Anne, I understand your frustration and why you would
take umbrage to such a comment. You've worked hard to
fulfill a dream that may have dissolved--for
now--because life is not always fair.
But there is and was a way you might have anticipated
some of this. I offer this to you as a bandage and a
way of looking for something that will have more
potential until you can go back to this dream
(optimistically, I'm hoping you will be able to, but
nobody has a crystal ball with respect to this
economy--and some will depend upon what happens as
soon as the November elections).
Are you familiar with the Bureau of Labor Statistics?
They're a part of the Department of Labor, and they
publish what jobs are on the rise, and what jobs are
falling.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
You may wish to "map" your education and see if you
can overlay it against some of these other jobs while
volunteering at a museum near you (for those who would
say, "Yes, but, I have kids, I can't
volunteer"--that's a question of choices. Those who
choose to have kids, regrettably, may be disadvantaged
by those who do not and have time to spare to do these
things. And before you bite me for saying this, as
someone who raised two kids a majority of the time
without their dad and his child support, I've been
exactly where you are, and I know how unfair it is at
the time.)
I would just suggest to you that you are shooting the
messenger here. Deb and I didn't create the crazy job
market of today. In 1999, I left a job of 24 years
and had to become aware of what my options were going
to be. I spent a heck of a lot of time doing market
research in this regard, and what I have offered you
is based, in some respects, in the continuing research
I do for the MuseJobs folks.
A very wise, much older boss used to tell me that
"Life isn't always fair, it just is." I used to
retort, "But it doesn't have to be that way." If you
feel this strongly about the potential to find gainful
employment in the museum world, it may be the time to
start writing to your elected officials to see what
they might be willing to do to support the arts. If
that's the case, take a look at Thomas:
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Find your Congresspersons and start lobbying.
Exercise the power of your vote. It may be the only
way to make it better.
Sorry you're so frustrated. I understand.
--- Anne Sawicki <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> And I really take umbrage at the comment that as
> recent grads, we all "blew
> it" because we believed in our dreams of becoming
> museum workers. Let me just
> say that none of us are fortunetellers and that
> there were a whole lot of
> really smart economists out there who didn't see
> this negative trend coming
> either. I bet that many of them are unemployed right
> now too. As a matter of fact,
> at last count, there are about 8.2 million people
> out of work right now in the
> United States. That's a lot of folks. Did all of
> those 8.2 million people
> "blow it" too? Somehow, I don't think so. The truth
> is that a lot of different
> people in many different fields have been affected
> by economic circumstances that
> are way beyond their control.
=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
Looking for a Job? Try Got Links?, Your One-Stop Portal
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanmer/414
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