Also called: Conflict Archaeologist, Battlefield Survey Archaeologist
Uses metal detectors, GPS and old maps to find musket balls, buttons and campsites that reveal how famous battles actually unfolded.
You walk a Revolutionary War field in lines with metal detectors, flagging every beep. Each musket ball gets a GPS point. Back at the lab, the pattern shows where soldiers stood and fired, proving that the battle happened half a mile from where the old monument says.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's in archaeology or history; field school and metal-detector survey experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Anthropology, Archaeology, History.
Growing about average. Steady grant and park-service work around battle anniversaries and land development.
Low risk for 10 years. GIS and lidar speed up mapping; detecting in the field and reading the story in the finds stay human.
Classes: AP US History, Geography, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3091.
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