Another person's anonymous response
   
  Some background information on my perspective: I’m 38, and received my MA at the age of 27. It took a full year and literally hundreds of applications and dozens of interviews to land an entry level position that paid less than the annual tuition at my grad school. I wasn’t applying with only my degree – I had several internships, past employment experience, fellowships/scholarships, and awards, as well.
   
  The museum field is flooded with many well-qualified people, many of whom have the financial means to accept low (or no) salaries. My grad program prepared me for this – out of 10 students in my program, only four of us needed to work for a salary, so I knew what I was facing. One of my professors talked openly with me about the lack of financial reward associated with museums/teaching. We museum people work in museums because we love it, not because we are paid well. It has taken me many years of low wages and hard work to reach a salary that compares to the undergrad only, entry level salary that my best friend started at several years ago at a broadcast network.
   
  I honestly do not think that older workers that are “cut from the herd” are being laid-off because of their age. I believe it is because of the salary. When I left my previous position for another at a different institution, they were sad to see me go, but they also cut their budget by hiring my replacement at $18K less. Budget-driven layoffs definitely take performance and salary into consideration. When my last institution was forced to make budget cuts, they selected an older person (about 55 years old) who had been there for 15 years and a younger person who had been there for less than three years. Both were extraordinarily bright, well-educated, experienced, and capable of producing excellent results, but their performance was uneven and their salaries at the high end of what one finds in museums. They both had a lot to offer – when they were there and felt like offering it. Otherwise, they spent a lot of time taking up space or complaining about how their
 accomplishments were overlooked.
   
  I wouldn’t read too much into positions that disappear after an excellent interview (and inference of an official offer). It has happened to me on two occasions, and both times they were legitimately budget driven (expected funds did not materialize). I was extraordinarily disappointed, but not as much as I would have been if I had moved and had the position eliminated a year later. Museums are notoriously cash-strapped organizations.
   
  As far as hiring from a pool of interns, I definitely make that a practice. When I have worked with someone for a period of time, I am aware their capabilities, attitude, and ability to do the job. I strongly recommend internships for everyone seeking employment in a museum. Not all of my interns have been young – one of the best was in her late 50s. And, yes, I did offer her a position when one became available.
   
   
  However, I do feel that there is a point in which age becomes an issue. At one time I worked for a director that was well past retirement age (74 years old). This person was often absent due to health issues or their spouse’s health issues. There were also definite issues with memory and possibly early dementia that made it extraordinarily difficult to work with this person. Their job performance was fair at best, bordering on poor. It was sad because this person had accomplished great things in their career, but was clearly no longer able to do so. However, when trustees began making noise about retirement, the director began complaining about age discrimination.  Personally, I feel this person will probably be there until they die, drawing an excellent salary, which is really unfortunate for the organization.
   
  Overall, I think museums tend to be a little less age/gender/ethnicity discriminatory than traditional corporate organizations. There just aren’t enough paid positions for the number of people who want to work in them
   
   


Indigo Nights
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