1. What training, or education, or both helped prepare you for this career?
Advanced academic training in anthropology/archaeology and history, and extensive fieldwork experience in both terrestrial and underwater/maritime archaeology, prepared me for my position as a maritime archaeologist and museum curator.
2. Please describe your current job.
Museum Curator: duties include research, conservation, and interpretation of collections representing Great Lakes maritime traditions, public education, and related museum
management/development initiatives.
3. What do you like most about your job?
The opportunity to conduct researches and create and share new information about Michigan's maritime history.
4. What do you like least about your job?
Extensive time spent dealing with purely administrative issues.
5. Are career opportunities in your field increasing or decreasing, and why?
Career opportunities appear to be expanding based on tremendous need for maritime preservation work in the Great Lakes region and on growing public awareness and interest in Great Lakes maritime preservation issues.
6. What advice would you give to a student who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in your field?
Pursuit of a career in maritime archaeology will ultimately require an advanced degree from a department of anthropology/archaeology and some level of cultural/historical/geographical specialization. A solid background in land-based archaeological methodology should be coupled with maritime archaeological training and experience. Several universities offer specialized programs in maritime archaeology. Archaeology training and experience provides an excellent foundation for museum curatorial work.
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