Anthropology is a broad field of study, with jobs ranging from curating museum exhibits to working for advertising agencies. People interested in a career in anthropology should think about which area of the field they want to study before enrolling in a program, as different anthropology programs offer training in various aspects of this vast field.
Academic, government, corporate, and non-profit anthropology careers are roughly divided. Active research, anthropology student instruction, and peer review of anthropological studies are all examples of academic work. Government work can include everything from managing studies on behalf of the government to examining human remains for law enforcement agencies to researching minority communities within a larger nation. Anthropologists in the corporate sector put their knowledge and training to work for them, offering advice on everything from archaeological excavation of building sites to how to run an advertising campaign. Research, consultation for non-profit organizations, and promotion of anthropology to the general public are all examples of non-profit work.
Physical, cultural, and archaeological branches of anthropology are frequently distinguished. Each of these anthropology disciplines is very broad, with anthropology careers in each area being quite diverse.
Physical anthropology, also known as biological anthropology, is the study of the human body and its structures from a physical standpoint. Human evolution, physical variations between modern human populations, forensic anthropology, osteology, and a variety of other topics can all be studied researchers in this field. Evolution researcher, pharmaceutical consultant, osteopathologist, and forensic odontologist are some examples of anthropology careers in this field of study.
Cultural anthropology is the study of human cultures and societies, and it includes topics such as linguistics, minority studies, social norm studies, and studies of specific types of social groups. Cultural anthropologists are well-known for traveling to remote locations to study tribal communities, but they also research a wide range of other subjects. Cultural anthropology careers may appeal to people who are interested in how people think, behave, and view the world, whether they choose to help companies market products in new areas or study human populations to learn more about them.
Site excavation, cataloging archaeological materials, curating museums, and the study of ancient cultures are all possible careers in archeology. As can be seen, there is a lot of overlap between these fields in anthropology; for example, an archaeologist studying the Egyptians might be interested in the pathology of disease in this human population, in which case he or she would be bridging the disciplines of physical anthropology and archeology, as well as mixing in some cultural anthropology to learn about the social factors at play.