The ancient Egyptians had a saying to describe the student-teacher relationship: "A boy's ear is on his back; he listens when it is beaten." While the teaching of Egyptology today doesn't involve corporal punishment, it still is a challenge to study Egyptology with a qualified instructor without moving halfway across the country or globe and paying a fortune to do so. How can you make your dream of studying Egyptology come true? There are several paths you can follow.

While most Egyptologists specialize in one area, all must study a wide range of subjects: archaeology, art, architecture, history and culture, not to mention the five stages of the ancient Egyptian language, and several modern foreign languages as well. Most Egyptologists spend at least 12 years studying in the university before obtaining their PhDs. The few people who complete their course of study wind up competing for the few jobs available in the same few institutions that offer PhDs in Egyptology, or a handful of curatorial positions. Many excellent scholars with PhDs are forced to follow other career paths-working as computer programmers, librarians, editors or going to law school.

Considering these bleak job prospects, I want to offer some candid advice to want-to-be Egyptologists. I wouldn't go as far as one of my former professors, whose first words to me when I met him were: "You know there aren't any jobs in this field, don't you?" But there are definitely some things you can do to increase your chances of getting one.

If you are still in school, and your school offers courses in French or German, take them, as these two languages are used by Egyptologists every day in their research. An undergraduate degree in Egyptology is not prerequisite to an advanced degree in the field, although it is possible to major in Egyptology in a few universities. Most graduate programs will admit students with bachelor's degrees in any discipline, but particularly anthropology, classics, languages and linguistics, and history.

If you have what it takes to even have a chance at being employed as an Egyptologist, the universities to which you are applying for a graduate degree will recognize that you are a promising student and offer you financial aid. If they don't, it doesn't mean you wouldn't excel in Egyptology; they simply can't offer a lot of money to people who will never become employed in the field. If you don't receive funding, it is best to pursue other career goals. Some universities will be more than happy to take your tuition fees for two years, hand you an MA degree, and send you on your way to work like a slave for the next 20 years to pay back the $80,000 debt you incurred. Chances are the only employment you will find will be far removed in subject and place from Egyptology: one former Egyptology student I knew wound up doing data entry for a nuclear waste dump in Nebraska to pay back her loans.

If you do decide to pursue Egyptology as a career, being a self-starter and networking is a huge help. A solid academic background in Egyptology can lead, for example, to an unpaid internship with a museum putting together an Egyptological exhibition, which in turn can lead to a recommendation for a paid position later. Attending conferences and giving lectures will also give you valuable experience and connections. Another less obvious route can get you into the field of Egyptology. Archaeological projects in Egypt always include a wide range of specialists: photographers, artists, geologists, architects, conservators, computer specialists, osteologists, botanists, and even physicians. Many specialists in these fields find their skills in such demand that they have more opportunities to work in Egypt than the Egyptologists themselves! However, many who work in Egyptology will tell you that if you ask what an Egyptologist's salary is, you might be too concerned about money to find life as an Egyptologist comfortable.

Anyone can be a "Glyphdoctor" at this site. If you want to indulge in your passion for Egyptology, or would like to explore the field without making a commitment, this Web site aims to satisfy your desire to learn about ancient Egypt as the professionals do. We offer Egyptology courses tailored for the general public interested in Egyptology. These courses feature personal attention from a Ph.D.-level instructor and a chance to interact with students from around the globe who love ancient Egypt as much as you do, at an affordable price. You can learn more about and enroll in our hieroglyphs course here. We also will be offering shortly an Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Religion course. We have several upcoming study tours, including one to the great Egyptian collections of Chicago and a trip to Egypt. Join our mailing list to learn about our other courses. To get a feel of what a Glyphdoctors course is like, please visit our Open Egyptology discussion forums.