Let me first start off by saying that anthropology is so much more than studying prehistory and people who haven't lived for a very, very long time.
Anthropology is separated into four major categories: Social/Cultural, Biological, Linguistic, and Archaeology. Each concentration has a unique focus to it. Social/Cultural studies societies both living and extinct and how they interacted with the world around them. Biological studies human biological variation as well as evolution. Linguistic studies how languages influence social life. Archaeology studies the artifacts and remains of prehistory and their significance. Anthropology isn't always people living in tents on dig sites. Very few Anthropologists actually do that in reality.
We always get a "starving artist" reputation by places like Forbes when they list their Worst College Majors list each year and we're grouped with graphic design, fine arts, and philosophy majors. However, Anthropology is one of those things where you can do everything or nothing. It gives you skills that are applicable pretty much anywhere, but you have to be willing to look for it sometimes. I will say, though, that if you are interested in earning a lot of money with or without going to graduate school, Anthropology just isn't for you.
I like Anthropology because almost everyone in the field chose to be there for a purely academic reason. Anthropologists do what they do in pursuit of knowledge. At least with the Anthropologists that I've spoken to, knowledge is one of the greatest gifts in the entire world. I like that Anthropology has a shared respect for every concentration from Economic Anthropology to Paeloarchaeology. I like that no matter what concentration you go into with Anthropology, it's always with a greater purpose of understanding the world around you and how exactly you fit into it. I like that Anthropologists don't always have typical jobs. I like that Anthropology has the unique ability to analyse anything in reference to past history and outline why certain things should change -- Google "Anthropological analysis of modern capitalism" and you'll see what I mean. I like that Anthropology has the ability to take you to a specific culture and that you can learn to see things from their perspective. I like the fact that you have the ability to develop skills no one else will have such as the ability to learn foreign languages because you're taught to understand how they work. I like the fact that Anthropology is so uniquely diverse that there's something to fit every interest.
I chose Anthropology because I couldn't decide between being a maths major or an English major with a philosophy minor and Anthropology happened to incorporate a little bit of each. I chose Anthropology because I love culture and languages. I chose Anthropology because I want to make a difference in the world, even if it is just a small one. I chose Anthropology because I don't want a desk job, I want excitement - I want to travel and learn new languages and meet people and hear their stories and learn their customs and I want to be able to write about it and educate people on the beautiful diversity that we have in the world. I chose Anthropology because I want to teach people that tolerance is wonderful. I want to take a small step towards ending racial/ethnic profiling and that not everyone who's different than you is bad and that they have stories, customs, lives, and that they matter just as much as anyone else. I'm a bit of an over-ambitious individual and I am perfectly okay with that.
So you can tell me that my degree is useless. You can tell me that I'll never make any money and that I have a 10.4% unemployment rate. You can tell me that I'm majoring in one of the worst things possible. That's fine, go ahead. I don't care. I'm more than happy with my major and all the things I can do with it. I know that Sociocultural Anthropology is the perfect degree for me and I love it. That's really all that matters.
xx Britt
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