How to get a job after I graduate?

Question

Ok, I am graduating in May '08, as an Anthropolgy major, minor in Religious Studies. I have no idea where to look for a job in my field, I am not planning on going to graduate school right away, I need to start paying my student loans back ASAP! I have asked my professors but no one has given me a solid answer. My main study of interest include, Egypt, and religion practiced all over the world, both ancient and present. So where or how do I start my career?

Cleveland State University just has Anthropology as a major, it isn't divided by cultural or phsical.

Answer 1

Obviously you didn't major in physical anthropology, considering the whole religious studies thing. So basically you majored in cultural anthropology, right??? (Need more info) If this is the case I'm going to be blatantly honest with you. You have severely limited your job scope, unless you plan on going to grad school to pursue a PhD. That way you could at least teach at a large university and or write an ethnography. At the bachelor level, cultural anthropology is basically a useless major that really has limited options. Most jobs available to anthropologists at this level are associated with archaeology and involve digs or working on museum collections (working under someone with a PhD). On the bright side, cultural anthropologists can find jobs in the advertisement industry and have a better shot at getting into law school when compared to other sub disciplines of anthropology.

Extra
At any school that offers a degree in anthropology, the overall major is anthropology. It's the area of study you focus on that decides what sub discipline you fall into (more focused in grad school), in your case religion falls into the Cultural anthropology discipline.

Sub disciplines of anthropology:

Physical/Biological (human evolution, osteology, medical, forensics, etc....)

Cultural (belief structures like religion, social structure, politics, etc....)

Archaeology (study of material past through recovery and reconstruction, etc...)

Linguistics (study of the origin of various languages, understanding of commonality and comparison of roots and prefixes of various languages, etc...)

Answer 2

Hi! I'm a cultural anthropologist and have been working as one for about 5 years. You DO need an MA to work as an anthropologist, there's just no two ways of getting around it. I would do what someone else said--put your loans on deferrment and get yourself into an MA program. You can put yourself through a graduate program like I did--working as a TA. Look for a program that will financially support you in this way.

I will encourage you in ways some others have not:

* First, you do NOT need a PhD to work as a cultural anthropologist. However, if you are really stuck on the religion thing, you will probably be limited to research at the University level, which you will need a PhD for.

*Second, cultural anthropology is not a useless degree if you're willing to widen your scope. Applied anthropology and design anthropology are new fields in the discipline in which you can work for companies like Google, General Motors, Sprint, etc. and use cultural skills to help them understand their customers worldwide, and design and innovate new products and services. This is your best bet for a job.

If you are really committed to waiting before going to Grad school, I recommend joining the Peace Corps. It's about the only place (with only a BA) that you'll be able to do something remotely close to anthropology, and you'll get a chunck o' cash after you're done. You can also ask (though there are no guarantees) to be located in Egypt. You'll need to learn Egyptian or some other Middle Eastern language eventually, and it would be the best way to learn.

Answer 3

I will be graduating next year with a Major in Anthropology and a minor in Religious Studies too. I've also been thinking about how to pay back student loans quickly. I know that some people teach English to students in Asian countries such as Korea or Japan so they can quickly earn the money they need to pay off their debts. Some of these countries pay you a lot while others do not. To teach English as a second language you need an undergrad degree in any field. if you are interested in doing something like this then you should contact someone at your university who can give you more info on teaching overseas.

Answer 4

You could try looking on the websites of various colleges or universities for information on jobs. You should particularly look on the anthropology and religious studies departments' websites.

I work on an archaeological dig team and I've heard from people that I work with that the position I'm working in is on the website for the university I'm employed through. (I didn't see it there, though. I found it advertised in a local paper.)

Was there something that you were planning to do when you chose your major and minor?

Sometimes it's better just to add to the loan before starting your career. It really depends on the opportunities available at the different degree levels and the differences in salaries. Also, you might just be happier with the work available with a graduate degree. I really recommend doing some research on salaries, duties, and demand in a field at different education levels. Definitely talk to different people in the field if you can. Maybe email random (well, not random, more people not necessarily personally known) people who do what you might want to do and ask them about their job.

Of course there are other things as well ... monster.com and yahoo!jobs and the other dozens and dozens of employment websites ... churches ... non-profit organizations ... the others listed under this question already ... maybe there are other forums frequented more often by people in your field out there like on google - check out the link.

Good luck. This is definitely a summer project ... Senior year will probably be less stressful if you figured out where to start next!

Answer 5

You have a degree in something that really needs more schooling...it would be best to put your loans into deferrment and start grad work and try and get on as a TA...you have a degree that it will be very competitive to get a job....kinda like a person majoring in "ballet" or something...You may have to settle for a job not in your major if you're set on starting work right away to pay back your student laons

Answer 6

One thing you can do is talk to your minister about opportunities around the world. There are groups of Americans who work for their religious organizations in their field of study with the added bonus of doing it in a religious setting. Good Luck! This might include teaching English or working with Human Rights organizations.

Answer 7

You won't get a job - it's as simple as that.

You've wasted a great deal of your life studying something that's not going to be much practical use in a job.
You should have left school and got a job at 16, by now you would have had NO debts and would be cash positive with loads of experience in your chosen field and would now be well on the way to earning ££££'s or $$$$$'s

Answer 8

If your professors can't tell you where to start looking then it sounds like you could have a problem. Maybe you should go ahead and start graduate school. Best wishes.

Answer 9

Do you need to work where you can use your degree? Or, per se, in your field.

There are all kinds of places a person with any bachelor's degree can work...

But, with your studies, I would say museums, libraries, churches/religious organizations...

Answer 10

How about writing novels set in another culture, based on your research?