Life Of An Anthropologist By Katherine Chung
Everyday the world continues to exist without the complete understanding of human relations and how they came to be. Many people wonder about the evolution, origin, and cultures of all human races. An anthropologist can explain just that and even beyond. They study human behavior, physical and cultural development, and other specific characteristics. By studying the past of human civilization, anthropologists are slowly figuring out how this world came to be and how it will be if our world continues to be affected by the loss of natural resources. Even further, with the help of their studies, we can figure out what mistakes were made that led to global warming and toxic gases.
Anthropologists have the ability to study human behavior and development. The way this works is simple. They gather evidence by studying archaeological remains, habits, customs, and other characteristics of humans (Francis 2011,
2). After that, they analyze their findings and create hypotheses and theories. When going into specific types of anthropologists, there are a few choices. These include physical anthropologists, cultural anthropologists, linguistic anthropologists, social anthropologists, and archaeological anthropology. A physical anthropologist studies the origin, evolution, and diversity of humans. They research past civilizations and analyze the behaviors and cultures (Anonymous F 2011,
3). For cultural anthropologists, their job is to study social structure, language, religion, and beliefs. They focus on the specific characteristics of humans. In addition, linguistic anthropologists study the different ways humans communicate. They study the language and how it is used to create the evolution of human culture. Social anthropologists are basically the same as cultural anthropologists, but they study the specifics. They study the customs, organization, kinship, and socialization. They mostly focus on the qualities of social behavior (Anonymous F 2011,
5). Finally, archaeological anthropologists study humans of the past and present. Like archaeologists, they examine crime scenes to find evidence (Anonymous A 2011,
1).
In order to become anthropologist, there are many requirements to fulfill. First of all, one must have at least a bachelor's degree. However, it is safer to go beyond and reach for a master's degree just in case. Also, one must have 53 credits of anthropology and a minimum grade of a C in all courses. The core courses that are required include Anthropology, Canadian Studies, History, Modern Languages, and Political Science (Palmer 2011,
3). Furthermore, when majoring in anthropology, it is necessary to know basic knowledge of genetics and human anatomy. Other useful skills include communication skills, critical thinking skills, and listening skills (Stomerson 2011,
2). When searching for colleges and universities to train at, one should seek courses at the top three universities that offer various courses for anthropology. These include Harvard University, Pennsylvania State University, and Duke University (Anonymous E 2011,
1). For Harvard, the total cost for tuition, room and board, books and supplies, personal expenses, and transportation averages to about $56,000 a year. For specific pricing, the tuition alone is $39,849, the room and board is $12,801, books and supplies are $1,000, and transportation is $2,350 (Anonymous D 2011,
1). The second ranked university below Harvard University is Pennsylvania State University. Their total cost is around $33,000 a year. For specific pricing, tuition is $8912, room and board is $9,934, books and supplies are $1,000, personal expenses are $2,076, and transportation is $900 (Anonymous C 2011,
1). Finally, the third ranked university is Duke University. Their total cost for tuition and other expenses total up to $53,000 a year. For the tuition alone, it is $41,938 and the room and board is $11,967. The books and supplies, personal expenses, and transportation are not provided (Anonymous B 2011,
1).
The majority of all anthropologists are satisfied with their salary. They earn more than the average $40,000 of a common job. However, the amount of money made does depend on the experience level. For most anthropologists, their annual salary is around $57,230. When calculated, that means the hourly pay is $27.52 (Hamel, 2011,
1). Like any other business, the higher experience one has, the more respected they are. Therefore, the salary increases. That is exactly how anthropologists' salaries work. Anthropologists with the highest work experience earns up to $87,890, while those with little experience receive $31,530 (Hamel 2011,
2). One should not worry about the years of experience when wanting an increase in their salary. The two main factors of salaries include experience and industries. Working for a well-known industry such as universities, research facilities, and even the government can increase the amount of money made. Anthropologists in this section would earn from $46,890 up to $71,400 (Hamel 2011,
3). The last component of salaries is the state one is in. As unfair as it sounds, anthropologists in Wyoming, New Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, California, and Pennsylvania earn more than the average income of most anthropologists in any other state. They earn up to $69,030 a year (Hamel 2011,
4).
There are many predictions about the future of anthropologists. Opinions are one thing and facts are another. However, the future can not be predicted. Therefore, a variety of opinions are made. According to John Gordon, an Australian anthropologist, the future of anthropologists are in the right path. To him, anthropology will continue to provide jobs and develop into a great business (Tian 2011,
1). Also, with anthropologists spreading on the news, the future of anthropology is in a good state. According to another anthropologist, Gillian Tett, anthropology will bring many benefits to the world of business and will have more students applying for this field of study (Tian, 2011,
3). Another idea that many anthropologists have about the future includes building a huge firm for future anthropologists. The idea is to get business schools and anthropology departments to form a business together. Those who thought of this have a positive outlook on this idea. They promise that the business will flourish and have many young students studying to be an anthropologist (Tian 2011,
4).
Many people wonder if anthropologists have anything new going on, other than the regular routine of examining and studying past cultures and behaviors. Most people even say that anthropologists are not doing their job of finding out how humans took the wrong path of destroying our society. Natural resources are being lost every year and the planet is full of toxic chemicals and overloads of waste because of the wrong choices humans made. An example of this includes the history of Easter Island, a remote island with a population that had only 7,000. When first discovered, this island had few resources and was standing on its own. Water was limited, temperatures were high, and animals were extinct except for a few fish and insects. The Polynesians, settlers who first discovered this island, came only with a few animals and crops. Therefore, they depended greatly on what they brought (Ponting 2011,
2). As the population slowly began to increase, settlements were formed all throughout the island. The first thing they found out as a group was that the time spent for growing crops was very little. Because of this, they created a resource base and a monument construction. The only problem they faced was transportation (Ponting 2011,
3). After realizing that human power was the only way to move these monuments, they accepted this and built over 600 of these statues. Although Easter Island is known for these great monuments, it is also the reason for its collapse. When transporting these monuments, the Polynesians had to cut down almost every tree that was in their way. That way, they had more land to grow crops, build homes, and place the statues (Ponting 2011,
4). Other than losing a large amount of oxygen, the Polynesians were forced to stop building homes because of the lack of wood. Even canoes weren't available for fishing because it required wood. This led to a limited amount of food since they depended on fish. The last disadvantage of the loss of trees included bad soil. The Polynesians were used to the quick crops that the base provided. Now, with the damaged soil, crops could not grow properly. They eventually ran out of food. Actually, they ran out of all necessary resources humans needed. This also led to a decrease in population (Ponting 2011,
5). After a certain period of time, war broke out, which even started cannibalism. Some of the monuments were destroyed, along with the lives of the Polynesians. The lesson learned from the history of Easter Island is to conserve any natural resources given. What anthropologists learned from this is that all humans end up taking natural resources for granted. When analyzing their studies, it is easy to understand the importance of their job. They provide explanations to why the world is how it is, in the state of losing its resources just like Easter Island (Ponting 2011,
6).
An anthropologist is one who studies human cultures and behaviors. They study the past civilizations and come up with theories to explain how this world came to be. Without anthropologists, people would never truly understand the history of humans. When thinking of majoring in this field, there are many different types of anthropologists. These include physical anthropologists, cultural anthropologists, linguistic anthropologists, social anthropologists, and archaeological anthropologists. In order to become an anthropologist, there are several requirements to fulfill. The salary is a little over the average $40,000 a common job distributes, but does depend on years of experience. Also, the outlook of anthropologists is in the right path, currently flourishing on the news and in the process of creating businesses. Finally, not only do anthropologists study human behaviors and cultures, but they also find out the reason for the loss of natural resources on this planet. They examine humans to find out how they made the wrong decisions that led to the destruction of the Earth.
In my opinion, being an anthropologist has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages include studying human cultures and behaviors. Personally, I would not enjoy doing this because it can be very boring. However, the advantages beat the disadvantages. The best advantage of being an anthropologist is earning a salary up to $90,000 a year. Also, another advantage is that I can learn about the past of humans and predict the future of human civilization. Many people look up to anthropologists and envy their work. Maybe someday, that can be me.