Anthropology

A career in the field of anthropology revolves around scientific research and teaching, usually at the university level. A lot of formal education is required with the majority of those in the field completing at least a masters’ degree.

Anthropologists study culture and aspects of civilization including human relationships, behavior, and the reason why individuals or groups respond to events and make decisions. Anthropologists are problem solvers on the large scale of humanity and often work with government agencies to impact societal changes.

Research is a major factor in this occupation and requires study through observation, recording data, and drawing conclusions. In addition to creating new studies, researchers often compare recent data to past data to form theories about changes in human behavior evident in society.

Factors studied in anthropology include culture, physical changes, social norms, linguistics, customs, and social and industrial processes. Sometimes specializing in a region or culture for their area of emphasis, anthropologist can travel the world to study the present or past cultures. Most work in a government or university settings, teaching students the importance of these factors in determining how previous cultures worked. According to www.bls.gov the median annual wage is around $50,000.