Rachel Coffey wrote:
<< It seems to me, one who is not yet lucky enough to be paid to work in a
museum, that there is no such thing as an entry-level job in museum work.
There is volunteer work and then there's professional work-the latter can
only be done by those with advanced degrees.>>
I find this to be an inaccurate assessment of the make-up of the museum
profession.  I know a great many people working in museums, many of them at
the upper levels, who do not have advanced degrees.  Most of these people
got their start by volunteering or taking those extremely low paid
"entry-level" positions.  At the museum where I work, we have a paid staff
of about 45.  Of those 45, I think 5 of us have advanced degrees.  We also
have various temporary paid positions - including internships.  Yes, paid
internships - a rare species, I know, but they do exist (I'm supervising
three right now).  You've just got to look for them.
Speaking as one who does have an advanced degree and a good job (though
preceded by volunteering and interning), I'm not going to deny that the
degree does help in many ways.  But it's so much more than that:
 experience, dedication, initiative, genuine interest, and a passion for
the work - these all count.  I think it's really a matter of *how* you make
your experience (and everything else I just listed), and whatever education
you do have, work for you.  We cannot and should not be passive
participants in our careers.
An example:  if you really want to work in the museum profession but are
having a hard time finding a position but still need to work outside the
field in order to support yourself, volunteer on weekends or evenings, or
at least continue to make connections.  Seek out museum professionals for
"informational interviews" - most museum folks I know would be willing to
take a little bit of time to talk with someone who is genuinely interested
in pursuing a museum career.  Who knows, six months or a year down the
road, that person or a colleague of theirs may be looking for someone to
hire for a particular position.  You may very well be the person to come to
mind - because you demonstrated initiative and interest.
<<I have thought at times that volunteers and interns should go on strike.
 Would a strike force institutions to raise the funds to pay their
volunteers? Or would the museum die?.>>
Seeing as even most professional positions in museums are underpaid and
most museums cannot afford to remedy this,  I cannot see that a "volunteer
strike" would do anything other than antagonize museum staff and boards and
even force some institutions to stop using volunteers all together -
hurting all parties concerned.  Besides, whatever happened to the whole
spirit of volunteerism?
Just one more comment before I climb off my soap box.  Rachel asked if
intelligence and creativity counted.  My answer:  yes, yes, yes!  Even with
an advanced degree, you're not going to go very far without these
qualities.
I wholeheartedly agree with David Harvey's comment that how young talent is
fostered is one of the most vital issues in the museum profession today.
 I'm not sure there are any easy answers, but discussion and debate can
help us all to better understand the situation.  This would make a great
session proposal for AAM....

Okay, I'm done now.

Megan P. Bryant
Registrar
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
**All opinions expressed are mine and not necessarily those of my
employer.**