I don't think very many of us went directly into Museum work in my day (the
1970s), but I almost did.

I was doing my Masters honours at Sydney University and feeling the
frustrated sense that I was becoming over specialised at the expense of a
range of interests.  I had studied History and Philosophy of Science, Drama,
Fine Arts, Biology & Philosophy alongside my primary love, English
(Mediaeval to Baroque) and also spent a year gaining a dip. ed.  I had
always planned on academia as a career but found myself knowing more and
more about less and less, where I really wanted something that would allow
me to spread my intellectual net as widely as possible.  I decided on a
museum career, and specifically on museum education (curatorial seemed as
specialist as lecturing at University), and even more narrow-focus, on the
then Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences as being the nearest thing to the
intellectual playpen I was after.  I missed on the first position that came
up (no teaching experience), went into the school system, and a year later
got the job I wanted.  I've been there ever since.

I may bitch about the salary, and the near-total absence of a career-path,
but I've never regretted the decision - moreover I was right, constantly
changing intellectual stimulus, variety, opportunities to think laterally
and creatively, talking (sometimes) to everyone from ankle-biters to
seniors, organising performances, touch-trolleys, craft demonstrations,
 writing exhibition notes........interesting colleagues, challenging
concepts, on-going debate on ethics, role of museums, boring bits of
budgeting and paperwork...When the finally retire me, I'll come back as a
vol.

Heleanor F.
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney