I have thought about how I would fit this internship into my career plans long before I even went on it. The first time I thought seriously about how this experience would relate to a career in the legal field was last summer. During a coffee chat with an attorney, I brought up how difficult it was to get an internship in law as an undergraduate student. She told me not to worry about it, because any internship will give me the skills I need. Her advice to me was to find an internship in something I was interested in, no matter how far removed it was from law. “Do something completely different,” she said, “like archaeology!” I thought it was funny how the random experience she picked was archaeology, but this made me begin to think that it was possible to combine both law and archaeology.
This internship has given me so much more than I could have ever imagined. So when a future employer asks me about this experience, or I talk about my time here on future applications, I know exactly what I’ll say.
Working on site has given me a breadth of new experiences on which I can build my skills. The environment and nature of the work have led me to push through physical and mental barriers in order to contribute to a common goal. Every day I was pushed outside my comfort zone. Each day brought new challenges, questions, and possibilities. I was expected to learn as I worked, then apply and build that knowledge as the internship progressed. Every time I thought I knew something, I found something else to disprove my previous theory. I have learned how to piece together scattered bits of knowledge to create a bigger picture, even if that picture will never be complete. The unknown and puzzle that is archaeology has helped me learn how to process information and be more open-minded. The mental gymnastics of archaeology was nothing compared to the physical toll it took. While each day left me exhausted, something was rewarding about the physical labor. At the end of each day, I would get to look at my unit and see the progress we made, and there was no better feeling than seeing a completely flat unit where there was once a pile of rocks. I gained a deep respect for those who do this work every day. My favorite thing about this internship was the writing about our units. Using only our prior knowledge of the area and what was physically in front of us, we had to try to create a picture of a world we will never truly know. I am typically a person who likes a clear image of what I am doing and why, so I found it difficult to settle for the fact that I will never truly know. The ability to sit with the fact that I do not know everything, and that I may be very wrong, is the skill I have developed most during this internship.
In a world where everything is increasingly growing black and white, learning how to be wrong, then learning and growing from your mistakes, is a skill I have struggled with throughout my academic career. Learning how to sift through the ambiguity of the information has taught me to be a better critical and holistic thinker. Being able to see outside the preconstituted lines and presumed truths is a skill that I believe will serve me well in a legal career. In addition to an increase in critical thinking, I have improved my communication, leadership, teamwork, organizational, problem-solving, and self-sufficiency skills. Archaeology is both a team and individual profession. Most of the time, you must work with your unit and research team to excavate a site and hypothesize the purpose and past of the space you are in. You must work together to tackle any surprises that you may find, and communicate well in order to collect the most accurate data possible. While most of what we do is in coordination with each other, I have had to learn how to trust myself as well. I have had to develop a discerning eye to see artifacts, know when to recognize soil changes, and manage myself to make sure I am contributing as much as I can to the larger group.
Living and working in a different country and a different culture has expanded my horizons personally and professionally. I have learned how to communicate with others who do not speak my native language, and I have learned how to incorporate myself within another culture. Leaving the Johnson County bubble has been the best way for me to prepare for a future career. I am now self-assured, while also being more conscious of my role as a global citizen.