Sticky indeed.   I usually put "MA preferred" on appropriate job openings, but if a candidate is great otherwise and has been DOING actual museum work (as you are) for X number of years, I wouldn't hold the lack of degree against them much, if at all.  Thankfully I have the flexibility to hire the best candidate and don't have check off boxes about what degrees they have (we have a rather informal structure).  If you do stay with your current position and delay school, I would encourage you to attend professional development workshops, conferences etc as much as possible so you are always current.  I like to think my Museum Studies degree GOT me my first job, but actually doing museum work in a good environment is a better education.  Hopefully you can find a good compromise.  Good luck!


Clayton D. Drescher
Education Manager
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90036
(P) 323-964-6347
(F) 323-964-6422

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Melanie C Deer
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 9:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Continue working in a museum vs. Museum studies Master

Hello everyone,

I'm stuck in a sticky situation and I was hoping some of you had some advice. I volunteered/internship/did independent studies at the undergraduate level at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) in Tucson, AZ (as Southwest archaeological museum) for about two to three years and then managed to get a student position in the Repository and held that for a year, graduated with a BA in Anthropology and Creative Writing and I am currently employed full time at ASM working on a major repatriation project as well as working on finishing an article on a research project I did with Southwestern Prehistoric pottery that I hope to get published. Before I got the full-time position I had applied to Arizona State University's Museum Studies Master program and was accepted. I am scheduled to start classes Fall 2013 (I've already postponed enrollment the max amount of time, due to a different situation). My employers already knew about my plan to attend graduate school in a year before they hired me, so that is not a factor.

I am wondering whether it would be better to stay at my full-time position and pursue a Masters later (in other words tell ASU I will not be attending classes in Fall 2013, potentially closing that door permanently) or if I should leave my full-time position to attend classes as originally intended risking not having a job when I graduate.

An idea I had was to get an online Museum Studies Certificate while still working full-time at ASM and possibly do night classes to get an Anthropology MA. But I'm not sure how highly or lowly Museum Studies Certificates are viewed in the museum world.

Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Melanie Deer
________________________________

To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1

=========================================================
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).