--- Kathleen Brown <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>I've actually observed the
> opposite of what Deb noted regarding work experience vs. higher degrees. It
> seems at least in the larger art museums for curatorial positions, a newly
> minted Ph.D. will be hired over an M.A. or B.A. with some museum experience
> every time.  Especially if they come from a prestigious program.

That's another good point and an exception to the experience rule. A curator's
primary duty is to do academic research and be an expert on their collection.
Therefore, it does make sense that more schooling does win out over experience
in that case. (Not that I agree with it mind you. :)

But for practically every other position in the museum field, experience is
just as important if not more so than education. You can pick up classes and
degrees at a later date but a solid work history tells the employer that you
can handle responsibility, hold down a job and are dependable. Someone who is
fresh out of school without a decent work history is much more of a risk,
especially if they went straight from undergrad to grad work.

> I simply cannot afford to get any
> more in debt and I am probably considered "too old" (over 35) to even get
> into a good program.  My personal belief is that the field is now so
> competitive that it is not worth going unless you can get into one of the
> top programs in your area of specialization.

Pshaw on the "too old". I think something that the museum world is lacking is
"older" people in the field. It seems like a lot of places have either fresh
recruits or "seasoned vets" that have been in the field for 20 years or more.
What I think is missing is that middle ground of people who have worked for
several years and can really mentor the younger generation without dealing with
a huge generation gap. Since a lot of the "older" generation museum people fell
into the profession, they find it hard to relate to today's recruits who face a
new set of challenges. 20-30 years ago, museum work really wasn't a career
field, especially in the areas of education and public outreach and there
certainly weren't an abundance of academic museum programs out there. You got
into the field from somewhere else. Now people can choose museum work as a
profession which opens up a new set of challenges and opportunities.

On the flip side, I think that museums are startin to lack something because
people have become museum specialists and haven't worked in other career fields
but that's a whole other topic.

Deb

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