Ethnoscientist Job Description, Career as a Ethnoscientist, Salary, Employment

Education and Training Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology or Archeology

Average Salary $60,000 a year

Job Outlook Not Promising

Basic Job Description

Ethnoscience is the study of the classification of knowledge in a culture. It emerged from a postwar effort to combine anthropology and linguistics. It is used to figure out how non-Western cultures value material possessions and concepts of thinking. An ethnoscientist will study a culture and determine how these things rank in their society. It can vary from the class system a culture has for those who own a car, all the way to medicines and healing techniques that a society has used for any number of years. The field of archeology also provides opportunities for ethnoscientists. Archeology sites often unearth many items and information that – when compared with the knowledge that we have – can help us determine how a past society used a classing system in their daily lives.

Education and Training Requirements

Ethnoscientists will preferably need a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology or archeology with a minor in linguistics. Once this has been obtained, you will need experience in the field. This can consist of living with a society and observing their ways, or studying about the way a culture sets up its class systems. It involves many hours of quiet observation, note taking and patience in order to gain the experience necessary to excel in this field. It may also include going to various archeological sites and going through the findings to gain an idea of the classification of worldly goods by ancient cultures. There is no specific license or degree for an ethnoscientist. The term can be used to describe anyone working in the field of studying a cultures classing system.

Getting the Job

Jobs in ethnoscience can be few and far between. The field was once immensely popular, but has declined steadily over the years due to its lack of recognition in the scientific community. Once the experience is gained, you’ll have to re-locate to a specific location for a job. All ethnoscience is hands on and on location. The ethnoscientist will need to be prepared to spend time outdoors, and also need to be familiar with the surroundings and people that they are studying. In a job where people are being studied, the ethnoscientist will need to observe the community constantly and be diligent in the documentation of activities and incidents. In a job where the work takes place on an archeology site, the enthnoscientist will work from sun-up to sun down, using the tools provided to them.

Ethnoscientists will need to have a desire to work with other people and will need good social skills across many cultures. They will work hand in hand with other societies and other ethnoscientists to gain knowledge of cultures and societies in the present as well as in the past. An ethnoscientist should be a friendly, outgoing person with a lot of patience and self-motivation.

Job Prospects, Employment Outlook and Career Development

An ethnoscientist may have to look in very specific locations for a job, and that may require moving a lot and, in some cases, even around the world. However, once you find a job, the likelihood of keeping it is very good due to the exclusive nature and dying interest in the field.

The outlook of an ethnoscientist has to be one of a positive nature, with the ability to keep composure in situations that aren’t familiar to them. The success or failure of an “on site” ethnoscientist will depend on their ability to be friendly to local people and blend in with the culture. This will require a calm demeanor and a friendly personality. It will also require a knack for adapting to circumstance quickly.

Once you’ve become an ethnoscientist, career development can be limited due to the specific nature of the job. However, you may go on to own your own ethnoscience company, or even move on to teaching in the field. These will both include salary increases, and will be available based on experience in the field and what you can add to the studies through your findings, not so much on degrees acquired.

Working Conditions and Environment

Ethnoscientists will work almost entirely in the field, with the exception of the studying of ancient cultures. They will work mostly outdoors in archeological digs, and will be exposed to whatever climate is native to the location of their assignment.

An ethnoscientist will need to be comfortable working in all types of weather and have a love for being outdoors. They will need to know basic first aid in case of any on site accidents. They will need a basic knowledge of the languages spoken wherever they are assigned, and need to be comfortable speaking with a translator.

Physical fitness will play an important role to an ethnoscietist in the field. They should be able to stand for long periods of time, withstand extremes of heat and cold, and be able to use tools of the trade comfortably.

Good note taking, penmanship and means of documentation are other useful tools the ethnoscientist should possess. This will be needed in both the field and in the library. It will be important to document thoroughly all the events in a neat and timely manner so that the knowledge accrued will be of the best quality.

Salary and Benefits

The ethnoscientist will make about $60,000 a year, depending on the company as well as the location of the job. Experience plays a big factor in salary, sometimes increasing the figure to $200,000 a year. The more experience you have as well as your willingness to travel to sometimes remote areas of the world will all play into the amount of salary.

The benefits of the ethnoscientist are specific to the job, but can include: seeing new countries, experiencing new cultures, world travel, and making new friends around the world. Insurance would be provided at the discretion of the employer, but it would be necessary for “on-site” jobs, in particular, traveling abroad or at an archeological site.

Where to Go for More Information

Ethnosciene, Inc.
4140 King Avenue East
Billings, Montana 59101
(406) 252-7945
http://www.ethnoscience.com/index.htm