From Helping Hand to Hired Gun: Having the Courage and Credentials to be in the Business of Anthropology

Abstract

The beginning of my story may sound familiar to many transitioning from academia to the private sector after graduate school. It involves cubicles, Vitamin D deficiency, and lectures on "impression management." It is about my personal frustrations with corporate work that led to my decision to freelance. The second part of my story is about my quest to find gratifying work, to make work of which I am proud, and to have enough experience and gumption to carve out my own projects and work cycles. I describe my attempts to achieve these goals as "experiments in employment." This has everything to do with anthropology. For me personally, this means dipping into anthropological methods and theory when necessary or interesting and involves the production of cultural artifacts—designs—in ways that can only be done by me. I conclude with recommendations to anthropology students and junior professionals who are considering freelancing on how to approach new projects and partners and to stretch the boundaries of anthropological practice.