An archeologist studies the history and culture of groups of people by studying the evidences left behind in different places around the world. They take a look at the remains, tools and writings in order to understand the behavior, laws and customs of a civilization.
Deep investigation and research is highly required for archeologists. They have to be on the field digging for remains or clues that will tell them more about the past. But aside from digging these items, they carefully analyze each item and interpret them based on what they have seen so far and construct the past based on the evidences. Their work is not only based on land as they also work underwater studying shipwrecks or cities that were under water for centuries.
The basic educational requirement for this career is an archeology degree. However, not everyone in the field is necessarily a degree holder in an archeology degree because learning the past through different evidences requires a lot of skills from different degrees. For example, an anthropology graduate can be involved in archeology as he or she can help decipher the behavior and culture of the past. Scientists from different fields could also be needed to make scientific experiments to determine the date of the materials found. Training for this type of work often starts with internship as undergraduates for an archeology degree work with their professors on the field.
An archeologist can work with different research institutions that specialize in archeology. There are also government entities that will require their services for research purposes. Many archeologists are working with schools around the world not only for teaching purposes but also for additional studies where they have to work on site.
Archeologists can work as consultants or freelance researchers for different institutions. But this situation is very rare as they often work as teachers for a university or college.
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