To put in my thoughts before the inevitable "Can we depart from this
thread?" message comes through:

>>> Megan Bryant <[log in to unmask]> 06/18/98 11:20am >>>
I find this to be an inaccurate assessment of the make-up of the museum
profession.  I know a great many people working in museums, many of
them at
the upper levels, who do not have advanced degrees.  Most of these
people
got their start by volunteering or taking those extremely low paid
"entry-level" positions. >>
-----------------------------------------

I'm curious, of what generation are these "great many people" without
advanced degrees? It seems clear that entering the museum profession
now is intensely more competitive than it was twenty, or even ten, years
ago. And it's not getting any easier.

Some advice to new BA job seekers:

 While pursuing work in small museums has been suggested, I've found
advantages to targeting the big guys. Living in Washington, DC, I found it
relatively easy to obtain "entry-level" positions at the National Gallery of
Art and at the Smithsonian Institution, with only a BA in art history.  Large
museum complexes post numerous jobs every month for all kinds of basic
secretarial and clerical duties, not to mention the constant need for
guards and shop staff.  Swallowing one's pride and working in a museum
shop can seem demeaning, but the advantages to doing something
WITHIN the museum walls are very good (visual familiarity with staff,
knowledge of museum organization, first look at new position postings,
etc...).

That said, I still found that a Master's degree was really an a priori
requirement to obtaining any kind of interesting museum work.  No matter
how lowly an advertised position seems, you can, increasingly,
guarantee that a great number of applicants will have Master's degrees.
When one thinks of any kind of curatorial work, expect to be competing
against Ph.D.'s.

If at all possible, seek graduate education, as much (if not more) for the
internship possibilities as for the education.  If you're really interested in a
specific field of museum (art, history, etc.) an M.A. in that subject with
some Museum Studies electives , is probably more valuable than a wholly
Museum Studies degree.  I know many, well, actually about 4, people
whose graduate internship connections have led them to interesting, if
underpaid, careers.

Be flexible. I'm doing work that I never imagined I'd be doing in my
"entry-level" years or in graduate school, but it's a good job with an
almost livable salary. Good luck!

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All opinions here expressed are strictly my own-ljh.
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Lawrence J. Hyman
Project Director, SITES
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
202.357.3168 x 142
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