Careers in Anthropology

David Sackman (BA ’80) Chairman and CEO, Lieberman Research Worldwide (LRW)

“Throughout my eleven quarters at UCLA, I have never taken a class more useful than Anthropology 149, Careers in Anthropology. I have taken classes that have taught me new skills and new ways of thinking, but this is the first class that has taught me how to translate those skills and thinking into something valuable in the workforce.” 

“In Careers in Anthropology, I learned how to make myself stand out as an applicant and learned about what recruiters are looking for. I have applied for over ten internships throughout this course, received two interviews, and volunteered for three events. Without this course or the things I learned throughout, none of those things would have been accessible to me.” 

“I loved the guest speakers because I was able to truly see the plethora of ways in which people who have studied anthropology are applying their skills to different and innovative fields. It has been a great comfort to see the ways in which anthropologists are changing the world, and I was so glad to see that many are doing it outside of academia.”

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Careers in Anthropology provides an overview of various career paths for students with degrees in anthropology, and helps students develop academic and professional skills in preparation for life after UCLA. Specifically, it focuses on the ways in which one can apply anthropological concepts, research methodologies, and analytical skills to a range of careers. Students are exposed to a speaker series where UCLA alumni discuss how they have applied their anthropology degrees to their work outside of academia. Students also gain insight about their own skills, learn ways to narrow the skill gap between their present skill set and what they would like to accomplish in the future, complete methods exercises they can add to their resumes, and learn ethical issues for doing ethnographic work inside and outside of academia.

Heather-Loyd

Heather Loyd, Business Anthropologist and Lecturer, designed and teaches Careers in Anthropology in the UCLA Department of Anthropology. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from UCLA in 2011, and then joined Kansas State University as Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work from 2012 to 2016. Since 2016, she has been working as a business anthropologist, helping companies improve their understanding of consumers. She is a Senior Analyst at Kresnicka Research & Insights, and has consulted for the Experience Design Group at NBC Universal and Research & Insights at Troika Design.