World of Work Blog

The greatest learning in my career happens when I am with my colleagues at conferences, chatting between sessions in hallway corridors and connecting online about the value of anthropology in our respective industries. After volunteering with the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology and learning from colleagues at the Society for Applied Anthropology, the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists, and Ethnobreakfast, I decided it was time to build an equivalent community in Canada for anthropologists working outside an academic setting. This idea was brought to life over lunch with Caura Wood in 2024. We captured the essence of our idea [...]

When I first began working virtually, I thought I was simply offering services -designing brochures, formatting documents, creating visuals, managing communications. What I did not realize was that virtual work would become one of the most powerful career-readiness classrooms I could ever enter. Today, as a Virtual Assistant for the Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN), a Fiverr seller, and a Canva design specialist, I see client work not just as tasks to complete, but as opportunities to build the very skills that define professional readiness: communication, adaptability, cross-cultural awareness, and problem-solving. So how does virtual work actually prepare someone for the [...]

Although it seems much longer, it was only a year or so ago that the federal government started wiping out grants, employment and positions, long-standing policies and agreements, committees, groups, and entire agencies. Those who read beforehand the Project 2025 report would have had some inkling of what was to come, but the speed and scale of the demolition has been breathtakingly tragic. Anthropologists of all stripes were caught in the upheaval. If you survived unscathed, you likely know someone who was very much scathed. Outside of academia, the federal government has long been considered one of the main employers of [...]

“What am I going to do after college?” That is the big question nearly all of my seniors brought to class, but it is not one that a professor can answer. A professor can do plenty to respect the question, however, by connecting students with professional practice and career development. Senior Seminar is the capstone class for Anthropology, Sociology, and Criminal Justice majors at Messiah University, my liberal arts school in south central Pennsylvania. With the support of the Anthropology Career Readiness Network, I developed a client-facing project with the War, Peace, Justice Project (WPJP). This organization hosts public events that [...]

After an epically disappointing experience with AI-generated essays, I realized that the term paper was as dead as a doornail. I needed an alternative assignment and chose a term-long community-based research project. During the fall of 2025, I worked with Portland State University’s Director of Emergency Management (PSU-EM), the Community Preparedness Manager at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), and the Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN) to implement a client-based class project. To commemorate the five-year anniversary of the 2020 Labor Day Fires in Oregon, 22 students in Anthropology 412/512, Ethnographic Methods, sought to understand people’s awareness of and preparedness [...]

The James H. McDonald Leadership Endowment program funds leadership development programming at the Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting (SfAA) and throughout the calendar year. Directed primarily toward mid-career professionals and SfAA leadership, the funds support training and skill building for SfAA members seeking a greater impact in the field. The award is designed to rotate programming targeted at three principal cohorts: Applied Scholars, Anthropology Departments (Department Leaders), and Practitioners. We will address one cohort of five participants per year based on a clearly defined theme. Cohort theme, 2026-2027: “Strengthening Anthropology’s Position within Higher Education.” The award will focus on mid-career [...]

Return-on-investment (ROI) is a hot button topic for college graduates entering the workforce. Yet, according to CNBC, the job market builds pressures for 2025 becoming the toughest in a decade. College graduates also are dealing with the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence (AI). This poses a threat to most entry level jobs, because companies and employers see AI as an opportunity to reduce cost and improve efficiency. So, what does this mean for the 2026 job market? For the budding anthropologist fresh out of undergraduate studies, it can and will affect them, as 2025 saw a reduction of white-collar jobs. A [...]

Professionally, I have extensive managerial experience spanning 16 years at two major companies: McDonald’s and ALDI. This background helped me develop skills in time management, multitasking, profit and loss, customer service, marketing, scheduling, and training employees. Despite those achievements, something felt missing. When I decided to complete my BA in anthropology at Southern New Hampshire University, I discovered a new sense of purpose. Learning about medical anthropology sparked a deep interest in how culture shapes health experiences. When I graduated, I still felt unprepared to become a practicing anthropologist. I found the University of North Texas’ online Master’s in Applied Anthropology and enrolled. As a mom in my thirties with three young children, I often question whether pursuing higher education [...]

Many of us often take our professional associations for granted. We recognize they are there and offer certain membership benefits, but if asked, we are hard pressed to name them. We also do not typically voice our appreciation to staff or board members when those associations engage in innovative and supportive activities. In this blogpost, I want to draw your attention to the good that professional associations do—particularly when they partner to invest in the future. But first, some background. (And no, this blogpost is not about monetary donations.) Are you familiar with the Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN)? If not, [...]

When the Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN) brought its Departmental Advisory Initiative (DAI) to California State University, Northridge (CSUN), it initiated a structured and collaborative effort to assess and strengthen how the department prepares its students for professional success beyond graduation. Over several days, faculty, staff, and students engaged in guided discussions, reflective exercises, and strategic assessments aimed at advancing the department’s long-term commitment to career readiness. As both an ACRN intern and a CSUN anthropology undergraduate student, I attended the initiative to observe the process and offer a student perspective. From the beginning, the department’s level of engagement was striking. [...]