I am not an archaeologist , but i am giving some serious thought into going back to school to pursue a career in the field. My area of interest is in the area of marine and underwater archaeology and i was hoping to get some advice along two points.

 First, the day to day aspects of what it's like being an archaeologist ... What i can expect to be doing for my first few years? Exactly how much writing should i expect to be doing? Is teaching at a university level really the only true goal of an archaeologist? Is it highly likely that i'll starve to death before i actually ever make any money? .. and of course , Is skill in using a bull whip necessary for my chosen career?

 Secondly, If i do decide to pursue this ... Am i best to speciallize early and focus in on just my areas of interest? .. or am i better off to stay generalized and work on a wide variety of projects? Just how much time can i be expecting to spend in the field vs being at the desk ?

 Yes i know i am asking some pretty general questions .. My hope is to get several different points of view so as to best try and gauge if this is actually the career that i hope it is. So please , feel free to throw in your 2 cents worth , any advice would be appreciated