#251 Diversity Isn't the Problem, Yet

I wasn't planning a blog response to Bill White's first post on race and diversity in archaeology, which itself was a response to Episode 51 of the CRM Archaeology Podcast about diversity in Archaeology.

Then I saw the first episode of the "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore". It was a stereotypical race-bashing extravaganza! For the first time ever a black man gets a show on a major network in a popular time slot, according to Wilmore anyway, and if anyone had to guess what the topic of the first show would be, most of us would have said race. Well, you're right.

We're trying to talk about racism in archaeology and how to get more non-whites interested in a career in the field but we have a long ways to go before we can even tackle that problem. First, black artists are going to have to stop thinking they have a free pass to talk about racism. It's just as racist as white people doing it. Black artists are making the problem worse by making fun of it and by CONSTANTLY TALKING ABOUT IT. I'm not saying we/they shouldn't talk about racism and how to fix it. I'm saying don't make it a punchline.

Wilmore started the show by talking about the Academy Awards and the movie Selma. The movie was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song (for Glory) but not best Actor or Director. Now Al Sharpton is leading a charge to bring action against the Academy Awards for being racist. Really? How can you possibly prove that? What amount of nominations would have made Sharpton happy? Does EVERYTHING that has to do with MLK have to be elevated and celebrated? Anything associated with all of those decisions is racist no matter how you look at it.

The second episode of Nightly

The second episode started with Bill Cosby and the crap he's been going through. Is the show only going to be about black celebrities and issues? Wilmore is a funny guy and shouldn't have to just talk about race issues on his show. Why can't he just be a comedian? Is it the public's fault? Do we only except racist comedy from non-white comedians? We have a long ways to go.

Where do we go from here?

Every time I write that line I think of Buffy. Anyway...

We need to stop making race a punchline. That's it. Start there and see what happens. I don't care if you're black. If you make a black joke or a joke about race then you're a racist. As a white man, If I make a white joke then I'm racist. Any time you make a color-based joke or reference, YOU'RE RACIST. 

I hope the Nightly Show starts covering other news. I hope they do it from a perspective other than race. Think about what you say and how you say it regardless of your race. Stop thinking you get to use a "Get out of racism free card" just because you aren't white. Become part of the solution and start talking about how we can move forward.

I'm not really sure where to share this post. If you think it should be shared, either for ridicule or comment, then please, share it.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the field.

#250 Tom King is Wrong

I drafted this post a few weeks ago and never got around to finishing it. Now it’s about to encompass a couple things that Tom King is wrong about.

Do we need archaeologists?

It all started with a podcast interview I recorded with Tom a couple months ago. The interview is for a podcast that isn’t quite ready yet so I have no link for it. We were talking about archaeology and archaeologists and the idea of professional licensing. I asked Tom why we don’t have licensing for archaeologists. He told me it’s because we don’t actually need archaeologists. We need plumbers and electricians so we have licensing for them. He apparently thinks we need nail and hair salons too since they also require licensing.

Was Tom King right? Do we not have a NEED for archaeologists? I guess it depends on your definition of “need”. If you take it to the absolute reductionist view of my friend, Dave, then we don’t really “need” anything beyond a cave to sleep in and some food to eat. However, most of us have more extensive needs.

We need archaeologists the way we need science, medicine, and space travel. These things help us live in this world in a better way than our ancestors did. They help us live healthier lives and learn from our past. Archaeology teaches us what has and has not worked in the past. It shows us what’s been tried and how we can proceed. More than that, archaeology is a record of human achievement. Whether we need that or not, again, depends on your definition. I think we do need archaeology and I think the world would be worse off if our heritage were not recorded for descendent generations to learn from.

Consider this, everything from farming to chemistry to physics to industrialization is recorded by archaeologists. ALL HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT is part of history and archaeologists record that history.

Do we need licensing?

The follow-on question is, of course, should we license archaeologists? What would that get us? What is the benefit to the public and what is the benefit to the archaeologist?

The public benefit is the secure knowledge that someone with sufficient training is recording their precious history. We’ve all heard of, and have possibly seen or been party to, those excavations where someone blew through a feature. We’ve seen people blow off sites while on survey. Would licensing prevent those things from happening? Maybe. With licensing would come the need to maintain that license. We would have to go through regular training and continuing education. We could bring in an ethical component too, and, harsh penalties for violating those ethics. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but, in the end I think there would be a huge benefit.

Archaeologists would benefit as well. Aside from the continuing training, archaeologists would likely get paid more and would have a higher credibility amongst the other field sciences. Maybe these things don’t mean much to some, but, from questions asked on the Profiles in CRM podcast it’s clear that pay and respect are high on most archaeologist’s lists.

Do you have to publish to be an archaeologist?

The other thing Tom King is wrong about is that you don’t have to publish to be an archaeologist. Let me explain.

I shared a link on my Facebook page to a podcast from Joe Schuldenrein: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/82755/students-uncovered-experiences-and-perceptions-from-archaeology-graduate-students

On that episode Joe interviewed a couple of grad students and asked them about their program and what their plans are. The show was completely from a grad student perspective.

Along with the post on Facebook I commented that it was a good episode but ignored the fact that most archaeologists don’t have a graduate degree. Then Tom started commenting.

Basically, Tom said that the industry standard for getting hired at a museum or university is that you have to publish. Sure, I’ll buy that. The problem is that most archaeologists in the United States work in Cultural Resource Management (CRM). Most CRM archaeologists (Tom is cringing at that term right now) are field technicians. Most field technicians have a BA/BS in anthropology or archaeology. So, most archaeologists do not have graduate degrees.

I explained this and the conversation turned to whether field technicians are archaeologists at all. Just because they dig holes and walk lines doesn’t make them archaeologists, according to Tom. If they don’t do research and they don’t publish, then they just aren’t archaeologists.

Wow. What they hell do we call them, then?

What is an archaeologist?

An archaeologist is someone that studies the material remains of human activity. The papers and reports that are written about archaeological topics are based on data from the field. Those data are collected by field technicians. Field technicians need to be able to identify artifacts and sometimes assess the condition of sites. They need to have a knowledge of many different types of artifacts and features in order to do their jobs. Anyone can dig a hole, but, not everyone can determine the soil horizons they’re digging in and what they mean. Not everyone can look at a piece of glass and know that it’s from 1970 so we shouldn’t waste our time there. Of course these things just take training, but, it’s that training, on top of a degree, that makes a person an archaeologist.

Do you need a degree to be an archaeologist?

Yes. You want more? Fine. You need a degree because going through college gives you a perspective that people that don’t go through college just don’t have. Over the course of an anthropology or archaeology BA/BS you’ll be exposed to writing, research, and analysis. The quality of those activities is variable, but, you’re exposed nonetheless.

When I was a field technician I freely called myself a scientist. I encouraged others to do the same, even though they saw themselves as shovelbums. In fact, I want to do away with the label “shovelbum”. It’s derogatory and in no way describes the fantastic people that I’ve had the privilege of working with. At my CRM firm I don’t hire shovelbums. I hire archaeologists. Shovelbums can go look for work at Home Depot.

So Tom King is wrong, in my opinion. Archaeology IS important. We SHOULD be licensed. You DON’T have to publish to be an archaeologist.

Eviscerate me in the comments…

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field!!

#249 Redefining Job Security

The Myth of Job Security

I just got back from the Society for Historical Archaeology meetings in Seattle and had a few interesting conversations there. One such conversation was with fellow podcaster, blogger, and author, Bill White, and was centered around jobs and job security in archaeology. Essentially, I decided that the term “job security” doesn’t really apply to archaeology as it’s been traditionally defined.

When most people think of “job security” it’s in the Ford (or in the case of someone from Seattle, Boeing) factory worker sense. This is a job you’re going to get when you’re 18 and will have until you retire. That’s ultimate job security.

Sometimes job security includes benefits and retirement plans. In fact, most of the time those things are included.

Traditional Job Security in Archaeology

I’m sure everyone would agree that the most secure position someone thinks about when it comes to archaeology is a tenured archaeology professor. In many ways it still is the most secure archaeology job you can get. However, there seem to be fewer of those jobs available as departments get smaller and the pool of applicants grows.

Is there job security in cultural resource management (CRM)? Some of my friends that just got laid off from a big company here in Reno probably thought so. It seemed like that gravy train was never going to end. But it did. And right before the holidays. So, not so secure.

If you own your own company and can keep your business going for several decades then that’s pretty secure. Many owners from the 70s and 80s likely don’t have a retirement set up, though. They aren’t going to get the benefits that most retiring, unionized, factory workers are going to get. Being an owner might be secure in the sense that you create your own circumstances, but, that’s not really the same thing as the traditional definition of job security.

Profiles in CRM

The weekly podcast, “Profiles in CRM” asks the same eight questions of everyone interviewed on the show. One of the questions asks people what they would change about the practice of CRM. Many interviewees include in their answer some version of the phrase “job security”. It’s clearly something we think we understand and something that we want.

So, what’s the problem with thinking about job security?

Redefining Job Security

Simply put, traditional job security in CRM DOES NOT EXIST. If you’re new in the field and you’re reading this then read that last sentence again. You are NEVER going to find a job in archaeology that you’re going to have for the rest of your life and then retire to someplace where they don’t shovel-test. It’s NEVER going to happen. If you want that, find something else to do with your life. Or, redefine the term and then own it.

I want to define job security this way:

Someone with Job Security in CRM is constantly improving themselves, loves what they do, and will always be the most employable person on a crew.

What does that mean? It means that while you’re working for a company, any company for any length of time, you are always looking to make yourself a better archaeologist. When the project manager says we need someone to run the total station on the next project and asks for volunteers but no one speaks up because they haven’t done that since field school, or ever, be the first to raise your hand. Be honest and say that you’ve never used it before but would like to learn. I took one home for the weekend one time and ended up shooting all the points for a very important site in Washington State.

When that nice little job finally ends, because they all do, you won’t be disheartened or disgruntled (is anyone ever, gruntled?) because you love your job and you expected it to happen. You spent your time improving yourself and building up the skills you already had. You know that there are 20 companies out there just waiting to hire you. During your off time your read books about archaeology from other regions while others were getting drunk in the parking lot. You watched YouTube videos on flintknapping so you could better understand the flakes you find in the field. You’re not worried about finding a job. You’re worried about how many offers you’ll have to turn down because they all want you.

From now on when we talk about job security, take on the definition and empower yourself because no one else is going to do that for you. The big Reno company that laid off most of their staff in mid-December didn’t want to do that. They had no malicious intent. They weren’t thinking of making a ton of money for themselves. The business just wasn’t there and they had no choice. That’s life in CRM. One day you’ve got 10 contracts to service and the next day you’re underbidding on a crappy job just to make payroll.

Once you understand the business of CRM you realize that there will never be traditional job security, but, you don’t care because you are the most employable person in that office. You’ll survive because you created your own job security. At least one person from that Reno company isn’t even doing archaeology anymore. They don’t even know where to start looking for a job. We lose good people that way.

Empower Yourself

So, go to work and volunteer to learn something new. If that’s not an option, then put it on your calendar (it helps when you write stuff down) to read or watch instructional videos for at least an hour after your shift today. Push off going to the bar with the crew for just one hour. It won’t kill you. But, it might give you job security for when the work dries up and 20 people are all looking for work at the same time. Email me and I’ll schedule your daily training time for you. I’ll send out an email, a tweet, and an FB post to keep you on track!

Your fate is in your hands. Don’t count on anyone else to make it for you.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field!!

The Archaeology Podcast Network is going strong! We’ve been operating since Dec. 1, 2014 (with some shows starting well before that) and currently have six podcasts. Between those six shows we have about 15 hours of archaeology content every month! Our editing and operating expenses are not high, but, they exist and they’re annoying. They’re almost as annoying as ads in podcasts. To prevent ads, consider giving us a donation! If you donate at least $20.15 before April, I’ll put you in a drawing to pay your SAA2015 conference fees. If you’re not going to the SAAs then we’ll figure something out. $20.15 would be like paying $0.11 per podcast hour, for a year of podcasts. Even someone on a southeastern CRM salary can afford that!

#248 Podcasting and Advertising

If you're a regular listener of the CRM Archaeology Podcast you will start to notice some changes. I've mentioned the Archaeology Podcast Network before and the changes are related to us moving forward with that project. Here are the details.

The APN

We plan on revealing the Archaeology Podcast Network to the public during the week of December 1st. We have the domain, web hosting, and a website that we're working on. We'll be kicking off the network with five shows. They are:

• The CRM Archaeology Podcast (Host: Chris Webster)
• The Anarchaeologist Podcast (Host: Tristan Boyle)
• The Struggling Archaeologist's Guide to Getting Dirty (Host: Jenny McNiven)
• ArchaeoTech Podcast (Hosts: Doug Rocks-MacQueen and Russell Alleen-Willems)
• Profiles in CRM (Host: Chris Webster)

At least four of the shows will be released on a regular schedule. It's my hope that the others will follow suit. We're always looking for other show ideas too. If you have an idea and want to host, or, just want to pass along the idea, email me at chris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.com. There are a lot of shows that could exist out there and we have only a few simple guidelines.

Advertising

With our current list of shows, and the price I've settled on for hosting and editing, the current monthly cost of keeping this going is about $3000. Right now, everyone is working for free. They're taking time out of their schedules to bring our audience awesome archaeology programming that simply doesn't exist anywhere. In fact, these shows have NEVER existed. 

To aid in funding I could do what many other podcasts do and call on the usual suspects: Stamps.com, Netflix, Hulu, Audible, and several others. But, I want advertising that actually means something to our audience. I've contacted several major archaeology tool manufacturers and companies that benefit archaeologists. Some have responded and some have not. We need some big download numbers before some of them will talk to us. We did get one, though.

The Maya Research Program has already recorded some long-form ads that are interactive and engaging. The MRP has a field school that is perfect for learning the basics of archaeology so I really wanted them to come on and talk about it. Since they're funding for this quarter is already settled, they're planning to help sponsor us in Q1 2015. I wanted to go ahead and get some ads out there now, though, so people can start thinking about their program.

So, what advertisers would you like to see on the APN? We promise to only put on the minimum we need to operate and no more. None of us will get rich on podcasting, but, we need the funding to have the freedom to do this time consuming labor of love. We're all passionate about what we do and want to see it succeed.

Donate

There are donate and sponsor links over at the APN website. Right now, any money collected is being reserved for when we start normal operations of the APN and to cover some of the initial setup costs.

Let your employer know that this is a worthy resource and that you'd like to see them support it. For a small amount of money your employer can sponsor the APN for up to 6 months. We'll announce the sponsorship at the beginning and end of every show during the sponsorship period.

Thanks to all the people that have already donated! 

Contest: SAA2015

To help incentivize our listeners, I've decided to have a little contest, or, raffle of sorts. Donate EXACTLY $20.15 to the APN and you'll be entered into a drawing to have your conference fees paid for the Society of American Archaeology Annual Meetings in San Francisco next year! For each multiple of $20.15 you'll receive another entry. This contest has a $159 value! Hell, I'll even throw in a copy of my book, The Field Archaeologist's Survival Guide. 

We will run the contest until the end of January and announce the winner on the APN shows during the first week of February.

Now, get out there and tell your friends, colleagues, and employers about the Archaeology Podcast Network!

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the field!!

#247 College - GET IT OVER WITH!

I recently chatted with a friend on Facebook about what she should focus on for her undergraduate degree. She asked whether she would be fine with an Anthropology BA or with An Anthropology BA with a focus in Archaeology. She's already taken a lot of archaeology classes and has extensive lab experience. 

Essentially, I told her to do what she has to do to graduate. Don't over-complicate things. In the end, most employers aren't going to care what you did in college and just want you to walk in the desert or dig holes. I'm not saying to take fluff classes. Certainly, if you need the credits and can take a fun class that pertains to your interests or your career then, by all means, take the class. I wouldn't, however, take an extra semester just to get an archaeology focus, or, something that you don't really need for CRM. 

I didn't take any specific archaeology classes during my undergrad. It's not that I wasn't interested...I just didn't know what I wanted to do. My focus was on bio classes and paleoanthropology topics. Did that prevent me from getting a job a couple weeks after I first applied for one? Not at all. Did it hurt me when I went to do my first job? Maybe, but, I learn fast and I ask a lot of questions.

Unless you take a class that specifically covers the things you'll typically see on survey in a given region then no class is going to really prepare you for a CRM-style survey. I'm already cringing at Tom King commenting on that last phrase!

What it all boils down to is GET OUT OF SCHOOL AND GO TO WORK!!! You can take more classes later or during grad school. For now, just get your degree and go to work. You might find that your interests will change or that you don't even like CRM-style Archaeology. Don't worry, you won't be the first. My own wife has a BS in Archaeology and a BA in Biology and decided after six years of fieldwork that it wasn't for her. Now she's doing what she loves and is much happier. Don't let student loans and guilt keep you in a field you don't absolutely love because you'll hate yourself for it.

#246 Dig It Video Series from Jamie Stott

I recorded a video for Jamie Stott's "Dig It" video series. Check out Jamie's YouTube page and her website. She's a great writer and always keeps it interesting!

#245 I Would NOT Walk 1000 Miles For You

Long central Nevada walk.

I've been having a discussion with a colleague about some upcoming fieldwork. The details so far include: 29,000 acres of pedestrian survey, no more than 400 sites recorded, and about two years to hand in the final draft of the report. We're allotting at most one and a half years for the fieldwork. 

My philosophy is to employ as many people for as long as possible. So, we could hire 50 techs to finish this in a couple months or we could use an outstanding crew of four and take up to eight months. Doing it with four people assumes an average daily acreage goal of at least 45 acres. From what I've been told about the terrain and the site density, 45 acres should be easy. 

My colleague wants to bring his own crew of superstars and knock out 80 to 120 acres per day and finish the project in four months. He wants to get on to the next thing. What would be legitimate reasons for finishing field work that quickly?

Why the Rush?

Maybe the company has a lot of projects and they need to get to the next ones as early as possible. Maybe there is a weather concern and the project has to be finished before winter. Does the client need the project finished quickly for some reason? There are a number of reasons why this insane schedule would have to be adhered to. This project is not subject to any of the ones I just listed. 

We have a ton of time, nothing really pressing on the horizon, and quite frankly, this project will make my crew and I plenty of money. 

Sometimes you have to sit back and ask yourself, as a manager or a PI, why did I get into this business? Was it to bang out as many survey miles as possible? Was it to do $2,000,000 in work every year and think of nothing else? My guess is no. 

However, it's possible that you've built your company to a point where you need $100k a month just to pay the bills and make payroll. I bet that was unintentional. When writing proposals, having a 10% win success rate is pretty good. But, sometimes you win several projects at one time and have to scramble and hire employees. Using a traditional business model, and archaeologists are nothing if not traditional, this usually means hiring new people. What do you do when the projects the new people are working on come to an end? You write more proposals. Now your wins start to add up and you need even more people. Before you know it you're too big to profit and are just trying to stay afloat. Enter: Lowballing. 

Lowballing

I've talked about lowballing on this blog and on various social media sites so I'm not going to go that much into it again. I'll just say that there are some "legitimate" reasons for lowballing. I put legitimate in quotes because in a perfect world there is really no good reason for it. However, if you're in a tough spot and need to make payroll, and, the projects just aren't rolling in, you might be tempted to bid a project at cost just to keep your people employed. I understand the thinking behind that. I just hope that companies that are bidding that way try to rethink their business practices and get themselves out of the situation they're in.

So, no, I won't work my crew to death just because I can. They aren't tools to be used and discarded when the job is done. They are people with lives and they need to be treated with respect. Try to remember that when you've underbudgeted your project, are short on time, and want to work your crew 12 hours a day. Someday you'll have to pay for your mistakes.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the field!