By: Cassie Hausdorf Reflecting on his journey at the University of Georgia (UGA), Stefan shares how his experiences at UGA shaped his current career! Stefan originally chose to attend UGA when he was living in Georgia and his job at the time had a glass ceiling that could only be overcome via an advanced degree. He saw that UGA had just started their M.S. in Archaeological Resource Management, which checked all the boxes he needed to progress in his career! Once at UGA, Stefan independently applied for and was accepted into the Anthropology Ph.D. program. During his time at UGA, Stefan spent a summer in Malawi in 2010 conducting ethnographic research with Joe Lanning and Bram Tucker. Additionally, he spent six months conducting an archaeological survey in the Valley of Coixtlahuaca under the direction of Steve Kowalewski. Overall, Stefan sees the act of getting his Ph.D. at UGA as the most influential step in achieving his professional goals. This degree served as the equivalent of a complicated, multi-year project with a number of overlapping and interconnected datasets. When looking back at his time at Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Stefan reflects on what he would have done differently to help with what he is currently doing in his career. Stefan would have spent more time in the Business School to pick up introductory courses in either project management or business administration, as they are two sides of the same coin. These topics are relevant to every position that requires a graduate degree, including his own. Moreover, he also would warn his past self from taking out student loans, along with advising past-him to pick classes that support both theoretical and methodological skillsets. Continuing this reflection on his time at Franklin, Stefan draws upon advice given to him that still inspires him to this day. Derived from Steve Kowalewski, this advice - roughly paraphrased - states “When you first start out as a graduate student, you are a consumer of knowledge. The goal is to become a producer of knowledge and contribute back to the discipline.” This insightful comment has helped guide Stefan throughout his time at UGA and into his professional career. Switching from the one receiving advice, Stefan speaks to graduates and young alumni to give advice for success early in their careers. He explains that the first 3-6 months of any new career are important training opportunities from your employer. Stefan urges you to ask them for guiding documents for your position (e.g., materials found in the call for applicants, your office letter, the job description, the core competences, any evaluation metrics, the roles and responsibilities, and the employee handbook). Make sure to clarify and confirm your chain-of-command and stay within it. Identify and take advantage of the training mechanisms and onboarding activities offered by your employer. Moreover, strive to succeed in the core areas of your position. When you identify areas needing improvement, do not be afraid to ask for help! Don’t take criticism personally. Invest in yourself by improving your current skillsets and building new ones. For the first 6 months, determine if you are a good fit with your employer, your direct report in the chain-of-command, and the employer culture surrounding you. Overall, work towards a mastery of your current position. Once you are confident in your current position, determine directions for future growth. Looking at his current position, Stefan is proud of his career trajectory in the private sector and his contributions to the discipline since then. His education at UGA provided a sound, technical, and methodical foundation for his career. As Stefan transitioned into management, he noted that many of the soft skills used by anthropologists were just as relevant in today’s career environment. Starting in cultural resource management in 2001, Stefan has built on his skills and training ever since. Stefan believes in his problem-solving capabilities and views them as one of his biggest strengths. Solving problems is a good driver for success in his eyes. Stefan usually spends an inordinate amount of time researching and evaluating good methods that have a large return on investment and then works towards implementing them. When considering what success means to him, Stefan primarily measures success by the result or outcome and how much pride he can take in from it. For Stefan, this takes many forms and can include whenever a team gets a difficult project over the finish line or watching someone he mentored go off and achieve success based on their own merits, or the benefits that come from completing solo tasks. Lastly, when asked if he considers his current position his “dream job,” Stefan thoughtfully states that jobs are what you make of them! He thoroughly enjoys his career, but it took a lot of work to shape the space that he occupies. Overall, Stefan’s trajectory from UGA to his current role in the private sector showcases one of the many outcomes one can get with a background in anthropology! Stefan will also be teaching a class for the Spring 2026 semester: ANTH4250/6250 Cultural Resource Management! This course will be taught on Wed/Fri from 8:15 AM - 9:35 AM. Current UGA students, keep an eye out when registering for classes! If you want to be the next alumni spotlight email anthro@uga.edu Tags: Alumni
