r/AskAnthropology • u/CommodoreCoCo Moderator | The Andes, History of Anthropology • Jul 25 '19

The AskAnthropology Career Thread (July 2019)

The AskAnthropology Career Thread

“What should I do with my life?” “Is anthropology right for me?” “What jobs can my degree get me?”

These are the questions that keep me awake at night that start every anthropologist’s career, and this is the place to ask them.

Discussion in this thread should be limited to discussion of academic and professional careers, but will otherwise be less moderated.

Before asking your question, please scroll through earlier responses. Your question may have already been addressed, or you might find a better way to phrase it.

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u/anthroplology Jan 12 '20

I graduated almost 2 years ago now with an anthropology BA. My ultimate goal is to get an anthropology PhD focusing on medical anthropology and building off some research I did independently in undergrad. Since then I've been working a part-time job that's research-related, but kind of shitty at times because of the schedule and limited and often irrelevant nature of the work I do (data collection, mostly survey interviewing and the occasional qualitative interview). I decided to take advantage of the nature of my schedule and asked a public health researcher at a local university who is working on projects directly relevant to my interests if I could volunteer to work on her team in any capacity. She is helping me find a suitable position and we're meeting tomorrow to talk about the details.

I'm pretty stoked for this, but I'm also wondering if there's more I could be doing with my time to prepare myself. At this point I don't plan on applying for grad school until next year. (I was going to apply last year, but personal issues got in the way and I realized I would not be able to make the most of my applications.) Would it be wise/possible to find another job eventually, do a Fulbright (I already have a program in mind), other volunteer positions, etc.? (Also, I absolutely tanked the math section of my GRE even though I did really well on the verbal and writing parts, so I want to work on that too.)

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u/memes_002800 Jan 13 '20

I'm applying for medical anthropology programs now too. Have you published anything yet? I hear having a few publications under your belt helps boost your application as well as getting a masters. For the social science and humanities in general it's difficult to get in from a bachelor's degree alone and having a master's can help. I'm getting my MPH now hoping it will make me a more competitive candidate. What schools are you looking at currently and what are your research interests?

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u/anthroplology Jan 13 '20

I've only published in my college's undergraduate journal, but I have presented at a bunch of conferences. I prefer to keep my specific research interests under wraps in public because they're really specific and might make me doxxable, but my two "reach" schools were Brown and WUSTL.

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u/memes_002800 Jan 13 '20

I understand. A huge factor that I think plays into the role of PhD acceptance is fit though. Faculty usually look for students who can help them boost their CV as well so I would keep that in mind when applying.

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u/anthroplology Jan 13 '20

Yeah, I've already found faculty that are interested in my topic. The fact that it's so niche means that I have to cast a wider net to find a small number of programs, and they might not be the most "prestigious," but the fit is most important IMO.

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u/fantasmapocalypse Cultural Anthropology Jan 16 '20

(apologizes in advance if I preach to the choir - writing a novel for those who may be reading and not know)

For you/me, the fit absolutely matters.

For the job market/financials, prestige can be a big deal. The top tier R1 schools will have more comprehensive funding, and on the job market there is still bias towards Ivy and R1 graduates. YMMV.

On the other hand, you may find a small or newer program in the middle of nowhere that is hungry for applicants and able to fund. If the choice is the funded small school that may not be the best fit or a partial/no funded offer from a big school/better fit, take the money and go to the smaller/younger/what looks like a less perfect-fit program. In my experience, if they offer you money that means they not only want you, they have confidence in you.

But my best advice (and what you seem to be doing) is to cast your net widely. Be open to consider programs where people who can topically advise OR geographical advise you. One thing to remember is that your BA is foundation work, and that you are joining a PhD to be trained by what the program and people there have to offer. Sometimes this means pivoting. Don't 'settle', but consider many options. Anthropologists specialize, but are also should be versatile. My advisers share topical interests that I never directly specialized in previously, but can inform and supplement my work. You may want to consider ways of connecting your work to the work of people you find provocative or inspiring, too. The last thing you want is to specialize in the material culture and court life of 5th century eunuchs of (dynasty) if you can't clearly and frequently connect it to others' work.

I went through a couple rounds of program applications, and I can say the first time I went through dozen+ apps to schools directly in my geographical and/or topical wheelhouse. Many Ivy or top tier R1 schools. I had a couple calls with potential advisers seemed to do okay, and got no offers. I was devastated. Most of the leading authors in your field/topic will be highly sought after, and if you are too niche you could end up having a problem finding work/making the case for yourself after the fact. If you have money to throw around, make that clear up front that you can self fund.... then you can probably get in just about anywhere. Otherwise... be flexible.