A: FROM MENTOR NORRIE ROBBINS IN CA
Anthropology versus archaeology? Neither one is my field, but I have friends and colleagues who are one or the other. I notice that social people who love people go into anthropology, and that a-social people who like to work alone go into archaeology. Neither of these fields is well funded; most people with anthropology backgrounds end up in other fields, but they love the subject and are happy they took their personal pathway through school. Those who stick with archaeology either have a winning way to talk funders out of money, a passion for the subject, or a specialty that is so different that they are needed. Bi- and multi-lingual people always seem to be funded. I've also noticed that the people with double specialties stay funded: rural anthropology, zooarchaeology, botanical archaeology, and forensic archaeology are some examples. Quaternary (upper sedimentary layers of the Earth) geologists and palynologists (pollen grains) are always needed around archaeology sites. Underwater archaeology is an emerging field that attracts young scientists having SCUBA skills. We really need underwater archaeologists working along coastal North and South America to discover the types of boats Indian ancestors arrived in, when they arrived, and the locations of the ancient villages.