Dear Qual and Quant

Dear Qual and Quant,

I am an undergraduate and I just took my first anthropology class. I loved it and decided to make it my major. I would like to know more about what kind of career options there are out there for anthropologists. I tried to find out information from the professor of my intro class but when I asked him what kinds of jobs do anthropologists do he just stared at me for awhile and then pointed to himself. I think he was saying that teaching anthropology is what you do with a degree in anthropology. But aren't there other options? Do people learn about anthropology just so that they can work in academic departments and teach it to other people? Is that all there is? If that is the case then I am not sure if it is a good idea to make it my major.

Major confusion in Maryland

Dear Major,

If you are very interested in the subject area, I think it is a good idea to go with your instincts and make it your major. Undergraduate majors are typically not directly related to the immediate job market. You can major in a lot of different things and learn similar skills that will help you after graduation. However, if you are interested in continuing with graduate training, I think it is a good idea to do what you are doing. Find out all you can about the types of jobs that people in the field do. There are more jobs out there outside of academic departments that anthropologists do than I can list here in this column. Everything from working in government agencies, running businesses, doing health research, international development, product development, etc. The list goes on. You can read more about this on the website of the Society for Applied Anthropology or the American Anthropological Association's webpage on careers in anthropology.

If you decide to continue with anthropology as your major, you take a course in physical anthropology. Once you do that you will understand your professor's answer much better. You will eventually learn about a theory of biological reproduction called the selfish gene, in which the gene's only function is to replicate itself. Much like the theory of the selfish gene, there is a similar theory about the behavior of professors in academic departments. They are said to have one primary function: to replicate themselves. Some believe that everything else these professors do is in service of this function. For example, when they conduct research they are trying to develop some new insight that will make them famous, which will make them more desirable to future students allowing them to have their choice of the students who have greater potential to become famous professors, and so on. Therefore, the professor you spoke with was only exhibiting this characteristic. If you are not going to get a PhD in anthropology and then get a job in an academic department where you train graduate students to become members of academic departments, you are a reproductive failure. Jobs outside of academia are therefore inconceivable. Therefore, anthropologists in academic departments are not the best sources of information on jobs outside of academia. You should try to find an applied anthropologist or two and discuss your interests with them.