I have to chime in one more time. I am a proud gen-x er myself. I agree, I
would not hire anyone for a job who simply felt they "deserved it" because
they went to school, had x type of special internship, etc. Kudos to anyone
who turned down a job becuase the salary was lower than what they thought
they deserved. If that person ends up working in the corporate environment
for more money, great. Hopefully they will be in a higher tax bracket,
thereby contributing more money to the insitution they didn't want to work
for.
This is a professional field not a fraternity. We are, none of us, going
to get anywhere if we want the new genration of museum professionals to
accept less than what they deserve simply because "we had to do it." I feel
like this is the old "I had to walk up uphill both ways in the snow to get
to school" story. Two wrongs make another wrong, no one ever got ahead
through revenge, yadda yadda yadda. Yes, the field is turning over, but
those on their way to retirement will still be hiring those students fresh
to the field who will become their replacements in a few years. It will
take some time for professionals with a more equitable mindset to be the
ones in charge, reform their boards, and start putting their idealistic (but
still very intelligent) educations to use in a open and progressive
environment.
Still -- I offer good luck and the will to perservere to anyone thinking of
entering the field.
My advice to anyone thinking of working in the field:
Get your foot in the door as soon as humanly possible and never take it out.
You can volunteer, do contract work, take jobs that may not be your area of
expertise. Learn other people's jobs so you can work with them more easily
in the future. Understand the whole beast, not just your specialty. Knowing
what your co-workers do (or what they should be doing) will make your life
easier when you get there.
I like resumes that have no gap in museum experience and show a concerted
effort to stay on top of current scholarship. Conference attendance,
professional membership, workshops offered by AASLH, AAM, anything that
shows you are willing to continue to educate yourself and bring that
education into your new work environment is a great asset to where your
resume goes in the pile. Although a lot of this is subjective, I personally
like some one who is a self-starter, someone who does not need to be
"managed" and is confident in their abilities. Time and budget don't really
allow any of us too much time for staff oversight. Know what you are doing,
and do it.
I was angered by the "I can't hire you because you don't have any
experience" argument. My mental response to that was "Well, if someone
doesn't hire me how can I get any experience?" What a catch-22. I
volunteered, tried to make as many contacts as I could, worked at very small
places and ensured that when I left I would get a good reccomendation from
my supervisor. Internships are great too. I found it most helpful when my
internship was more about learning than about doing. Having a specific
project that you can design, modify and complete is a great way to show that
you are a problem-solver and willing to take the initiative to get the job
done and figure things out if they don't work exactly as you thought.
Internship supervisors make great references.
Erin.
Erin Elizabeth Crissman
Curator
Historic Cherry Hill
523 1/2 South Pearl St.
Albany, NY 12202
p.518.434.4791
f.518.434.4806
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