EAA 2025 Workshop on Alternative Career Paths

Alexandra and Laura organized a workshop session at the EAA 2025 conference in Belgrade. The session focused on alternative career paths in archaeology and brought together around 30 participants who wanted to talk about working outside traditional academic roles.

The workshop took place on September 4th from 14:00 to 18:30. Jona also attended and participated in the discussions. The talks covered a wide range of topics, from the struggles people face in academia to the realities of freelancing and working in commercial archaeology or industry. People were open about their experiences, which made for some honest conversations about what it's really like to work in different parts of the field.

What We Talked About

The session was called "There Is Life Outside the Box: Alternative Career Paths in Archaeology." The idea was to challenge the common belief that the only valid career paths in archaeology are academic positions, museum work, or commercial archaeology. We talked about how these traditional routes don't work for everyone, and that's okay.

The workshop brought together archaeologists who work in freelancing, science communication, publishing, filmmaking, consultancy, and coaching. They shared their experiences and answered questions about how they made their transitions and what skills helped them along the way. The discussions covered job market precarity, toxic work environments, and the personal struggles that come with trying to find your place in the field.

Our Takeaways

Overall, we think it was a good session. Around 30 people participated, and the diversity of experiences shared was valuable. The talks were honest about the challenges but also showed that there are real alternatives to traditional career paths. We came away with some new thoughts about how to support archaeologists who want to explore different directions in their careers.

The workshop was organized with support from the EAA's Education, Training, and Professional Development Advisory Committee, the Archaeology and Gender in Europe Community, and the Early Career Archaeologists Community. Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their stories.