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Kirsten Lopez - Episode 60
107 Plays7 years ago
Profiles in CRM features short interviews with CRM professionals from all experience levels and educational levels. I ask a standard list of questions and see how each person answers them based on their experience.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Profiles in CRM'
00:00:00
Speaker
You are listening to the Archaeology Podcast Network. The Archaeology Podcast Network is sponsored by Codify, a California benefit corporation. Visit codify at www.codifi.com. This is Kirsten Lopez and you're listening to Profiles in CRM.
00:00:21
Speaker
Welcome to Profiles in CRM, Episode 60. I'm your host, Chris Webster.
CRM Professionals' Nine Questions Format
00:00:25
Speaker
Profiles in CRM asks CRM professionals nine simple questions. The answer is very wildly, depending on their experience and education. Because of the nature of contract archaeology and how small this field really is, some people choose not to reveal their name or the company they work for. Stay to the end of the show to hear how you can have a chance to answer these same questions.
Kirsten's Work and Education Journey
00:00:42
Speaker
All right, we're here on Profiles, and here's the first question. What is your name and who do you work for?
00:00:47
Speaker
My name is Kirsten Lopez, and I am actually all over the place right now. I'm working for several different CRM firms in the Northwest, but I am officially a student at Oregon State University working to get my master's degree. Awesome. All right. Well, that answers the question. The next question is, what is the highest degree you've earned? So I guess that's a BS or a BA? Yes, I have earned my BA and am currently working on an MA.
00:01:16
Speaker
Awesome. Sounds good. All right. How long have you been working in CRM?
Starting a CRM Career
00:01:21
Speaker
Um, since about 2012, uh, 2013, 2012 was my first big CRM job. I had done some volunteering over the summer, but I was hired in September and worked through November. That was my, my first big, uh, out with 20 people on a large story.
00:01:43
Speaker
Nice. Those are always fun. All right. Where have you worked? Like what states have you worked in? Oregon and Washington mainly I've done a little bit of work in Idaho as well. Um, but Oregon being the diverse, uh, eco tone location that it is, I think we have all, but two of the different soil types, so profiles in the state here, uh, that exist in the world and between the coast, the valleys.
00:02:13
Speaker
the high cascades and the desert, we kind of have it all. So it's pretty fun. I know you've got, you even got a little bit of great basin up there. Yes, we do. And that's actually my area of specialization. So we do have some of the Northern great basin, but. Excellent.
Field Technician Role and Aspirations
00:02:28
Speaker
All right. So what is the position, um, that you usually have on a CRM project and what is the highest position you've ever held? And that just means field tech, crew chief, project manager, stuff like that.
00:02:39
Speaker
Yeah, so I've always been a field technician, actually. I haven't gone into crew chiefing at all yet, mostly not on an official level in a CRM firm. I have taught a field school, but that's, you know, it's sort of the entry level portion of crew chiefing. So I have been working in offices and doing paperwork so that usually I end up with title of archeologist
00:03:09
Speaker
but it's kind of just like glorifying.
00:03:13
Speaker
paper jockey, technically. Right, sounds good. I'm hoping to change that to glorified tablet jockey later on, not paper jockey. That would make some things a lot easier if you could be like, this is not an acceptable answer. I know a whole different conversation right there. All right. So those are the setup questions. Now we get to the kind of the fun questions.
Enjoying Outdoor Work
00:03:37
Speaker
So what is the best thing that's happened to you that's related to being an archaeologist? And that can be personal or professional.
00:03:45
Speaker
You know, I would have to say the best thing that's happened to me, and this would probably fall into the category of just being an archaeologist generally, is being able to be outside. And I mean, there are definitely those moments of drudgery to where you're like, this sucks. But whenever I hit those moments, like, you know, it's a beautiful day. This is a really great
00:04:15
Speaker
survey project or excavation just there are those moments where I catch myself going you know what this is totally why I do this. Those are the moments that I kind of live for and when they happen it definitely makes my month. It takes a while for me to come down.
00:04:34
Speaker
Nice. I always like to say, just a side note here, working in the Great Basin in the high desert area, I was like, your worst day in the field where you don't find anything is just a paid hike out in places where there aren't any trails and no people. It's kind of amazing. Exactly. Yeah. Awesome. All right. So what is the biggest thing that you would change that would make being a CRM archaeologist better?
Respect and Importance of CRM Work
00:04:59
Speaker
I would say respect from related disciplines.
00:05:03
Speaker
Um, and that may seem a little odd, but if you work in CRM long enough, you start to see that biologists and other environmental workers get a little bit more respect and that they're usually paid and they don't. I don't, from what I am aware of, they don't necessarily, um, work you on the budget quite as much, um, or quite as hard as it feels like they do with CRM.
00:05:32
Speaker
Um, a lot of contractors have little regard for the importance of what we do. And I think a lot of the time we're kind of, you know, brushed off as something that just needs to be done. Just some red tape that needs to be gotten out of the way. And I think certain events like, um, dapple and, um, the malheur occupation.
00:05:59
Speaker
brings to light some of the points, at least for me, as to why we do this and the importance of not just to the tribes, but also for our own history as living in the areas that we've lived in and just kind of knowing what our past is and being able to be like, oh yeah, that's, you know,
00:06:21
Speaker
important. Right. Okay, awesome. So what is your career goal in CRM?
Career Goals and Public Outreach
00:06:28
Speaker
Where do you see yourself going as you're going into grad school, so you must have some, some higher aspirations? Yes, so currently, my goal is to, it's hard to place exactly. Right now, my goal is to get permanent position, I would like to be a principal investigator someday, that may not be for a while, I presume, and
00:06:51
Speaker
I got to build up the experience. I feel very strongly about the importance of working with museums and other public outreach. I'm not sure how that would work out, but being that CRM is
00:07:14
Speaker
doing archaeology for the benefit of the public, figuring out ways to work with tribes and work with museums and figuring out things that can be portrayed to the public more efficiently than it is right now. Okay, final question.
Financial Advice for CRM Professionals
00:07:32
Speaker
If you could give an undergrad thinking about a career in CRM one piece of advice, what would that be?
00:07:39
Speaker
That would be create a block of savings of about six months. That would be my ultimate advice. Expect to be unemployed for blocks of time and be prepared for that. That is something that was not really told to me as an undergrad and I really wish it had been. I was lucky enough that I had had a little bit, I think I had like three months savings or something when I first went in.
00:08:09
Speaker
But slow and steady, be very mindful of your money management because that's the only way that you really get through being a field tech and moving on in your career. A lot of people will make a big paycheck, blow it, get really excited, and then they're unemployed for a month and a half during the winter or two months. And then it's like, well, I got to get a job to pay my bills or whatnot. So that's where people tend to fall out of business fairly
00:08:39
Speaker
I think more often than they would if they managed their resources a little bit better. And don't be afraid to ask for help from friends and family.
Closing and Listener Directions
00:08:55
Speaker
Show notes for this and all episodes can be found on the Archaeology Podcast Network website at www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/. At that page you'll also find a form that you can fill out so you can be interviewed on the show. Interviews take less than 30 minutes and you don't need any special equipment. Thanks for listening and I'll see you in the field.
00:09:17
Speaker
The show is produced by Chris Webster and Tristan Boyle and was edited by Chris Webster. This has been a presentation of the Archaeology Podcast Network. Visit us on the web for show notes and other podcasts at www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com. Contact us at chrisatarchaeologypodcastnetwork.com.