Q: SueAnne asks, “What advice can you give me, a recent graduate with a BA in anthropolgy, in using my skills and experience as tools to further my education and knowledge in the field today. I’ve done fieldwork with Mexican migrant farm workers, homeless people, and US veterans, but I’ve never been paid for my work and I’m ready to make this my career. Where do I begin?”

A: Hi SueAnne,

Thanks for the question. It sounds like you have a great start with some very interesting fieldwork under your belt! I think the best advice I can give you is two-fold: 1) Learn how to be an advocate for your skills and for ethnography. You probably won’t find a lot of job postings looking for ethnographers—but you CAN learn to be a really good educator and promoter of the benefits of ethnography to potential employers. If you learn to make a good argument for the use of ethnography, you will be surprised at how many people will be willing to hire you as an ethnographer! 2) Continue your education. It is hard to beat a graduate education in the social sciences for preparing a person to be versatile in the job market—plus it will give you a chance to practice your field technique in an environment where you usually have plenty of time and guidance.

Good luck to you,

Melinda