Archaeologist, Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Currently, I am working at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as an archaeologist. I also worked from time to time as a consultant for EU Projects.            

I started to work as an editor at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism because of my knowledge of foreign languages. However, because I preferred to work in a unit related to my education in archaeology, I took the necessary exam, passed it, and assumed the position of archaeologist.   

Most weekdays, I am in the field due to my tasks. I do detection, registration and classification of movable and immovable cultural properties. What is more, in the summers I work as a government excavation representative at various excavations. In addition, thanks to my education in my university and the excavations I attended, I had the opportunity also to participate in an excavation in Italy. All of these have contributed to my career. You should be familiar with the archaeological significance of materials found and with history, and, for recording purposes, with such techniques as photography, drawing, and geographical information systems. Being an excavation representative requires knowledge of excavation history and report writing skills, as well as supporting these reports with photographs and drawings if necessary. In all these aspects, the courses I took in the department have served my needs well.

The archaeology and history courses in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art at Bilkent University are based on practice instead of memorization. Courses with slide presentations, domestic and foreign trips organized by the department, excavations conducted by the department, etc., all support my opinion. Even the archaeological illustration course was given in a field set aside as an excavation site at the University.

I believe that students who decide to study archaeology should not pay attention to rumors about being unemployed and unable to earn sufficient money. If you really love your profession and work enough, you will be successful.