I think Marc's right on when he talks about "training" (read: useful)  
instead of education (read: ambiguous).  My opinion: pursue  
apprenticeships, not internships.  I say this both from an applicant  
and an institutional perspective.  If the best way to get a job is to  
get your foot in the door, then the best way to get in the door (and  
stay there) is to make yourself invaluable to the institution.   
Interns do neat projects and then leave.  Apprentices shadow  
employees, do the crap work along with the good stuff, and become  
essential.

Here's my "getting started in museums" story:
When I decided I wanted to work in a science museum 5 years ago (with  
no museum experience or grad degree), I went to two in my area--one  
giant, one tiny. I didn't look to see if either was hiring. I didn't  
even consider what my dream job would be. I found departments/people  
that were interesting, and made the same speech to each: I want to  
volunteer for you, part-time, for three months. I have X, Y, Z  
qualifications, but no direct museum experience. At the end of three  
months, I want us to sit down and assess whether you will hire me for  
pay or not.

That's it. In both cases, my offer was accepted. And within three  
months, I was getting paid (though not much) for real work. Both  
experiences were educational, experience-building, and got me "in the  
door" for future opportunities.

When I tell this story, the most common reaction I get is, "Wow. That  
was bold." But it doesn't have to be. One of the things that  
distresses me about graduate school--and about school in general--is  
the way it sets up the expectation that you, the young person/student,  
are a consumer of experiences offered to you by teachers and  
employers. You are allowed to express yourself, but only in trying to  
excel by the terms given by the institution. And then, when you do  
excel, there’s a secondary problem—that you leave school impatient to  
get THE great job, rather than ready to connect yourself to an  
institution in which you can learn and grow. The story is that  
teachers know what’s best—and they’ll help you get there.

But in my case, I felt that the internships, graduate programs, and  
entry-level positions being offered to me were not best. I thought I  
could create an educational strategy that would be more useful both to  
me and to my employers. So I asked for it. I asked for mentoring. I  
asked for review. I asked to be taken seriously as a potential  
contributor. I asked for responsibility.


Nina Simon
Museum 2.0
www.museumtwo.com


On Aug 2, 2007, at 2:25 PM, Marc A Williams wrote:

It is clear from all of the responses that far too many graduates of  
museum studies programs (or equivalents) are being produced each year.  
  This appears to have been the case for at least a decade or two.   
This makes job finding difficult, or even impossible for some.  The  
big question is who is responsible for all of this?  Is it the  
universities, who are happy to offer a major and take your tuition, as  
long as there is student interest?  Do they have a collective  
responsibility not to flood the job market?  If so, which universities  
should cut back or eliminate their programs - all of them equally, or  
eliminate the less-effective programs?  What criteria will be used to  
determine this?

Or, is it the responsibility of the students to investigate the  
reasonable likelihood of gaining a job upon graduation?  How would  
they possibly know what their future prospects are?  Graduates of  
different programs have different degrees of success, but this  
information is not tabulated.  How does a prospective student know if  
they are capable of learning the necessary skills and having the  
requisite aptitudes before they commit to studying?  What about the  
students that really have very little likelihood of succeeding, but  
don't have a good self-assessment of themselves?

And what about museums?  Does responsibility lie with them?  Should  
they be advocating for less training opportunities, since they can't  
provide employment options?  All indications are that museums in the  
21st century are facing enormous changes, and the old business model  
is not likely to succeed.  It appears that the numbers of museums will  
be decreasing, especially in the smaller size category, unless  
significant re-invention occurs on the order of a paradigm shift.   
This will lead to still fewer jobs.  Of course, entertainment venues  
are ever more merging into museum life, and this may be the new  
salvation, although it will most likely be available only to the  
larger institutions.

I, of course, am the most familiar with graduate training in  
conservation. It seems to me that of all of the museum areas, these  
programs have done the best job of matching the number of graduates to  
the potential need.  There are three US graduate conservation programs  
and one in Canada (I am talking only of the broad-based programs, and  
not those that train only in a specific limited area, such as library  
materials).  Each trains approximately 10 students per year.  This  
matches fairly well with the job opportunities, although some  
graduates do go into private practice.  My observation is that very  
few conservators who want to work are lacking employment.  Yes, some  
are not working as much (or making as much) as they would like, but  
the "unemployment rate" among conservators is low.  Now, did this  
occur because of a conscious effort on the part of universities to  
limit the number of conservation graduates?  Or, is it that setting up  
and running a conservation graduate program is very expensive, much  
more so than a creating a museum studies program?

Here is my anecdotal information, otherwise known as my 2 cents.  In  
1985, I was the founding director of the Smithsonian Institution's  
graduate Furniture Conservation Training Program.  When I designed the  
program, I was consciously aware of the job possibilities for  
graduates, and did not want to flood the market with more wooden  
object conservators than could be absorbed.  For that reason, we chose  
to train an average of two conservators a year.  We very intentionally  
looked at the number of wooden object conservators being trained by  
other programs before deciding on our output. Although I am no longer  
involved with the program, the SI has decided to stop training wooden  
object conservators, partially because the other programs have stepped  
up to the plate and have been training an adequate number of w.o.  
graduates.

This is a huge subject area!!  Please put forth your own ideas!!!  
Brainstorming like this is the first step in creating change that may  
make the museum world more friendly for all of us.

Marc

American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
     4 Rockville Road
     Broad Brook, CT 06016
     www.conservator.com
     860-386-6058

*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Low-Tech Environmental Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
     Furniture
     Painted Wood
     Horse-Drawn Vehicles
     Architectural Interiors

Marc A. Williams, President
     MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
     Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
     Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)


----- Original Message ----- From: "Jenifer Simon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 4:17 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Advice for Entry Level Applicants?


The responses providing employment advice for entry level applicants in the
arts all serve to support the larger and more important issue of a lack of
career paths in the arts and culture industry and the need for the field to
hire and promote from within.

While certifications and degrees increase a candidate's marketability, they
do not, unfortunately, guarantee that a candidate will obtain a job in his
or her field; especially one that provides opportunities to use and learn
skills in a dynamic environment with proper compensation.

Candidates need to look at jobs and their careers in a new way.

In the museum world of today, a job is not an opportunity for an individual
to gain experience and skills from an employer so s/he can become more
marketable for better jobs at other organizations in the future. Rather, a
job encompasses the activities, skills and knowledge provided by an
individual to an employer that meets the needs and objectives for an
organization for which monetary compensation is awarded.

Seen this way, only apply to those jobs for which you are qualified, have
the appropriate skills for and are interested in. Employers and recruiters
can easily detect applications that are focused and relevant from those that
are sent without purposeful intent and regard for stated qualifications. To
best position yourself, learn what your skill set is and how to articulate
it to others in cover letters, resumes and interviews through compelling,
relevant accomplishments.

In addition to searching Museum-L's archives, sign up for our monthly Art
Career newsletter which provides helpful advice and tools for finding a job
and developing your career.  More, while advice is helpful and abound, there
is no substitute for meeting with a Career Coach who is knowledgeable about
museums and the arts and culture industry and who can help you develop
strategies specifically to meet your goals.

Jenifer Simon, M.A.
Training & Careers Associate
Thomas & Associates, Inc.
www.artstaffing.com
6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10016
212.779.7059
[log in to unmask]





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The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).