: WORKER'S COMP DOES NOT EXIST! If you're injured, you go home. End of story. I now have carpal tunnel in my wrists (from screening) and a back injury that will probably never heal completely. I've watched as a field director actually denied someone the right to go to a doctor. You field tech at your own peril, and ultimately you have to learn to live with chronic pain, or change careers.
Here's the most disheartening thing about field tech-ing: The listless, bored, unhappy attitude that you find in so many techs. It's the "I've done this, it sucks, and it never changes. Every project is the same. I hate it, but I don't know what else to go and do." The statistics are that most field techs (up to 75%) will drop out in the first 2-3 years. I've actually found this to be so true. I've met so many future accountants, teachers, lawyers--even an engineer--you name it. People who I worked with that were at the breaking point (just like I am), and have decided that there is no future in archaeology (just like I have.)
When I first started I genuinely found archaeology fascinating. Now, though, such a short time later, I want to run as far away as fast as I can. There's a darker side to archaeology, and it definitely should not be overlooked.
My advice: avoid archaeology at all costs! Its not worth it. There's no glamour. You are nothing short of a field hand that will be tossed aside at the end of a project. You will be starved, injured, overworked, underpaid, under appreciated, tired, lonely, homeless, and UNHAPPY!
Rebecca
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