At 03:06 PM 6/17/98 +0100, you wrote:
>To All,
>
>And in response to David Harvey in particular.
>
>I recently subscribed to this list and have witnessed all the talk about
>the availability of work [of lack thereof] for those of us who are fresh
>out of college. I appreciate that people even respond to these questions
>in this forum. After all, you have not volunteered to be our career
>counselors.
>
>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.
>
>This puts those of us just starting out in an awkward position. I, for
>example, am not ready to invest more money and time into more
>education--especially when I am uncertain if another degree will help
>advance my career. I would like to have the experience to gauge the
>need/use/direction of another degree.
>
>I have already lived off of my savings to intern, and am not able to do
>this any longer.  I have also volunteered at museums. The only time I
>was paid to work at a museum I was given minimal responsibility and the
>corresponding amount of respect.
>
>I think Dave Harvey's question is an important one. He asked:
>
>>Are we only offering these formative educational and experiential
>>opportunities to those lucky few who can afford such unpaid work?
>
>And the answer is a resounding YES. I think that this fact might also
>affect the diversity of staff at museums. Isn't this a concern?
>
>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? Unfortunately, I think we're so
>desperate for experience leading to paid work that we could never
>organize a strike and find out what would happen. Not that I want to see
>museums go under...
>
>It seems to me that masters degrees now substitute on-the-job training.
>Do museums expect to have to TRAIN anyone any more? Do intelligence and
>creativity count? These are qualities that do not necessarily come with
>an advanced degree.
>
>Dave Harvey also wrote:
>
>>This issue of how young talent is fostered and how we can increase
>>entry-level opportunities is perhaps one of the most vital issues out
>>there today.  This would be a marvelous issue to debate in some sort of
>>professional forum.
>
>I'd just like to ask that those who are not yet professionals, but would
>like to be, be given the opportunity to contribute to that discussion.
>And I mean contribute, not complain.
>
>Thanks to all of you who are advocates on behalf of the "young talent."
>
>Here's hoping that I haven't caused any discomfort to you (nor harm to
>my chances of ever getting hired).
>
>
>Rachel Coffey
>
>[The views presented here do not reflect those of my employer, because I
>don't have one.]
>
To all of you who have been following this dialogue, here's the reality.
It's a tough but challenging world out there.  Get your act together,
develop good skills, be ready for any challeges; accept that in reality it's
who you know, how you make the connections that's most important in the
museum world.  Learn some basic business and profit-making skills - write
legible and accurate resumes; be articulate; know what you want; will it; be
aggressive, presentable, realistic; go for it.  Museums are businesses -
whether you like it or not.  What do you have to offer?  We place
entry-level and senior mangement staff in museums across the country. We're
tough - you have to meet our standards.  If you think you can, fax me your
resume and cover letter - and it better be clear, well-written and
realistic. Museums are about hard work. Cheers!  Geri Thomas, Professionals
for NonProfits, Inc., 515 Madison Avenue, Suite 900, New York, New York,
10022; Fax:  212/546-9094.  All the best!