I've just graduated with a BA in History myself, and have taken a year out
to travel and gain some relevant work experience before, hopefully, starting
an MA in Museology/Museum Studies in the UK next year. And, like many museum
hopefuls, I've tried to get as much experience as possible in the field -
I've completed a summer internship at the Smithsonian, done a short work
placement at a film archive, and am currently doing research at a museum in
Singapore in preparation for a new exhibition, on an intern's salary.

But recently, the nagging question of how expedient these short-term
'experience' stints will be in the long run has cropped up. Some people have
suggested that a future potential employer would be more interested in
whether I've managed to hold down a 'real' job (ie a properly-paid,
long-term employment stint, not necessarily in a museum, as such jobs aren't
that easy to get into in Singapore) than the number of volunteer/work
experience placements I've done. There's been some pressure from family
members to forget the year out idea and to find myself a regular, permanent
job instead of moving from one stint to another before I leave again next
September. Does anybody have any thoughts on this? As another poster pointed
out, I've tried to focus on specific aspects (curatorial, in this case) of
museum work instead of volunteering to try everything and anything, but I'm
growing increasingly uncertain as to whether these short-term placements
will ultimately prove more useful than holding down one (not necessarily
related) job for a prolonged stretch of time before trying to enter the
museum world.

Liana

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Tel: 65-4498483
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