On Fri, 19 Feb 1999 09:38:44 -0800, "Colin Macgregor Stevens"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>[log in to unmask] wrote in message <[log in to unmask]>...
>...> Am I better off going to college to get hands on training in all fields
>of interest or should
>>I specialize and go to grad. school. Basically, I am afraid of going to
>>college and spending 2 years to get a diploma if I'm better off going to
>>grad. school. Does anyone have any advice for one truly lost? Thanks, Kelly
>>[log in to unmask]
>===================================
>Dear Kelly:
>
>This process of asking your colleagues for advice is a good start. There is
>of course no magic answer. Specialist or generalist? Talk to colleagues as
>much as possible before deciding. The response from Nancy Ralph at the NY
>Food Museum sounds like good advice. Interning, summer work and even
>volunteering at museums gives you exposure and helps you to make up your
>mind as to what you want to do - and builds your references and possible
>career job leads. Even if those museums can't hire you, if you cultivate
>contacts, someone may hear of a job and steer you towards it.
>
>Don't forget to join a museum association. State or Provincial one if you
>plan to stay local, national if you plan to be available to move. Check out
>student rates of membership. Their literature can help you see what kinds of
>jobs are being advertised. Their staff may be of assistance as well. Check
>out their web sites. A Canadian example for job hunting in museums is:
>http://daryl.chin.gc.ca:8000/BASIS/forum/user/e_careers/SDF?TYPE=Career&FORM
>FL_OB=Title&FORM_SO=Ascend
>
>Figure out what YOU want to do. Then try to match that to what people are
>being hired for these days.
>
>With modern trends in cut backs in staff, I personally feel that generalists
>are more versatile and useful.  How many specialist positions still get
>staffed? Do museums try to stretch their dollars to hire people with
>multiple talents? Comments from readers?
>
>Me? I'm a generalist and Curator of a large city museum.  A former classmate
>became a specialist, went for his PhD, and is now a very senior staff with
>our national museum. Each approach has its pros and cons. He and I were
>lucky that we went through the education system in the 1970s during the time
>of major museum growth.
>
>A note of optimism for you: Watch for the job openings caused by people who
>are going to retire in the next decade.
>
>Good luck!
>
>Colin Macgregor Stevens
>Curator
>Burnaby Village Museum
>City of Burnaby, BC, CANADA
>[log in to unmask]
>
Well said, good advice. I have no formal training specifically in
museum work but from a career oriented point of view I can say that
location is everything. Are there enough positions in your area?
Universities are handing out Majors in history like candy but
Mcdonalds can only hire so many unemployed historians.
 You may overtrain to such a degree that no one will hire you as you
are too expensive to justify having to provide you with experience.
You may also educate yourself out of functionality. Museum technicians
are normally experienced but not PhD's and they do the "grunt work".
You may end up as an administrator if you have too much theory but no
practical.
Museums Alberta offers paperwork, design and planning courses for
administrators (or really bored technicians). This may be an option if
you want to generalize or push paper but if you want to learn skills
you would have to go to work, as there are no programs designed to
teach technician skills (in Alberta anyway).
Grant K