One of the questions I get asked most is “What job can you do with your anthropology degree?”. Whilst the easiest answer is “become an anthropologist”, anthropology truly opens up many doors career-wise. The skillset you acquire as an anthropology student is highly transferable to the workplace. If you’re an anthro’ student or graduate stuck with where your degree can get you, keep reading and explore the career pathways you could pursue with an anthropology degree.
What skills does an anthropology degree teach you?
The key skills an anthropology degree teaches you are:
1. Critical thinking and analytical skills
Studying anthropology involves analysing cultural and social systems which are complex and different to the norms of our society. Consequently, you have to learn to evaluate ethnographic evidence, think critically about human behaviour, and draw conclusions about said cultural and social systems.
2. Cultural awareness and sensitivity
Societies different to ours are often central to anthropological studies. Therefore, being able to understand and appreciate cultural diversity is important. Thus as an anthropology student, you develop the ability to respect different cultural practices, beliefs, and values.
3. Communication skills
When studying anthropology effective communication is key. Anthropological research often contains complex ideas therefore clear communication is central to recording one’s findings in an accessible manner. Moreover, having good communication skills is important when an anthropologist is speaking with their participants.
4. Project management
Conducting fieldwork or research projects involves planning, organisation, and time management. These project management skills are crucial in many professional roles, from corporate jobs to non-profit work.
5. Empathy and human-centred design
By studying human behaviour and cultural practices, anthropology students develop a deep sense of empathy and the ability to design solutions that consider people’s lived experiences and needs.
7 top jobs you can do with an Anthropology degree
An anthropology degree offers a broad range of career opportunities across various fields. Here are some career paths you could consider:
1. Museum curationist or archivist
If you’re interested in more historical anthropology and archaeology, working in a museum could be a career for you. This job entails curating exhibits, managing collections, and educating the public about cultural history and artefacts.
2. Non-profit, NGO and humanitarian work
Social anthropology allows you to explore cultures all across the world which builds up one’s cultural sensitivity and empathy. With these skills, you could go into non-profit, NGO and humanitarian work. This type of work focuses on social justice, community development, and advocacy, often in areas like human rights, public health, and international development. You could also work with organisations such as UNICEF or Save the Children to develop projects to support the development of marginalised communities across the globe.
3. Market research
During your degree, you will develop an understanding of qualitative and ethnographic research methods. These skills can be transferred to corporate jobs such as marketing or advertising. Advertisers seek to understand their target audience as well as reach new consumers therefore with the analytical better to help understand consumer behaviour, improve user experience, or shape company strategies.
4. Public policy and government work
Anthropology allows one to get an insight into human behaviour. This developed understanding of humans could be particularly useful within the government. These roles could include being a policy advisor, an urban planner or a community development specialist. Anthropological insight could influence policy-making, improve public services, and address social challenges.
5. Academia
Academia is a popular path for anthropology graduates. By going into education not only can you teach anthropology or related subjects such as sociology or linguistics but you can continue to learn yourself. Going into academia allows you to continue to conduct anthropological research, and contribute to academic knowledge about cultural and social areas of your choice.
6. Documentary filmmaker and journalist
I often say anthropology is pimped-up journalism as ethnographies are very detailed research pieces conveyed in a storytelling manner. Therefore, you can transfer the skills of storytelling and cultural analysis to produce short-form and faster paced media content. You could become a journalist or a documentary maker who educates and entertains the public on cultural issues and social narratives without straying too far from traditional anthropology.
7. Human resources
The communication skills as well as the cultural sensitivity developed from a degree in anthropology could be particularly useful within a human resources department. These skills could be helpful for companies to navigate the cultural differences of their employees and clients as well as build an inclusive workplace, and improve employee engagement.
An anthropology degree provides a unique perspective on human behaviour, culture, and society, which is highly valued in careers which require empathy, cultural understanding, and critical analysis. Therefore, an anthropology degree creates many career pathways for its graduates. However, in some careers, a graduate degree can open more doors to high-level or more complex roles. Furthermore, the anthropology department at UCL has a particularly useful video on “Careers with an Anthropology Degree,” which could provide further help on what jobs you can do with an anthropology degree.
