00:00.00 archpodnet Welcome back to the Sierra Archeology Podcast episode 2 78 and you know we started talking about Ritchie's current situation on segwood one and that led me to think you know I mentioned that like I said because of some of the operations he's had in some of the. Some of the things that have happened because of that his life has literally forever changed and I'm not sure if he'd even be able to do field work ever again. But um, if anybody can you know muscle their way back into fieldwork. It's Richie that's for sure but's no, you know let's hope for that but thing is you know it doesn't hurt when you're. Just like tooling around on the internet maybe hit up Linkedin or Glassdoor or something like that and just look for jobs that you think fit your skill set the skillset you've learned in archeology right? And and maybe you took some extra classes in college that had nothing to do with this that. You might think hey you know what? that actually looks like something I might be qualified for not that you need to switch careers because there's a lot of people that are in archeology because of ah, a passion they have. But if something happens and you can't do archeology anymore because what gets most people out of archeology. Is the field work right? I mean if there's a work from home position. Great. But there's very few of those right a lot of times you just have to be in the field if you're going to be an archeologist. There's no way around that I mean again, depending on the level. But if you're still at that level where most of your work is definitely walking around in in jungles and deserts and forests and digging holes then. 01:25.90 archpodnet You Never know what's going to happen and it doesn't hurt to either a have an extra skill set that you you know you maybe have as a hobby that you could turn into some work if need be or B or in addition to just kind of take a look out there and see where your skills could be applied because you've learned a lot of things that. Some people think oh this only applies to field work and archaeology. That's absolutely not true, right? I mean the only thing that applies to fieldwork and archaeology is the ability to walk and dig a hole right? That's it. So Everything else is analytical skills. It's writing skills. It's you know. Leadership skills. It's all these other little things that you don't realize could just translate to a thousand other jobs that maybe not our archeology but at least keeps you sarriving So heather. 02:08.69 Heather Yeah I would the 1 thing is writer writing being able to do technical writing we need it desperately in archeology. We have a dearth of that in archeology and there's a lot of people that don't. 02:14.22 archpodnet Yeah. 02:26.22 Heather People that don't want to do it. They'd rather be in the field and not get that I totally get it but exercising that muscle the writing muscle is really important and so doing even if you just do a survey and you contact your client your your boss and you say hey can I write up the survey section. 02:29.22 archpodnet Um, yeah. 02:44.14 Andrew Kinkella You. 02:44.88 Heather That just continues it. It's It's a muscle you need to exercise once you kind of get out of practice of doing it. You got It's hard to get back into it so you know even if you're you'd rather say in the field you know, volunteering to write certain sections that are field based. Is is definitely a key and that is something that will carry you through if you go out of archeology If You're a good technical writer. Um, you should not have a problem finding a job. 03:16.27 Andrew Kinkella Yeah I think I did that well at one point you know Heather exactly what you're talking about I was um on a survey and I said you know at the end of the survey I was like hey could I ride up this part and I think they reacted like really ah sure. You know because I guess they weren't used to hearing that so yeah I highly recommend um that I think it's a great point heather just ah, something as simple as asking your boss or everything in in control can I write up this this bit. 03:34.33 archpodnet No. 03:45.64 Heather Right? And then the other thing just remembering if you're getting when you're getting into that writing you know, um task is know that you know each company has a certain way that they like things written up. Um and technical writing is very different than any other kind of writing. And so if you haven't done it before I remember I came out of when I came out of graduate school. You know by writing is definitely a strong suit for Matt for me and a lot of my you know my professor said I was a really good writer I came out and it was just the first report I wrote. Ah. 04:07.43 Andrew Kinkella Um. 04:14.00 archpodnet Um. 04:22.13 Heather My supervisor of red line the whole thing and I was crushed and I I was like what the heck you know, but I realized that it's It's just a different kind of writing so you have to be willing to take that criticism not get um you know, discouraged by it and tactical writing. 04:38.20 Andrew Kinkella Right? right. 04:41.97 Heather Is some of the most is a one of the most useful skills you can have across the board in just about any profession. So technical writing if you if you're able to do that. Well you can get a job anywhere really so because there's just there really is ah it. 04:58.60 Andrew Kinkella Um, yeah. 05:01.17 archpodnet Yeah, and there's. 05:01.65 Heather A dearth of of good writers. So. 05:05.87 Andrew Kinkella Yeah, and had I sorry ah had the same thing happened to me after I wrote my first one you know like there were definitely a bunch of rewrites there. You know? So yeah, the first time is always really rocky. It's tough. No. 05:12.23 Heather Um, yeah. 05:14.35 archpodnet Ah, yeah, you you really can't get offended by that Honestly, it's a learning experience. You mean? That's what you're there for and that's the whole point too is there are there are expensive courses out there for technical writing that you can learn right? but you can also learn this on the job for free. 05:19.35 Heather Um, nope. 05:27.45 Andrew Kinkella Um, yeah, yes, yeah. 05:29.38 Heather Um, oh totally totally. 05:32.50 archpodnet Right? You can get paid to learn it. Yeah, you just you just have to step up so many of these people that I got to say I'm just going to use a word So many people just complain about their situation in and on different social media groups I feel like they're they're complaining about not having opportunities but to be honest. 05:40.00 Heather Um, yeah. 05:42.45 Andrew Kinkella Um. 05:49.36 archpodnet A lot of people aren't just aren't aren't equipped to just think about your opportunities mentally right? They're only thinking about their own opportunities half the time and I'm not saying everybody but a lot of people are of course looking out for themselves first and they're not necessarily looking out for other people not because of any sort of negative thing. It's just how it's just how people work right. 06:04.14 Andrew Kinkella Right? right. 06:04.88 Heather Then. 06:07.67 archpodnet So You have to make your own Opportunities. You have to look for those things and you have to say hey can I do this and if you know what your employer or your cruche for your field director your program your project manager Whoever is responsible for your education if they are not giving you those things. That's when you start looking for something else and you start looking for Upward Mobility has nothing to do with the company. Maybe they don't have the bandwidth for it. Maybe they just don't have the skills you want to learn and so you need to go somewhere that does it's like when you go to grad school. You look for a professor and and a program that. 06:22.48 Andrew Kinkella Um, yeah are right. 06:38.82 archpodnet Highlights what you want to do if you want to do egyptology. You're probably not going to go to you know the university of North Dakota right you're probably going to go somewhere that does egyptology so you can learn from the best right? So um, yeah I don't know whose hand was up first but fight it out. Ah. 06:45.74 Andrew Kinkella Right? All right? I just have a short I have a short one. Um I would just say I recommend to anyone based on the writing thing It's like if you if you think you want to do this right up. 06:51.00 Heather Yeah. 07:03.18 Andrew Kinkella A short culture history of your own area like just write it. You know how to do this like read like 10 local archeology reports. You know how they go now just write your own for yourself. You could use it later. You could put it in but that would be really great. It's like stop complaining online sit down. 07:04.69 archpodnet Yeah. 07:11.88 archpodnet Um, yeah. 07:17.99 archpodnet Um, yeah. 07:22.59 Andrew Kinkella And write a succinct culture history of the area where you work. 07:25.87 archpodnet Yeah, that's a good call. 07:28.46 Heather And that's a great idea that's great I You be surprised you know, um those are the things that unfortunately those sections of reports are stale more often than anything else because it's boilerplate. 07:41.18 Andrew Kinkella So totally. 07:41.91 archpodnet Via. 07:43.48 Heather And it's a lot of times. It's not updated because the companies just do not have the time to do it and it's a shame. Um, and so if you if you wrote that it may need some T twinking. It's likely going to need some tweaking. But um, you might even be something that could help the company that you're working for. 07:56.96 archpodnet Yeah. 08:03.80 Heather Um, you know I would just say I do want to say for those listeners that are new to crm. Um I think that you know social media when we have the hive you know where everybody kind of comes together and is talking. That's a good thing That's great, but you have to have a critical mind when you're reading these things. 08:16.58 archpodnet Um. 08:18.80 archpodnet Yeah, yeah. 08:22.99 Heather Because if you looked at social media right now you would think the archeology is the worst ah job you could get you never will make any money you um, everybody's out to screw you your bosses are always wanting to take advantage. Take advantage of you. It's not the case. The people that are the loudest are usually the ones that complain the most and those that are in a good position and and have a great job and there's a lot of us out. There are not going to go out there number 1 We're not going to challenge. It. 08:48.47 Andrew Kinkella Yeah, totally. 09:00.85 archpodnet Yeah. 09:01.50 Heather Because if you challenge if you just watch if you challenge on these on these sites. They will literally eat you alive you know, ah with stuff that doesn't even make sense. So it's not worth arguing right? Why because I actually have a job. 09:08.13 Andrew Kinkella Um, yeah I. 09:14.60 archpodnet E. 09:18.69 Heather Ah, good job and I'm focusing on that good I know people are going to send in stuff. They're going to hate this. But you know I I'm actually working like I'm actually working hard. Okay I'm not sitting on social media complaining about something I don't have right? So I've been there. It was it. 09:25.57 archpodnet Ah, yeah. 09:32.50 Andrew Kinkella Yes. 09:33.11 archpodnet Yeah. 09:36.26 Heather Took some work to get to the position I'm at right now but it is possible and so for those that are new in the field do not look at this and think that that's the way this culture this this job is it isn't it does not need to be that way at all coming from somebody who hires all the time. 09:50.47 Andrew Kinkella That yeah. 09:55.86 Heather There is work out there this fallacy that there's not enough workout not enough work out there or that there's not good jobs out there. It's not true, but I will say that when yeah when you come on to a job right? and you come in as a malcontent. 10:05.27 Andrew Kinkella Right? Heather I think it's. 10:14.11 Andrew Kinkella Are. 10:14.97 Heather Not that you are standing up for yourself. There's something wrong with that but don't come in thinking you have to be a malcontent to begin with you may be working for a good company like think critically look at the situation that's in front of you and think critically and if there are things that you don't like about it ask questions. 10:25.10 Andrew Kinkella Um, yeah. 10:34.72 Heather Don't attack ask questions. Maybe there's you don't know. 10:34.82 Andrew Kinkella I think it's such a great point. Yeah I think it's such a great point about the whole social media thing because if you look at the 3 of us here in terms of the Crm world and all that the 3 of us are fantastically successful. You know we are and. How often are the 3 of us bitching on social media like never I think the 3 of us probably have almost no social media footprint because we don't care. It doesn't give us like joy you know? Yeah I'm on Youtube and stuff. 10:53.38 archpodnet Red red. 10:53.88 Heather Never never never. 11:05.57 archpodnet Yeah, yeah. 11:08.75 Andrew Kinkella But I don't sit in these inane chat rooms and bitch I spent that time writing real stuff for publication. You know, um I care what other people think I want the world to know about archeology. But that's some of the most like just unhealthy stuff is the whole social social media world. 11:26.48 Heather I will so I will say so on the other side of this have I been unhappy have I been treated wrongly at work. Ah, yeah, yeah, do I do do I stay up at night sometimes thinking what in the world like. 11:29.65 Andrew Kinkella Um, yeah, yeah. 11:37.53 archpodnet Sure. 11:44.46 Heather And and shed some tears over some unkind people in this business. Absolutely but that's life right? So and sometimes that's a good thing like when you when people show you for who they are. That's a good thing. That's a that is information. You now have. 11:46.49 archpodnet Yeah, yeah. 11:47.80 Andrew Kinkella Yeah, yeah, yeah. 12:03.20 Heather To make decisions in your life to make changes in your life. But it's you that needs to make the change. You're not going to sit back and expect everything to be solved for you or sit back and wait for the perfect job. It's not out there. Why because these jobs. 12:10.12 Andrew Kinkella Right. 12:22.25 Heather Are created. They are facilitated. They are controlled by human beings. Some are very nice human beings and some are pretty crappy human beings that's life in any job. So you as a as a person who's trying to get a job need to think critically. And need to make your own decisions. You could have the best job in the world and be the most miserable employee because you are not taking charge of your own life and that is that's the key to happiness is making sure that you are. 12:54.42 archpodnet You know? yeah. 12:58.25 Heather Making that effort to gain the knowledge that you need to do you need to have in order to make some good critical decisions about your life. 13:06.13 archpodnet Indeed and with that we'll take a break and come back in the other side and finish up this discussion back in a minute.