More education combined with little practical field experience is not going to make you a hot prospect. If you haven't completed a field school yet then that should be step 1. If you have a field school done start volunteering at local digs to build your resume and network. If more education is what you want, a certificate just says that you took classes. A degree says that you are knowledgeable in the field in a more general way. Certificates are best for those who already have a job and are seeking advancement within their organization. Degrees are important for people who need to learn and gain experience.

FWIW -- My advisers have always suggested the Masters over a certificate. However, I'm sure it will depend on the field. I'm getting both in somewhat related fields as a means to broaden potential employment opportunities.

All depends on what you want to do - are you looking to rise in ranks and eventually become a crew chief, field director, project director? Or are you just looking to work as crew? A Masters is typically not needed to serve as crew only.

Your note is missing several items that would be helpful in advising you -

-Do you have a BA/BS - is it in Archaeology/Antrhopology/or a building history related topic?

- Have you ever taken a field school?

- What kind of CRM experience do you have - shovel testing? surface recon? More advanced excavations (Units, features, stratified sites, etc.)? What environment have you worked in? All of these are factors that employers (if they are looking for good people) consider - for example - someone with 5 years experience doing surface walks in the Southwest would be pretty much a novice if they moved to the Northeast - very different environment and techniques).

- What does your volunteer experience consists of - have you been sorting and washing, cataloging? any analysis? types of collections you have been working with, etc. All of those kinds of details say a lot about what an employer could expect from you.

keep in mind that the market is always competitive - even for field crews, and that the overall economic problems have greatly affected the availability of work for archaeos - if no one is building or investing in other developments - they are not about to pay for CRM studies. Once the economy turns around, I suspect there will be a big increase in positions available - but that may be awhile yet and is likely not to return to the pre-bust building boom days when so much work was done on spec.

DM