How career ready are your students? Reflections on what we are (not) teaching anthropology students

Abstract

Despite the growing market in industry, government, and non-profits for anthropologists, and their evident success there, anthropology has no real framework for teaching students about the practical applications of anthropology. This pattern appears at all degree levels—bachelor's, master's, and PhD. With that in mind, the Anthropology Career Readiness Network set out to investigate and identify some of the main gaps in academic training with respect to practice. Using Delphi surveys, we queried practitioners about perceived gaps in their training. The results showed that respondents felt quite underprepared in terms of job search strategies. They also lacked skills in transferring anthropology to workplace settings and explaining the value of their discipline to people in those settings. Although sobering on one level, our study points to a clear path ahead for curriculum development. The Network continues to work with practitioners, students, and instructors to build our collective capacity to prepare people to enter the workplace of their choice and to thrive there.