In addition to lower than expected salaries, I've also known graduate 
students who didn't think they had to have any experience to get a job.  In 
fact, they expected upon graduation to walk right into a director's job 
because they have a master's degree in museum studies.  And the few that did 
"luck into" such a job ended up leaving the field within a year, because 
reality didn't match classroom teachings.

When possible, I try to hire graduate students.  It seems to take about 4-6 
months before they realize that the real world doesn't quite match what 
they're taught.

Martha Battle Jackson, Curator of Technology
North Carolina State Historic Sites
Mailing Address: 4621 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC  27699-4621
Street Address:  532 North Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC  27604
919/733-3877; ext. 236; FAX: 919/733-9515
[log in to unmask]

E-mail correspondence to and from this sender may be subject to the
North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
The views expressed by the sender may not reflect those of my agency.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Bottoms" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 8:58 AM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Glut of graduates


> Stephen,
>
> So right.  I've spoken to museum studies classes and brought up those very
> topics and had the professors (from the back of the room) shake their 
> heads
> NO!
>
> Tim
>
> Timothy S. Bottoms
> Curator of Collections
> Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
> PO Box 1992
> Savannah, Georgia  31402
> 912.748.8888 x 109
> 912.748.0209 (fax)
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Stephen Nowlin
> Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 1:31 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Glut of graduates
>
>
>>  Many of the museum
>> studies gradates I know are either under-employed or not even in the
> field,
>> or are working in very low-pay jobs, really supported by their spouses.
>>  That's the facts.
>
> You're so right, Joyce.  And while it's appropriate to be encouraging to
> young grads entering the field, one wonders if they have been given any
> sense of how difficult it is going to be financially.  I'm appalled at the
> salaries I see offered for leadership positions in museums requiring years
> of experience, advanced degrees, fundraising and business acumen, and $35K 
> a
> year.  Every museum studies program ought to have a heads-up reality class
> freshman year -- not to extinguish students' enthusiasm, but to give them
> real information about making sound decisions for their future.
>
> Stephen Nowlin
> Vice President, Director,
> Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
> Art Center College of Design
>
> http://www.xrl.us/stephennowlin
>
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