Educational requirements ARE ratcheting higher and higher, but not just
in the Museum-job world.  It's popping up everywhere.  My mother is a
nurse, and has been a nurse for many years.  She has a Bachelors in
nursing.  She has worked for the same city institution for YEARS, yet
they have just decided that they will no longer hire any nurses that do
not have a Masters in nursing. And that all their current nurses must
earn a Masters, in their own copious spare time, by the year 2002, or
they will be let go.  This is one instance where experience matters not
a bit.

I personally think that in a society where more and more people are
going straight to college after high school, there has been created a
pool of "higher educated" people for companies to choose from.  Since
more and more people are getting more education, the
companies/institutions can and have raised their expectations as far as
the requirements of entry level and higher positions are concerned.
What most haven't raised is their salary rate.  I agree with the people
who have stated that as long as there are people who are willing to work
for the ridiculously low wages, then the wages will not go up, at least
not until the Federal Govt forces them up with an increase in minimum
wage. In my opinion, this goes on the list of "sad but true" things.


Lauri L. Bartlema
Curatorial Assistant
Conservation Division
Directorate of Environment
Fort Bliss, Texas

> ----------
> From:         E.J. Karetny[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To:     Museum discussion list
> Sent:         Tuesday, November 17, 1998 4:21 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: experience
>
> ok, say you have a master's but not in museum studies and youre
> looking
> for work in natural history, say collections.  you have a little
> experience as a curatorial assistant.  is this "enough" experience (at
> the very very least shows experience and interest or something...)?
> would you benefit from yet another academic debt with a master in
> museum
> studies?  when everyone ends up with this degre, what will they demand
> of you next?
> this is not meant to sound bitter but i'm just getting the feeling
> that
> the educational requirements are ratcheting higher and higher.
>
> looking forward to responses, ejk
>