I feel your pain, as I miss working in archaeology as well. I've been a stay at home mom for a few years, and am expecting my second child in the next few months. I was just planning to return to work when I found out I was pregnant this time around, and now it looks like it may be that much longer before I do. Not that I'm complaining too much, mind you - I know that I am very fortunate that we are able to afford the luxury of me being a stay at home mom right now, as many new moms are forced to return to work long before they would like to. I do worry about returning to the workforce after a prolonged absence, and even how feasible working in archaeology may be now that I have a family to consider and extended travel is out of the picture.

In the past, I've taken on other jobs when archaeology work was hard to come by, and found myself working in offices, sales, and retail environments. I remember well how much I missed being in the field, even if that in-between job paid better and offered benefits that shovelbumming necessarily didn't. The grass did seem greener on the other side, and even when the weather was nasty, I always thought it would be preferable to be out there rather than cooped up behind a desk in a cubicle. Perhaps in the interim you might be able to find some local volunteering opportunity.

I'm sorry I don't have any advice to offer, but just wanted to let you know you certainly aren't alone in your feelings. I guess it's part of what keeps a lot of folks coming back to field archaeology. It is hard to shake once you've gotten it under your skin!

Jennifer

- Remember my old Avatar - ?

[img] http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AedEbYBM0-oXZGhkcjIyandfMGd3ZjJiMms0&hl=en [/img]

haha, that is pretty good.

Doug, I always thought that was one of the best avatars. I think it sums up how a lot of people feel that started out digging holes and somehow ended up stuck behind a desk writing (or reviewing) reports all day!

Jennifer

Thanks,

I wish I knew the original source to credit - it was sent to me one day (minus the text) by an old boss who knew I must be dying to be riding a desk instead of out in the air. And it has only gotten worse after 12 years here. Oh well.

I read the first post and felt a twinge of empathy. I am also wasting away at a job I despise. Right now I am working as a receptionist for a small company and it is mind numbingly dull. Everyday I get up, in the dark, drag myself an hour to work only to putts around all day until the time comes to drag myself home. I feel competely unproductive. Logically, I can't complain, I get paid alright and I have benefits but if there was one person who shouldnt be couped up in an office all day doing menial work its this girl. I am a recent college grad and I am working hard to pay off those loans and let me tell you, bills are the only thing keeping me in this chair everyday.
I am employed by a CRM firm as an on-call but the calls just arent coming in at the moment. The next project I know of is in May, and waiting for it is like waiting for Christmas. I can't wait to get back out there. I also keep my tool box close at hand, next to the front door in fact, just in case I get that phone call. Until then, I will be here. Everyday. :evil:

yeah thats the same story here. Its just not the same kind of work. I can work in the field and come back and I am beat but I feel good but coming back from working in a retail store i feel beat and pissed off and unsatisfied. Do you get the "well, at least you have a job" response to your all but futile attempts to express displeasure about your situation? Sure, I am glad I can pay the bills but I feel like an animal in a cage thats being poked with a cattle-prod.

Thanks for at least some camaraderie. I know Im not alone in this situation but it was really starting to feel like it.

I know and appreciate your frustration! I think we have all been in your boat one time or another. My first few winters after graduating I waited tables at a local restaurant. I have worked in factories, sold tires, waited tables and a multitude of other jobs before returning to school to get my degree. Let me tell you, I WAS MISERABLE! I hate being indoors all day every day. I hate not being able to travel and see new and not always exciting places. It's funny that many of us complain about the pay, sh*t locations, terrain, and the lack of respect from many higher-ups, but when we don't have that job and are stuck inside doing something else we would still rather put up with all of the b.s. than stay at the non archaeology job we have even if it pays better!

We definitely are a different breed of human!

This sums it up:

When I first started school for archaeology my mother mentioned it to my aunt who is an Archaeologist in Greece (more than 30 years) and her comment was "Oh, Great! We have another crazy one in the family!"  I could not understand this while I was in school but once I got out into the field I quickly realized what she meant!

After I got out of college, I spent 10-13 years on various construction crews working for crack-head wanna be's with no education whatsoever. Some couldn't read more than their own name. Fellow employees cut their fingers off after getting drunk at lunch. EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF EVERY DAY WAS HELL. Archaeology is all I have wanted to do since I was 4 or 5 years old. Can you imagine going to school, then not being able to do what you where born for? I was able to get into this, finally, a few years back. Now I'm out of work.

I have had the time of my life the last few years and could probably die before my next project starts without feeling jipped by life. It wasn't all that great being away from my wife and teenage daughter for months at a time, but my memories are PRICELESS.

Cheer up, we'll get paid to play in the dirt again sooner or later ;) 

CRM is dependent on the economy, and there will be periods, sometimes long ones, when there is little or no work. Like many of us, I have done lots of other junk to survive, including mowing lawns and cleaning swimming pools. However, the secret to succeeding in ANY field is NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP. Lots of others will, and through simple attrition, your competition will become less and less. If you hang in, eventually things will get better, and you will be there, boots on and shovel in hand, ready to get down and dirty...

Right now what I miss most is working, period. There are no archaeology jobs within 100 miles of here, and I'm overqualified and/or underexperienced to do any of the crappy jobs that are here, which aren't many. But hey, spring is coming (although it snowed again last night), and hope springs eternal!

Working would be nice, but working in the field would be better, my heart sinks sitting in the house waiting for the season to start, applying to crappy jobs that won't even give the time of day.  May can't get here fast enough!

I know it's an unpleasant subject but...  Are any of you having trouble drawing unemployment when you work in several states, with multiple employers over the course of the year?  I've seen a lot of gripes on Facebook and was just wondering if some states are especially difficult to deal with.  I have a friend who worked in 15 states last year, all for different companies, and he's having a very difficult time.

It has been my understanding that one needs to work a certain amount of time in a state before being eligible for unemployment in that state. If so, your friend is screwed. Fifteen states in a year averages less than a month in each state.

It's definitely a lot of states over the course of the year!  I've gotten the impression that a lot of people are jumping on very short projects, that they probably would have ignored in the past, just because there are very few large scale surveys and mitigations going on right now.

To the best of my current understanding, some of the unemployment agents and a few of the companies are getting it wrong. It doesn't matter where you worked, it only matters that you get unemployment pay in the state that you are paying your taxes in (which is ONLY ONE, despite what a few of the companies will say) You can't pay state taxes in more than one state, if you have a place that you actually call home...A hotel is never actually 'home' to the ESC or IRS, although, if you tell them it IS, it WILL be then and you will have to pay those taxes for that area and state  You only pay taxes in that state that you call home, and the company should ONLY be taking out taxes for that state you call home. Do you 'LIVE' in another state? Then why the heck would you be paying someone else's taxes for their kids to go to school? If you live in one state, you shouldn't have to file for taxes in another state...grr. I work for a GA company sometimes, but have NEVER had to pay GA taxes, even when I worked in GA. I have known a few fellow employees with them that have lived in another state than GA, but were set up in the records initially to pay GA taxes. Be VERY careful of everything you sign at the beginning of a project. I've seen state tax papers slipped in there for someplace I don't live, and this may be where everyone is making a mistake. I don't care who tells me I have to sign all of the documents given to me. I'll throw that one away if I have to so it's forgotten...it won't get signed. That's just wrong of companies to do, and you know who you are. No matter if I've worked in GA, TN, LA, or TX, I still have ONLY worked in the state I am from, as far as the ESC and IRS EVER need to know. I DRIVE TO my job...understand?
 
If you TELL the unemployment agency that you've worked all over the US, it confuses them. They think you've paid unemployments in all of those states (you better not have!). (However, it is possible if you worked with multiple companies, though, and lived out of hotels with absolutely no home, and no place you get your mail but the hotel. If that's you, hire a tax attorney, I can't offer you advice, and your life's a mess.) They don't understand us at all. Don't even tell them that, at all, EVER. Tell them that you worked for X company, that has it's office at X location, but that you work out of the state you actually live in and X company pays your unemployment and taxes in that state, and that state alone. Your unemployment is collected from the state you live in, paid by the company that is in that OTHER state. Don't elaborate and try to explain the job, it just makes things worse. They are very simple people. We are not. I made that error last year, and it cost me 4 months of unemployment while I sat at home wondering what the heck was going on, and got several conflicting answers from different state offices during that time. This year, it took me a little over a week to get it because I understood now how they got confused, and told them ONLY what they needed to know. I guess if I didn't like to talk so much I wouldn't have confused them, but then I couldn't share all of this with you...lol.;). If you start digging a hole, have the phone number of whomever handles your company's payroll right there handy for them to call. It has also helped me to have called that person to warn them that you're going in to the unemployment office and that there might be some questions that need to be answered at that time. The companies that we work for know what's going on, and I've never had an issue, once I spoke to the payroll department. That is who will need to speak to the ESC. 

They will also tell you to let it go when you go back to work. I didn't do that last year, and filed every week whether I made anything or not. That way, I had no lapse in my unemployment check when I DID become unemployed. My certified tax attorney told me to do it that way, but the people at the unemployment agency griped me out about it. I don't know. Might be a law against it, but I didn't have to pay any fines, and it didn't change anything at all. It did, however, keep the ball in my court where they couldn't screw everything up. I DO understand that it's done that way to give the company that lets you go have a chance to explain themselves to the ESC, but in this profession, I think we understand the way it needs to work better than them. I started on unemployment again this year, except this round I'm getting even more than last year, with no lapse in getting back my money owed to me. 

I think I've explained all of this correctly and haven't made it too confusing. I have personally heard many different rumors about how all of this is supposed to go, with most of them wrong. I also know of several people that I have spoken with about all of this that are too frustrated to get their money back from the states/companies that are holding onto it until they file. A few of them are owed thousands of dollars over many years, but remain too confused and frustrated to go get their money back. Don't be one of them !

If there's any questions, just ask. I might know the answer, might not. I also realize that I can't possibly cover all situations with this post, but this is information I've found out by going through the same thing as you. Hope I've helped. Also, if you see something that you think is an error, let me know. 
 
Have AN AWESOME UNEMPLOYMENT HOLIDAY !

DD 

Wowsers!  The original subject of this thread is definitely something I can relate to!  Even though I never really made it into the archaeology field, it is something that I always wanted to do since I was about 14.  For the past 12 years I have been working in manufacturing as a machine operator and it is getting very old.  In fact, I am at this very moment of typing this message enjoying a much needed break from the place I work by taking 6 days off and visiting friends in southern Georgia.  I once before had a job I liked at first but eventually began to despise because of changes in management and work situations (after 5 years).  I tell you, once you get to the point that you hate what you do for a living you better make a change, because it will definitely affect your mental and physical health. When your first waking thought in the morning is "Oh hell I have to go to this damn place again!" and your stomach churns once you walk through those doors and can't manage to have a smile on your face, even if it is forced, then it is just a matter of time before you explode in anger or have an emotional breakdown, and neither is very good for anyone, most especially yourself!

I have come to the realization that things will not change unless I do something about it, my vacation being part of that process.  I need to time to think and immerse myself again in my favorite subject: Ancient Egypt.  I pretty much figured out where I want to go, I just need to come up with a game plan to get me there.  Coming to archaeologyfieldwork.com was my first step in doing that.  Hopefully I can learn a lot from those of you who inhabit this part of the web.

If I had a beer right now I would hold up my bottle and make a toast: Here is to all of us, may we follow our bliss (as Joseph Campbell put it) at last.

Cheers everyone.

You know bud, you're dead on right. You absolutely have to love your job. Even though I've done other things in life along the way, and some of them quite well, NOTHING is better than this. I would do this for free, if it weren't for those pesky things called bills. Trust me, I thank God every day for what I have. 

We have the most awesome job in the world. Who wouldn't what to be us ;) ? 

And, some of us on here have been in your shoes every day at a job that we hate with all of our spirit, for YEARS, myself included. Don't miss checking out Shovelbums on facebook and yahoogroups.

Dave - you better check with the tax agencies in each state - things may have changed, and some states have long had reciprocal agreements, but years ago I worked for companies in NJ and NY and lived in NY and had to pay taxes in both.  I'm not sure about the unemployment side - since I have not let myself be unempolyed for anything longer than 2 months since 1978 (sometimes by doing 3 jobs at once - not all archaeo of course).

Everyone in this situation needs to check with the states involved to be certain. Each is different and assuming what worked in one place is applicable to all could get you into some hot water.

DM

In response to the previous post, allow me to be more specific about the type of employee I am referring to, in case that is the difference in your situation. It's 'temporary, full-time/part-time workers' that get paid per diem. Not permanent 'employees' that happen to be working on the road and getting per diem. The tax designations are different.

You filed 3 tax returns that year? Ouch. I know of other people in that boat, which is why I'm attempting to clear up this confusion. I work for several companies in other states other than the one I live in, and don't pay their taxes. I NEVER will. And NO company can force me to. I have also lived in more than one state, and the laws didn't change when I moved, just the state I paid taxes to. Let me pose a question that may help clear this up. Does an owner-operator truck driver pay taxes in every state that each company he delivers for is based out of? Or, does he pay taxes in the state HE lives in? What if he works for 50 companies, out of 50 states, in one year? Answer - Only the state he lives in. The same situation applies to us, although the truck driver's situation is of much more of an extreme example than ours. We, as 'shovelbums', aren't quite 'subcontractors', but we're not quite 'employees' either. Being extremely familiar with taxes in relatation to being a subcontractor, I can guarantee you that it's better than the weird little tax loophole that full-time 'temporary' workers get stuck in. It just takes a little time to get used to. There are a few more things to keep up with every year than just not caring at ALL and filing a 1040EZ though. Lots more tax writeoffs, which equal more money back (or none owed at all), and again, just your state and Federal taxes to file each year in the state you reside in. But...during that year, you are the one that makes the interest on your own money, and, you are the one that determines how much of it they can have at the end of the year by your own proactive actions. Sadly, most people are just too lazy to want to do it that way, and choose instead to throw their money away at the government. Did you know you actually pay more in taxes if someone else takes out a percentage of your pay during the year, than if you determine what your taxes are and pay them yourself at the end of the year? It shouldn't be true, but it is. The way to beat the system is to be responsible with your money during the year and put aside what needs to be saved. I know of one guy that I talk to that has been paying state taxes in (I think I remember it being)TN, GA, and AL for a few years, due to two companies not getting it right with the initial paperwork about how they took out his state taxes. He has worked for them for many years. Can you imagine filing 3 state tax returns every year? What about 3 revised tax forms X 7 years, in order to fix it? Lol, gees... 21 revised tax returns to get your money back. Good thing he hasn't been audited yet. That's alot of back taxes owed to him over the years, and if I remember right he had no intention of trying to get back that money. Too much hassle. Heck, that's probably a brand new car's worth (not sure how long it would take to save that up)... Or, half of a paid off house (which would take longer than 15 years). Or 1/4 of his school loans paid off (which might take a lifetime)... If it were me, I'd be all over those back tax returns and getting EVERY SINGLE CENT owed to me.

Don't let these companies and the government make money on our money. It is OUR money, and who knows better than us how to spend it? Think about it like this - if we are able to save $100 a week from taxes taken out of each paycheck, by knowing tax laws and staying smart, for the rest of our life, WE can retire early as millionaires without any help from anyone. No more worry about whether or not there's going to be any Social Security left when we retire. WE have chosen to retire ourselves. WE have control of our own tax money, not some governmental beaucracy that is going to just give it away to someone that doesn't have to take a urine test for it, or work at ALL to spend OUR money on steaks, pizza, and beer. Money is a 'tool' that we just keep throwing away every chance we get. Don't be a 'tool' for someone else...

BTW, the $5000 we received back this year between state and Federal tax returns sure paid off a lot of debt...
And, our downpayment on a new home with acreage is just sitting in the bank waiting for us to choose which one. Right now I'm kinda stuck on the one with the inground pool, in the country, full workshop, 2 story, 4 BR, 3 BA, a creek and waterfalls flowing through the 2 acre yard, and a $550 a month house payment, but we'll see in another month or two. If you think maybe we're rolling in money, my wife makes $8.50/hr, and I usually make (when employed) around $15/hour. If WE can do this, anyone can. I'm not bragging, I'm witnessing. Y'all keep right on throwing away your money, it'll leave me more awesome homes to pick from...

Choose your own destiny...


DD

The above list is current as of Jan 2010.  If a state is not listed on it, then it does not have a reciprocal tax agreement with any other state, though as I look over it, I think Arizona is not on it and I am pretty sure they have an agreement with other states.

See, that's good information right there. Here's the same with links to each state's forms that can be filled out to exempt yourself if you feel this includes you, including the description of this tax burden. I included it so that people have the ability to get what's owed to them. Please forgive the repetition. This was copied from an expert's websight on this subject. By the way, notice it says below, "Non-residents generally have to file a non-resident income tax return with the state...". It Does NOT say you HAVE to file that way. I'd be REAL interested to know what 'generally' means in that sentence. I will talk more about this subject with my tax attorney in the next few days to find out whether or not this tax agreement actually has to do with 'temporary full time' workers. I could understand 'employees', but we're NOT. We're basically migrant seasonal workers, so I'm leaning towards it not applying to us. I'll get back to you on that...I don't live in any of these states, but there are small branch offices of a couple of the companies that I work for in the state I live in, and have their main offices in these states. I can see how that could be why it's perfectly legal for me to only have my state income tax taken out for my state of residence, and not the states where the main offices are located in. It's NOT where my checks come from, and it's NOT who takes out my taxes, but there are agents representing those companies in my own state. However, ALL of this wouldn't matter if we were paid as 'subcontractors', or just hired as full time employees. One, or the other. Not this crazy middle ground we're hired to fill. That way, all we'd have to worry about is whether or not to take the benefits package, or keep up with all of our receipts.

Personally, I like living in states with no state income tax at all. Makes it real simple at the end of the year.

State Tax Reciprocal Agreements

Almost all states that impose a personal income tax require that the tax be paid on all income earned in the state, including income earned by non-residents. Non-residents generally have to file a non-resident income tax return with the state, and if the state where they live also imposes a personal income tax, then the individual will also have to file an annual tax return for all income earned, regardless of where it was earned. Residents can usually take a credit on the return for their state of residence for taxes paid to other states.

However, in order to relieve taxpayers of this double burden, many states have entered into reciprocal agreements. If two states have a reciprocal agreement and an individual lives in one of those states and works in the other, the individual will only be subject to the income tax in the state where he lives. All states with reciprocal agreements have provisions that exempt an employee from having the tax withheld for the state where he works, but employers are not required to withhold the tax for the state where the employee lives. On the other hand, even though it is not mandatory, a great many employers will establish an account with a reciprocal state and withhold the tax for the employee's state of residence. For instance, in Pennsylvania the form not only declares that the employee is exempt from PA income tax withholding, but it authorizes the employer to withhold the tax for the state where the employee lives.

So almost all states that have reciprocal agreements have a form that an employee can complete that would make his income exempt from withholding of the income tax for the state where the employee works. (The exception is Michigan that does not have a specific form.) The chart below is a list of all states with reciprocal agreements, as well as a link to the state's form for claiming exemption from withholding. All of the forms are in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format.

This list is accurate as of January 1, 2010.

---

State	States with Reciprocal Agreements	Exemption Form
District of Columbia	All non-residents who work in DC can claim exemption from withholding for the DC income tax.	D-4A
Illinois	Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin	IL-W-5-NR
Indiana	Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin	WH-47
Iowa	Illinois	44-016
Kentucky	Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia	42A809
Maryland	District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia	MW 507
Michigan	Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin - Employers may create their own exemption form or use the line on MI-W4 for claiming exemption from withholding. Employee should write "Reciprocal Agreement" and the state name on that line.	MI-W4
Minnesota	Michigan, North Dakota	MWR
Montana	North Dakota	NR-2
New Jersey	Pennsylvania	NJ-165
North Dakota	Minnesota, Montana	NDW-R
Ohio	Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia	IT-4NR
Pennsylvania	Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia	REV-420
Virginia	Kentucky, Maryland, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia	VA-4
West Virginia	Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia	WV/IT-104
Wisconsin	Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan	W-220

God, Yes-a lot of people are in the same boat-I've only worked as a volunteer (have a degree in classical archaeol.) but in the back of my mind I've always thought if I don't get enough hours teaching, I will find a project that pays anything at all for field techs. I can do pretty much anything a pro can, and I don't ask for much. Well, the school system chopped my hours in half, and there are 0 projects arround here (that I'm aware of) so I'm working at KMart(!) to pay the bills. What a joke. My position now is to try to find any project in driving range and work as a volunteer for a few days this summer, just to be doing it. I would rather be tired & sore & sweaty & sun-burned, in the field, instead of in retail. The people are nice to me but I HATE it. 

yeah i just put in my 2 weeks at the chain I work at.  I wouldnt have given them that but Ill still get my laughs because im using my vacation time, hahaha.  but i got a good part time job at a hardware store and some projects lined up for the summer till school hits.