For almost a year, I have been struggling. Whenever I was asked the dreaded “What do you want to do with your degree?” question, I always hesitated to respond, as frankly I am not sure what I want to do.
I have an overwhelming number of directions in which to go, many of which don’t have the best career options especially for those people just beginning. An anthropology degree with an archaeology focus isn’t perceived as a necessarily high demand job by the general population.
Archaeology is near and dear to my heart, but I have been unsure about where I want to go with it in my future for a very long time. My lack of practical field experience left me with the inability to firmly state that excavation was where my heart lay. This uncertainty coupled with an ever-growing feeling of being behind on grad school and job applications as my senior year approaches, made me shy away from future plans altogether, especially as this trip approached. I hoped this trip would help me figure out where my true passion lay.
Even with only being at Tel Akko for a week so far, I can say with confidence field archaeology does completely hold my heart and interests. The excitement of discovery never gets old, as any artefact you find has its own story and helps fill in gaps about the overall history of your site. Every artefact is unique and you never know if something you find that is caked in dirt, isn’t the next find of the day. It creates a thrilling feeling that, already, has become addicting and fuels my passion further.
The field school here at Tel Akko has already made a huge impression on me, and it is only the middle of week two. It has rekindled my desire to pursue archaeology as a career, and reaffirmed the love I have for the field. I can only imagine how much stronger my love will grow with the coming weeks.
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