Hmmm...

What does it take to get a job as a museum professional?  Which course of
study is best?

Not to sound discouraging... but...

I have a degree in Art History & Classics.
I have a MA in Museum Studies.
I have an MBA.

I still have difficultly landing an interview - let alone a job offer.

I believe this profession is obsessed with who you know vs. whatyou know.

Therefore, to those just starting out .... instead of wasting your time
figuring out should you take this over that.... spend your energy
networking.  After you have landed the job... then figure out skills you
need to develop in order to do it well.

One good contact is worth more than any course.

Cheers,

Sheila




>From: Jill <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: "asinine details about esoteric artists"
>Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 09:07:00 -0500
>
>I don't remember who said this, but I quote:
>
>"They teach us asinine details about esoteric artists when..."
>
>As an art historian and a curator, I am unbelievably offended at the
>suggestion that art history classes are useless to art museum
>professionals,
>and that art history programs should be teaching finance, development,
>grant-writing, and other professional skills.   If you want those skills,
>go
>get an MBA or a non-profit management degree.  If you want to be an art
>museum professional, well, maybe you shouldn't if you think knowing
>something about art and artists is 'asinine'.
>
>Another poster suggested that art history/museum training programs teach
>how
>to "play the game".  Why should anyone get credit for learning how to
>network?  Is it even possible to teach that?  Why should an art history or
>museum studies department be teaching interpersonal business skills?
>Another wants his or her program to get them a job.  I'm sorry, jobs are
>hard to come by.  Art history professors are not career counselors.  Go to
>your university's job placement service for that help.  YES, your
>professors
>can help you out if they want to, but I don't think they are obligated to
>do
>so.  If I were still teaching there would be no way I could teach 3 classes
>a semester, do committee work, publish, AND, on top of all that, serve as a
>job placement service for every single art history major, regardless of
>their quality as a student or job candidate.  It's asking way too much.
>It's unreasonable.
>
>I agree that certain business-oriented skills are necessary in the museum
>world, but I think some students are expecting too much to be spoon-fed to
>them.  EVERYBODY, from art historians to lawyers to welders, has to learn
>the interpersonal networking skills necessary to his or her profession, on
>their own.  Don't ask your art history professors, who have spent their
>lives learning asinine details about esoteric artists, to also serve as
>management and finance professors as well.
>
>Whew.  End of rant.
>
>To add to this thread:
>
>I wish I had taken a statistics course.  I think everyone needs to
>understand basic statistics.
>
>I wish I hadn't taken...hmmm... can't think of much.  Had a not-very-good
>education course called "Schooling in America" which was mainly a forum for
>Prof. Big Ego to tell us how wonderful and brilliant he was.  Ugh.  Again,
>the problem was the professor, not the content.
>
>Jill R. Chancey, Curator
>Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
>Laurel, MS
>(phone) 601-649-6374
>(fax) 601-649-6379
>
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