It is your hope of hopes, your dream of dreams. It is the job you have been salivating over ever since “Career Day” in kindergarten. It is your dream job. From time to time, Sweeps will delve into what it takes to be an astronaut, fashion model, CIA analyst, cowboy or Chicago Bears offensive coordinator … well, maybe not Chicago Bears offensive coordinator.

One of the most important questions to ask yourself when trying to decide on a career is “How do I want to live?”

Sure, life behind a desk can be interesting and profitable and you can gain respect by skirting around a hospital saving lives, but that’s not for everyone. Perhaps you crave adventure and the unknown, or maybe you salivate over the idea of being able to translate dozens of ancient languages. Well, maybe it’s time you take a look at anthropology.

Sure, the name can conjure up images of the frumpy museum curator cooped up in a giant, cold building all day. But remember, Indiana Jones was an archaeology professor and had his share of adventures.

“[Anthropology] is one of those fields where there are so many discoveries to be made and paths to pave, uncharted lands and long forgotten cultures to explore,” junior anthropology major Shureice Kornegay said. “I have a love of adventure, culture and discovery. Anthropology is, in part, all of those things. And besides, I would much rather write the history books than read them.”

NIU’s anthropology department offers several field schools each year for students who want to get out and explore. They have excavated in Illinois, Hawaii, Sicily and Cambodia. NIU also has an active anthropology club (www.sa.niu.edu/ac.html), which hosts semi-regular events and can be a great way for people unsure about the field to learn more about it.

If you are still unsure about anthropology as a major, then hook yourself up with a summer internship or consult organizations like Project Exploration.

Gabrielle Lyon, founder and executive director of Project Exploration, said her organization encourages students to get as acquainted with the subject as possible – which is what museums want.

Project Exploration is a Chicago organization that aims to make anthropology and science more accessible. Project Exploration does not have any specific programs for college-level students, but Lyon said students can gain experience anywhere.

“Any student can get closer to the action by just going out on a limb and trying,” Lyon said. “There are a lot of institutions, even at Northern, that offer positions for research and volunteer work.”

Anthropology is a field for anyone who doesn’t want the boring, old 9-to-5 office job.

“In January of 2005, I will be going to Niger to excavate a Tenerè site that has never been excavated before,” Kornegay said. “I will be in the most dangerous part of the Sahara and facing all sorts of dangerous weather and animals. I expect to face challenges every day and when I come back I just feel like I will be able to handle anything.”