About Archaeology: Lots of people write in to ask me what the life of an archaeologist is like. Tell me, what is your favorite thing about the life of a shovel bum? The one thing that makes the aggro worth it? And, what is your least favorite thing about it? If somebody could hit you over the head with a magic wand and change one thing, what would that be?
Trent de Boer: Okay, here's the deal, it's been years now since I could legitimately call myself a shovel bum. To be a "real" shovel bum, do you have to be a temporary employee of a CRM company, hired on to work for the duration of a specific project? Can staff employees of CRM companies who spend half their time in the field call themselves shovel bums? I don't know. But when I was a shovel bum, I definitely lived for the projects way out in the middle of nowhere. Places where the only way to get there was by airplane or boat. Those projects kept me going, especially during construction monitoring or crappy little surveys of people's front yards. If you could get one good project in a year, all the other lame projects and hassles of the job were worthwhile.
Ultimately, my least favorite thing about being a shovel bum was being in the field all the time. Until you land a staff position somewhere, you have to be willing to go where the work is. When you're single, it's a heap of fun and there are a lot of other single folks who feel the same way. But it's murder on a relationship and I think a lot of shovel bums realize pretty fast that they can't have it both ways... or maybe they have the kind of relationship that thrives on distance. Regardless, I'd wager this is the primary reason why there's so much turnover in the shovel bum ranks.
If I could use a magic wand to change one thing to better the life of the shovel bum, I would make it so more shovel bums had the opportunity to work as staff employees of CRM companies. I realize that there are folks who don't want to ever set foot in an office, but I think lots of folks wish they could be involved in projects from the start to finish. Not only does involving the crew in the planning and background research, fieldwork, labwork, and reporting make for a better, more consistent product, it keeps people challenged, provides job security, and gives CRM companies a real identity. Alas, magic wands are ever so hard to come by.
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