14th September 2005, 07:44 PM
Anyhoo, just to get us back on track-I learnt a hell of a lot from what is patronisingly described as "amateur" archaeologists before going to uni. There are a couple of unquallified guys working for my employers at the moment and to be brutally honest, they make graduates look extremely silly. Why not have these guys teach undergrads in field schools instead of using students to labour and feather the nest of some of the less "inspired" academic heads of uni departments? Unquallified old hacks (no insult intended) are an indespensible element of the profession today and have a lot to offer. Coversely, I would argue that a good few archaeology degrees out there today are about as much use as genitalia on a nun, are demonstrably "bums on seats" conveyor belts and, watered down to cater for the large numbers of applicants inspired by dross like slime team.
