This video is part of my series, “Life of an Archaeologist,” where I share parts of my life and answer your questions about being an archaeologist. In this post, you will find the YouTube video, as well as a full video transcript (with relevant sources and links).

YouTube Video

YouTube Video Transcript

Here, you will find the complete transcript of the video in the previous section with hyperlinked references/citations.

Intro

 2024 marks my 20th year of being an archaeologist.

It’s been filled with travel to amazing places and helped me cultivate even more amazing friendships. I also was in some type of school for just over half that time.

My PhD was especially challenging but also helped me experience things that truly felt once in a lifetime or at least not again anytime soon. I learned a lot about the past during those years when school was my focus.

However, it was only when I graduated and took up work in other fields that I began to realize how much archaeology and my journey as an archaeologist impacts how I approach my life in the present.

Now, if you spend 20 years doing something, it’s not all that surprising it might influence the way you think or approach the world. But something about it did surprise me. You see, oftentimes when people ask me why I did something, I would usually explain and then add the throwaway comment, that’s the archaeologist in me.

And increasingly people wanted to know more. They were curious how my experience as an archaeologist shaped my approach and mindset to work, family, friends, and hobbies. They were also curious about what it’s like being in the field and the coolest things I found.

So I’m gonna explore that here. Not in this video, but in other videos, and I’m pretty sure I’ll come up with a snazzy name for the series. And, let’s see where it goes. Some of it might be helpful, some of it might not. I hope it’s at least interesting, and at least it will be short, because waxing on poetically on camera is still quite a challenge for me.

So yeah, I’m excited to commemorate my 20th, it’s windy, a year in the field through these video reflections.

So if you’re curious or interested, stay tuned and I will see you very soon.

Credits

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