Anthropology Major....worth it ?

Question

I'm thinking of going into Anthropology at McMaster University and was wondering if it is worth it, are there jobs afterward and can i make a decent living? i already know i like it i just need to know if i can support myself.

Answer 1

The field is fascinating, but it depends on what type of anthro you are interested it as to what kind of job you can get. Anthro has 4 subfields..cultural, linguistic, biological, and archaeology. Most require advanced degrees to get decent jobs.

Answer 2

If you are interested then it is worth it. I went into anthropology mainly because I've always been fascinated by other cultures and their traditions and now I teach it at the university where I graduated. One thing I suggest is to get to know your professors who can write recommendations for you. That is how I got my teaching job and probably would not have my job without it.
There are a lot of things that you can do with a degree but need at least an MA. Take some classes and see which sub-discipline you like and go from there.
At the very least you will have a strong foundation for whatever field you end up going into.

Answer 3

It is entirely up to what you want out of the discipline.

Anthropology is an enormous field, encompassing four big sub-disciplines: Cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology and Archaeology.
No matter which sub-discipline you choose to specialize in, you will need to at least go to graduate school to get a master's degree. The master's degree is the entry level degree for most anthropological jobs, but really, you would need to go to the doctorate level of phD to become a full fledged researcher and professor.

If you want to be rich, anthropology is not for you. You could get a job as an archaeological field technician, if you have the proper background and a bachelor's degree. But, it is very hard work.

Forensic anthropology is a highly competitive field.

Check out the American Anthropological Association;s jobs and careers website: http://www.aaanet.org/careers.htm

You will see that most jobs require a phD or Master's Degree.

So, it is entirely up to you. I think that you would have to be a very dedicated student to go all the way, take out lots of student loans, and have the courage to follow through. Expect lots of difficulty along the way, but you can do it.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Well, IDiots have a lot of willful ignorance & arrogance, but NO evidence. ---- * Michael Behe was the first witness for the defense. Behe is professor of Biochemistry at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and a leading intelligent design proponent who coined the term irreducible complexity and set out the idea in his book Darwin's Black Box.[16] As a primary witness for the defense, Behe was asked to support the idea that intelligent design was legitimate science. Behe's critics have pointed to a number of key exchanges under cross examination, where he conceded that "there are no peer reviewed articles by anyone advocating for intelligent design supported by pertinent experiments or calculations which provide detailed rigorous accounts of how intelligent design of any biological system occurred",[17] and that the definition of 'theory' as he applied it to intelligent design was so loose that astrology would qualify as a theory by definition as well.[18] ---- So, all the prof would have to do is say "present your peer reviewed articles", and the IDiot would have... Nothing. Game. Set. Match. IDiot moron. ---- "After a searching review of the record and applicable caselaw, we find that while ID arguments may be true, a proposition on which the Court takes no position, ID is not science. We find that ID fails on three different levels, any one of which is sufficient to preclude a determination that ID is science. They are: (1) ID violates the centuries-old ground rules of science by invoking and permitting supernatural causation; (2) the argument of irreducible complexity, central to ID, employs the same flawed and illogical contrived dualism that doomed creation science in the 1980's; and (3) ID's negative attacks on evolution have been refuted by the scientific community." (page 64)

Answer 5

One thing's for sure; you will need an advanced degree to do anything worthwhile with anthropology. Without it you can not get either an interesting, satisfying job or a well paying one.

Answer 6

I'm taking anthropology right now and seriously, the subject puts me to sleep. Be a forensic anthropologist, they should make a decent living. good luck.

Answer 7

fun