MEMO

DATE:

February 9, 2015

TO:

Ms. Lisa Ramirez

FROM:

Landee Longsworth LDL

SUBJECT:

Career Plan

This memo provides an overview of my academic field of study and the skills gained from that
field, as well as my career goals and options. It highlights different companies that would hire
me, and what job positions I could apply for with my degree and qualifications. Furthermore, it
gives the possible salary that I may receive for the degree and qualifications I possess.
Background
Personal Traits

Inquisitive and have a keen interest in people and their backgrounds and behaviors.
Analytical and observant
Adventurous, enthusiastic, and persuasive
Great decision maker

Education/Majors:
I chose my majors, not based on what would be the easiest to pass, or what would get me the
highest paying job, but on what suits my personality. I want my future career to be something
that would make me happy. The fields that I have majored in are:
1. Sociology (Associates Degree)- Saint Johns College Junior College (SJCJC)
2. Anthropology (Bachelors Degree)- currently at Galen University
Skills acquired by studying Anthropology
By using a range of social, behavioral, biological and other scientific research methods, as an
anthropology major, I have learned to enhance statistical findings with descriptive data gathered
through various methodological processes. By studying Anthropology I have become a trained
observer who understands the importance of data collecting, in observing people and the
environment around me, in researching the context, in applying various explanatory models, and
in adopting a broad perspective for framing an understanding. Whatever the topic of research,
anthropologists share a particular holistic vision that requires using a range of methods in order

to get a deeper understanding of situations. All these skills have been gained through the years of
studying and practicing Sociology and, especially, the different branches of Anthropology.
The Main Branches of Anthropology are:

Sociocultural Anthropology
Biological/Physical Anthropology
Forensic Anthropology
Archaeology

Doing various classes under the various branches of Anthropology has allowed me to gain skills
that will not only be applicable careers under anthropology, but rather a board range of other
careers.
Career Opportunities and Career Plan
Opportunities:
There are a myriad of career options for anthropology majors, and there are various organizations
where anthropologists are needed. With the growing need for analysts and researchers with sharp
thinking skills who can manage, evaluate, and interpret the large volume of data on human
behavior, there is now a strong demand for Anthropology is other organizations that are typically
not geared towards Anthropology.
Reporter for the website Business Insider, Drake Baer, stated in his March 2014 article Here's
Why Companies Are Desperate To Hire Anthropologists that major companies are increasingly
hiring anthropologists. Google, for example, hired an ethnographer to ferret out the meaning of
mobile. Intel has an in-house cultural anthropologist, and Microsoft is reportedly the secondlargest employer of anthropologists in the world. This is a great example of how adaptable
anthropologists can be. The options we have are in no way limited.

Organizations that employ Anthropologists but not Limited to:

research consultancies
Market researcher firms
Human Rights
Organizations
Tourism Organizations

Forensic Laboratories
Humans Services
Foreign Services
Organizations
Medical Research
Organizations

Career Plan:
After taking the Forensic Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology course, and actually getting a
chance to work with two Doctors of the Belize Forensic Lab, I really became passionate about
Forensics and would like a career in that department. However, I am open to any other career
that would enable me to use majority of the skills that I have gained through studying
Anthropology.
Job Responsibilities for Forensic Anthropologist
Forensic anthropologists work hand-in-hand with law enforcement agencies and assist in
handling skeletal evidence. They study bones and outline research subjects by gathering
information that determines the sex, age and physical condition of the deceased individual.
Furthermore, Forensic Anthropologists, by scientific standards, assist in excavating and
relocating human remains, carrying out dental analysis, estimating time of death, assessing any
trauma to bones and giving expert testimony in court.
Skills required for being a Forensic Anthropologist
Shane Hall (n.d), eHow contributor, in his article Professional Skills Required to Become a
Forensic Anthropologist listed some of the key kills that are required for being a Forensic
Anthropologist. These skills are:
1. Skeletal Knowledge- must have indebt knowledge in the human skeleton as most of
Forensic work deals with skeletal remains.
2. Laboratory Skills- forensic anthropologists should have familiarity with the procedures
and methods used for determining a person's sex, age and ancestry based on analysis of
remains.
3. Time Management- many forensic anthropologists have to multitask, and having good
time management enables them to thoroughly fulfill all tasks at hand.
4. Field Experience in Archaeology- this allows them to properly exhume a bodies in order
to collect human remains.
Salary
According to the website Education Portal (n.d) The average annual salary for anthropologists
and archeologists was $61,420 in May 2013, according to the BLS. The bottom ten percent
earned $34,320 a year or less, while the top ten percent made $92,730 or more per year. These
are salaries earned in the United States, and will probably be very different here in Belize or
elsewhere in the World.
I am seeking a career that will keep me happy, and that is the most important thing to me. Salary
of course is somewhat important as I would like to live a comfortable lifestyle, but I do not need
an elaborate lifestyle to be happy.

References
Baer D. (2014). Here's Why Companies Are Desperate To Hire Anthropologists. Retrieved on
January 20, 2015 from http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-companiesaredesperateto-hireanthropologists-2014-3#ixzz3PUcycHkH
Hall, S. (n.d). Professional Skills Required to Become a Forensic Anthropologist. Retrieved on
January 20, 2015 from http://www.ehow.com/info_8220375_professional-requiredbecome-forensic-anthropologist.html
Education Portal. (n.d.) Forensic Anthropologist: Job Description, Outlook and Salary.
Retrieved on January 20, 2015 from
portal.com/articles/Forensic_Anthropologist_Job_Description_Outlook_and_Salary.html