5 Industry Skills Cultural Anthropologists Should be Encouraged to Explore in Graduate School —but Aren’t.

Just 1.5 years after taking my first non-teaching job — and 4 years into watching close friends who graduate navigate the job market — I’m more confident than ever that cultural anthropologists are great candidates for some of the most exciting jobs in the private sector, the NGO-think tank-contractor-scape, and in public service. We just aren’t taught to believe it or to believe that those jobs are worthy of our time if we are “real intellectuals.” Many of us also aren’t encouraged to seek the projects and skills we need on top of our degrees and research skills to make us competitive enough in those spaces. Here, I share skills anthropologists — cultural anthropologists in particular — should consider pursuing while in graduate school in order to be more competitive both in the academic and non-academic job market.

Below, I share a bit about each, why I included it, and suggest exploring 1–2 of these toolkits (languages and corresponding skills) before you graduate.

Before I do, I want to point out two things about this list.

1. Some of these skills you do already have by nature of researching as a cultural anthropologist, you’ll just need to use a different jargon set to refer to them and a new strategy for marketing them to potential employers.
2. I understand the irony, here. While many scholars we interface with talk about “public or engaged anthropology” being important, many (but not all) of those same folks forget to encourage us to pursue a “how to” toolkit when we have tuition waivers and access to software, flexible schedules, and a community of experts and innovators in the university context. It’s frustrating. We can, and should, do better.

How did I choose them? Well, not to scare you, but even friends on the traditionally academic job circuit are being asked about them. A good friend of mine was asked in an interview tenure-track cultural anthropology position if she could teach a UX methods class. Knowing her methodological flexibility, stellar teaching reviews, and experience as applied researcher, she absolutely could teach that class after putting in some serious prep work and building a UX portfolio. However, having to ask back “What’s UX?” made her feel disoriented, and caught off-guard. She was not prepared for the question, or to discuss the connection between her projects and UX research in general.

Her encounter hints at the double-bind our programs are in. Departments increasingly express wanting to make sure anthropology students going forward are trained in skills that would make them competitive outside of academia, and want new hires who do academic anthropology, and can also teach courses on anything from UX, non-traditional publishing, to gamification and augmented reality, or building effective infographics for publications and outreach materials. On behalf of future anthro students, I salute that. However, I’m not sure why we overlook the fact that most universities already have folks who teach classes related to these skills in Engineering, Psychology, Rhetoric and Writing, Graphic Design, Mathematics, Journalism, Marketing and Computer Science programs? If new faculty members are expected to increasingly prepare students for non-academic jobs, shouldn’t graduate students be encouraged and supported to pursue those skills while in their programs? I urge those still in graduate school to learn through projects, and through working or volunteering with experts while you have some schedule flexibility (and access to software packages and computer labs offered by your institutions).

I also chose this list based on my own experiences as a cultural anthropologist who works on transportation infrastructure, indigeneity and urban planning in the Americas, and cultural/educational resource management. I spent 11 months working for a fantastic area studies department as an Outreach Coordinator developing curricula, workshops, and managing public relations/social media development. Then, I spent 7 months working at an innovation lab at a governmental agency, writing reports on Smart Cities, IoT technologies, big data frameworks, and interviewing professionals at Google, GM, Ford, transit agencies, tech companies, think tanks, etc., about automation, data and planning, and beyond. I met anthropologists working at large technology firms and automotive/mobility companies. I learned more in the past 1.5 years about where I could possibly fit in the professional world as someone with razor-sharp interviewing, fieldwork, and theoretical literacy and critical analysis skills, than I did while in graduate school and have started actively pursuing the skills I list and share here as a result. These experiences made me feel incredibly empowered, safe, and hopeful about the future of our discipline.

More importantly, at my last position, I was also reminded that some of the insights we take for granted as anthropologists are light bulb moments for others. I was most recently reminded of this when an agency brought in a speaker from the Netherlands to talk to planning professionals about the “mind-blowing truth” that “communities know their own needs” and that planners can, and should, complete rigorous, community-based fieldwork to generate, plan, and complete planning projects. Yes — really. And it really was a new idea to some of my colleagues. This encounter reminded me to speak up, be proud of the approach we bring to the table, complicate top-down frameworks I encounter whenever possible, and to consistently market the value of ethnographic perspectives.

The Qualifier

Because I am a cultural anthropologist, and we hedge literally everything, I’ll need to heavily qualify this piece as not to seem overly critical of the wonderful faculty I’ve been lucky to work with over the years. Here it goes. I truly loved graduate school. It was a privilege to build a working knowledge of anthropological literatures and the disciplines that interface with them, writing things I cared about, trouble-shooting the grant process, and discussing ideas with colleagues. I was consistently pushed to think harder, write better, and do more rigorous fieldwork. I was also fortunate enough to teach during graduate school, eventually at or near full time when I had finished my coursework requirements. I learned how to write grants (largely on my own through asking for successful models), write academic essays, read (sometimes too) critically, manage 300–500 page reading loads, and to navigate the politics of citing within and across disciplines. I also learned how to handle common conference question genres — “How can you be sure this is objective, though?” “Why didn’t you do (insert entirely different research project here) instead?” “I don’t care about this topic, but came to this talk anyways — can I talk about my research now in this Q&A space?” — and about tense debates in our field (applied/engaged; are we advancing the public good, or science? Or both? Does it matter? Help!). I also have positive relationships with individuals on my committees, and maintain close friendships with people in anthropology, English, and Latin American Studies departments who I met along the way. The skills I learned and relationships I built are central to navigating the academic landscape. However, it’s no secret that the landscape has been, and will continue to shift, and that graduate students may either choose to seek employment outside of academia, or feel forced to because of the adjunctification of higher education. This creates a feedback loop. Our mentors want to make us the most rigorous, competitive intellectuals they can for what seem like a dwindling number of academic jobs, because they care about us. However, that means less of an emphasis on (or even awareness of ) some of the skills I’ll mention below. /qualifier.

The List

Toolkit 1: User Experience (UX) Research and Design

Related Disciplines: Anthropology, Human Factors/Engineering, human-computer interaction (HCI) in Computer Science, Behavioral Psychology/Cognitive Science. Rhetorics and Digital Communication Programs have UX courses sometimes, too!

Also sometimes called: Usability Research (although many argue the emphasis is different); Human Factors Research; in government, CX research.

“What it is and why should I care?” UX research is the process of understanding user/consumer behavior, needs, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, etc. (all of the messy intangibles we routinely confront in ethnographic research) in order to create better experiences for people through informed design solutions. It’s part of the iterative design process — design, test, design, test, design, text, etc.

You should care because it’s an exciting, booming field, and one that will allow you to apply ethnographic and other anthropological methods to solving design problems, and because you have many of the skills it takes to break into this field already. A contact who works in UX at a prominent company has an MA in cultural anthropology, and lists the following skills on her resume: ethnography, personas, surveys, focus groups, longitudinal studies, interview, card sorting, pile sorting, wireframe testing. Wireframe testing may be new jargon to you, but you already have most of the skills you need to do it, trust me. The skill you’ll need to build is UX and design language, the ability to do quick user research, and call people “users” without your heart hurting too much (BUT, BUT I NEED LONG TERM FIELDWORK TO ANSWER THIS PROPERLY! It’s true, but that’s not how many UX contexts work), and, optional, some experience in front or back end web or graphic design. Design informed by UX Research is called UX Design — and many companies are looking for unicorns that can do both. If you’re getting the impression that this practice is only done to sell things — don’t. Non-profits, and services/goods meant to address social justice issues benefit from it, too. UX is now a standard part of digital product development and delivery, and being applied to cyber-physical systems, too.

“Where can I learn more?” See if one of the disciplines mentioned above have courses you can take with your tuition waiver. There are several private design schools that teach UX, but courses can be pricey. Many sources in the field say that if you already have the right degree, you just need the practice learning the language and translating your methods skills on UX projects in order to build a portfolio. Check out some books from the library. Seek paid internships and apprenticeship opportunities — they exist. Network, have coffee with UX researchers. If you want to do a project on your own, try offering a local non-profit or program your services to improve their website or application process! Work with a designer, or try your hand at redesigning, so you can implement your findings. You’ll get a great portfolio item, and be contributing to the greater good! Trust me, knowing the language they use is half of the battle if you are already a cultural anthropologist.

Who is supporting the thickest UX research? Work that doesn’t resemble fly-by ethnography? Where can I formally write about Foucault and do thick, yet applied, research?

As far as I know, it’s ReD Associates. Check out their apprenticeship program.

Here are some other perspectives on how to get started. This is the longest section in this post, don’t worry.

Toolkit 2: Public Writing/Editing

Related Disciplines: English/Creative Writing, Journalism, Anthropology (Mead, anyone?), Marketing (especially digital marketing).

“Why should I care?” First of all, your job prospects. If you have a portfolio of pieces that match your professional interests published on mainstream media sites and blogs, you will be more attractive as a job candidate. You can also earn money writing freelance pieces. I know an anthropologist who has been offered book deals because of freelance articles s/he has written in non-academic or open-source digital publications that were shared on the right social media feeds. They’re quality, thought-provoking pieces. I also know a sociologist who has worked as a writer/editor at a major publication after having published several Op-Ed pieces, and articles in print and digital publications.

If you’re anything like me, you’re nervous to leave a trail of your thoughts on the internet for anyone to find. Push through it. Write something you’ll be willing to stand behind, and learn how to pitch it, where to pitch it, and get it out the door. Join an online group that discusses pitching and submitting — I’m part of several “Women Who Submit” and “Binders Full of Women Writers” groups on Facebook that have helped me tremendously as I push through how difficult it is to send writing in!

Increasingly, think tanks and consulting firms are looking for evidence that academic researchers can translate their findings into accessible, engaging language that even policy makers want to read. Here’s a job responsibilities snippet from a Urban Institute listing: “Review and write summaries of research literature to translate research for policymakers and other stakeholders. Written products include literature reviews, policy briefs, and blogs.”

Expect you’ll need a demonstrated track record when you apply to these positions and get on it now.

Secondly, public scholarship! It’s important to share our findings with public audiences. Let’s write things people want to read, and that disrupt injustice and speak truth to power whenever we can. Let’s distinguish between writing on anthropology blogs (what I am doing now), and public engagement. Writing something for other anthropologists is a genre of digital professional networking, and (at best) can be an important space for sharing ideas in our field. However, anthropology blogs often don’t pay beyond giving you a portfolio entry, are not frequented as often by the public, and vastly range in quality. You can and should publish your work in sources that aren’t focused on anthropology, and have a more public impact. Bonus? Many pay for your work because (hope academia is listening): writing is work.

Toolkit 3: Content Marketing

Related Disciplines: Journalism, Marketing/Advertising, Digital Rhetorics and Communication

“What is it, and why should I care?” Content Marketing is the creation, curation, and distribution, of relevant, and consistent texts (in the anthropological sense, so including photos, videos, etc.) to attract, engage with, and retain a clearly-defined audience. It begins with audience analysis, community engagement, creating “content,” tracking engagement (clicks, likes, follows, donations!), and re-thinking from there. It’s how entities like the YMCA, NPR, transit agencies (check out SEPTA’s brand personality account), and even the AAA craft their online personalities (as brands/entities/collectives/imaginaries).

If the word “content” or “marketing” makes you shudder — you’re not alone. That’s exactly how I felt when I heard this term the first time. I once heard an NPR journalist take it down swiftly by saying “nothing is just ‘content,’ it’s stories, it’s art, it’s research — don’t let them devalue what you do or make.” I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. However — Content Marketing is a growing field, and any publication, NGO, think tank, university, etc. with a digital presence is hiring content marketers or people to do the tasks associated with content marketing.

“How can I learn more?” Anthropologists make great candidates for content marketing positions — we’re adept at audience analysis, writing/making things, and at analyzing data. If you’re already writing public pieces, this transition might be easy for you to make! Learn the content marketing lingo on your own (yes, even editorial calendar strategies and Google Analytics), volunteer, and build some experience. Chances are there are scholars, programs/projects, research initiatives at your university that could benefit from some content management and curation. Is that great public history program your friend does research writing and sharing pieces without a cohesive strategy about the “voice” of the project, and the audience? Fix that for them, and add it to your portfolio! Track visits, click-throughs, and more. If you have a tuition waiver, take a content marketing class, or consider asking to audit. A portfolio demonstrating your skills is more important than official documentation.

Toolkit 4: Program Coordination or Management

Related Disciplines: non-profit management, management, business, and (in theory) all disciplines with ongoing research and outreach programs.

“What is it, and why should I care?” If you’ve designed, implemented, and evaluated a large research project with many moving parts, you’ve already managed a project. Maybe it was messy and difficult the first time (who, me?), but you’ve done it! Project management is the planning and organizing of tasks to meet milestones in a program, get quality deliverables (anything you turn into anybody) done on time by defining roles and responsibilities, and oversee the birth, life, death, and legacy of a project. If you’ve taken grant money, this may seem familiar. It includes planning, applying for support, implementation, and evaluation. A program usually consists of many different projects.

Most large-scale, funded projects that aren’t lone-wolf fieldwork projects demand project management. Many of our hard sciences colleagues know that, and are more aware than we are that academic environments are replete with program/project specialists, assistants, and supports. There are jobs, they relate to your expertise, and they’re fun to do. Admin jobs can pay well, too, and have built-in assistant director/director/executive director path potential — especially if you have a PhD! If you’re in graduate school, try to find opportunities to work with a project as a specialist, and see if you like it.

Just for fun, search words like “coordinator” and “specialist” alongside “project” or “program” in job engines and see what comes up. There are opportunities inside and outside of academia, both.

Toolkit 5: Responding to Big Data Frameworks

Related Disciplines: Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Marketing/Advertising, Social Sciences (general).

“What is it and why should I care?” Big Data is quantitative data produced through machine analysis and modeling of very large data sets. It took me reading a White House report on Big Data and potential civil rights infractions related to algorithmic transparency for me to understand just how badly we’ll need social justice-oriented researchers as large-scale, quantitative data is increasingly used to “optimize” or “streamline” our experiences. Before I was assigned to work on a report related to planning and big data, I was not keyed into the conversations our legislators, information officers, and data science scholars were having about the potential of big data frameworks to make things more “efficient” through applying complex algorithms to the data trails we produce when we move around — physically and digitally. In my opinion, writing about the application of these technologies, and how we experience them (even unwittingly) will be extremely important to anthropology going forward. People are going to be using big data analytics to make decisions about other people — what they’re doing, what they need, how they feel, even to predict criminal behavior and spit out sentencing recommendations (yep). Many mistake big data for being representational and objective. Problems range from the under-representation of potholes in in low-income neighborhoods, simply because more are reported through apps to using algorithms to sentence that are racially biased. Seriously.

For further reading, I recommend danah boyd and Kate Crawford’s “ Critical Questions for Big Data” piece for more on the big data issue — a deeply political issue we should prepare ourselves to talk intelligently about. Big data and data’s role in planning/managing shared and private spaces is the next top-down schema we need to watch out for, “study up,” and, in many cases, speak back to.

Then, there’s the question of industry-readiness. If you’re going to be working on a project or product team, you’re going to need to be able to discuss what ethnography brings to the table that big data cannot. Check out out Tricia Wang’s insights about working as an anthropologist bringing “thick data” into conversation with big data frameworks. Another great piece about the value of ethnography in a Smart Cities framework is Human-Centered Research in Policymaking by Chelsea Mauldin of Public Policy Lab & Natalia Radywyl of Fjord.

Beyond preparing yourself for these contexts, if you are enthusiastic enough about it to learn how to model and analyze large, quantitative data sets — go for it! Young professionals who are literate in “data science” and analytics, and who are committed to and passionate about community-based, ethnographic research could be an unstoppable force in today’s professional climate (and make a difference for the better).

This list is by no means exhaustive; however, if you feel comfortable with 1–2 of these toolkits, you’ll save yourself time and be more marketable in diverse professional contexts. Just make sure you always leave space for what it is you love about academia, too. For me it’s teaching, and writing about theory. I teach at night, and I’m still finding time for the latter.