After earning her PhD at Washington State University, Wildesen began to apply for faculty positions at several universities. However, it quickly became clear to her that most of the universities did not value her as an archaeologist, and were simply searching for any woman they could add to their faculty. Finally, she found a position as a senior research assistant at the University of California at Riverside. She eventually decided to leave this position, as male students did not respect her in the classroom, and the department overworked and underpaid her. Wildesen took a position with the Forest Service in 1974 in Portland, Oregon, as the position was new and offered a certain degree of professional freedom.
