Jennifer,

I fully agree with Deb.  I came to the museum field after 12 years as a
stockbroker (BA in Business Administration, MA in History) and I have found
my business training to be very helpful to my museum career.  Being able to
put things in "business terms" has helped me deal successfully with my
museum's administration, our controlling agency (we are county owned) and
potential donors.  Many times the things we learn seem useless, and yet, in
the long run, turn out to invaluable.  Also, remember you may not be in the
museum field for your entire career.  So good luck with the accounting (I
found it boring as well) and try to keep in mind that you never know what
will come in handy during the course of your life.

Tim Bottoms
Registrar
Cape Fear Museum






Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]>@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> on 09/14/2000 10:59:09
AM

Please respond to Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>

Sent by:  Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>


To:   [log in to unmask]
cc:

Subject:  Re: Question for those in education departments


Accounting will be valuable to you no matter what career you choose. All
managers have to deal with budgets and if you work in museums, this becomes
a particularily sensitive issue as you don't have any money to waste. PLus
it also helps when you are looking to get more funding or trying to
increase your own budget.

For example, my bf has an MBA and owns his own small company. He's
currently taking a business accounting certification course not so much to
be an accountant but to be able to better understand what his accountants
do. It will also help him make budget projections, understand the business
taxes and better manage finances.

Plus it makes you look much more in control over your work esp. when
talking to potenial donors or investors. If you can give people hard
numbers about what you have and what you need, they will have more
confidence in you and give you more money. If you go out with an attitude
of "we're poor, we need money because we're a museum," people aren't going
to have confidence that you know what you are doing with your money and be
less likely to give it to you.

I wish I'd taken an account class, as much as I would have utterly hated it
but it would have been very beneficial in the long run.

deb

In a message dated Thu, 14 Sep 2000  8:26:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
Jennifer Lynn <[log in to unmask]> writes:

<< I am hoping to one day work in an education department of a children's
or sc=
ience museum, and I have a question for all those who work in education
depa=
rtments. I am a college student currently taking an accounting class and I
w=
as wondering, what use will this particular class be to me in my chosen
care=
er path?  I don't understand why I have to take it, because I am going
into=20=
museum education, not any type of management. Could someone please
enlighten=
 me?

Jennifer Lynn
Tusculum College
Class of 2001
Go Pioneers!

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail
message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should
read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).