Karen--
I couldn't agree with you more! I myself am one semester away from finishing my master's in art history and museum studies. What happened to the days where your degree got you in the door? I guess just about everyone tells me that you need to intern to not only get experience, but have a better chance at getting a job. Well, I have paid my dues through two internships in my program, and I, too, need to start paying back loans, not going into more debt. I am in New York now, and knowing what entry level museum jobs command, that will be hard.
What is your situation? Where did you go to school, and what are your plans for employment? I am seriously considering working on my thesis in a different city, and trying to secure employment.
Meg Bruener
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>>> Karen Thompson <[log in to unmask]> 06/30/99 02:52PM >>>
Hello all--
The issue of volunteering is an intriguing one. As a recent graduate with
an MA in Art History and Museum Studies, I am caught situation of not
having enough experience to apply to many posted jobs, despite interning
during my time in the program. However, while volunteering sounds like
(and is) a good way to get one's "foot in the door," other practical
considerations such as food, rent, and paying off student loans have to be
taken into account by a lot of us. I suppose there's no way around the
situation, and you have to do what you can to successfully become employed,
but it is a struggle, and circumstances may prevent some new graduates, who
may otherwise be willing, from volunteering. I have to say that I agree
with Bill Peterson that I think going on for an MA is an adequate sign of
committment to the profession!!
Just my thoughts ....
Have an enjoyable afternoon...
Karen Thompson
At 13:58 30/06/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Just some thoughts on the recent postings.
>
>I have monitored the list for years (rarely posting) as a way to keep in
>touch with what people are talking about in my chosen profession. At the
>moment I am looking for work in the profession but am
>geographically limited. I have not felt it to be necessary to post a resume
>to the list. Though it is a great place to search for openings.
>
>There are many job boards that deal with our profession. MRB and MERC, are
>two active ones. In addition many museums post openings on their web sites.
>The Chronicle of Higher Education has related openings as well as the
>Chronicle of Philanthropy available on line (a week old if your not a
>subscriber)
>
> In fact looking as I have been it is almost overwhelming as to where to
>start. I have asked the administrator of the MRB if they had any feedback
>on statistics of people they have placed using the "electronic resume." It
>seems that as of yet this isn't a widely available statistic. Has anyone on
>the list hired from a resume first viewed electronically? or gone to a list
>to look for an employee before posting a job?
>
>It seems to me that while this may be "banter", it apparently concerns some
>portion, at least judging by the number of postings, of our profession.
>Educating, training, and the placement of those new to the profession is
>part of a long list of related topics that define a profession. As such it
>is something all professionals should pay attention to, employed or not.
>
> I think this whole discussion has raised greater issues. I was intrigued
>by the post from the UK regarding the hiring of volunteers. In my job
>search I have heard countless of respected friends and associates tell me to
>volunteer at some organization to get my "foot in the door." I have been a
>member of both the AAM and the AASLH for a number of years and have a
>pretty good feel for the desired qualifications for most jobs available
>listed through these sources.
>
>I have been wondering if a young graduate has spent 4 years as an undergrad
>then got an MA, how feasible is volunteering someplace? Even part time. I
>feel an MA shows a certain amount of commitment to the profession, moreso
>when accompanied by related experiences. I guess the question I need to ask
>is why is this the only profession that seems to tell young, ambitious,
>bright, new people to go volunteer until that first job comes along. Would
>an employed engineer tell a graduating engineer that. And does this
>mentality damage the profession?
>
>Pay scales are low enough but if highly educated newcomers are volunteering
>for free what incentive is there for pay scales to increase? In my opinion
>I think this is part of the reason that our profession demands (usually)
>such high levels of education but pays, in general, so little for it. And
>does this situation make it more difficult
> to attract the best pool of young people interested in the joining the
>profession?
>
> On the same line if a museum is getting the work done for free by a good
>volunteer why hire (create a position) a person to do the work? And how
>often when a position does open up can you really find a qualified volunteer
>from among your ranks. I recently had this discussion with someone in
>workforce development for a large mid west museum. And I asked him, how
>often do you fill your professional positions (in this instance I was
>talking about a curator) from volunteers. His answer was "never". So I
>guess then it would pay for the job seeker to know what kinds of positions
>they are qualified for and judge each volunteer opportunity by what you hope
>to get out of it. If the organization has many entry level professional
>positions that have a high turnover then maybe volunteering is the way to
>go. I think this is relatively rare, but never underestimate the value of
>knowing the members of the search committee.
>
>Just my thoughts.
>
>
>Bill Peterson
>
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