In response to Laura Mahoney:

After actively looking for a year, I've taken a job in grant/contract
administration.
Although not what I went to school for, I do believe that the experience I
gain in this position will be valuable when I do find a  museum position
that is more related to my long term goals -- after all what museum
couldn't use a person with experience in proposal development and
award administration.  In my opinion, people shouldn't be so limited in the
types of positions they are looking for, at least for a first job.
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Well, let's wait a second here.  I couldn't help but notice that this job you
have settled for temporarily does happen to be at the Smithsonian.  It's one
thing to take a job at the Smithsonian that may not be your ideal, and quite
another to take on some other much less relevant job.  Being at the Smithsonian
may not be a guarantee of something better meeting your long-term interests
within the Institution, but it certainly couldn't hurt nor could it hurt in
applying for jobs elsewhere.  I don't think any of us who are looking for jobs
in the museum market would turn down this sort of opportunity.

I too have been looking for an zooarcheaology or archaeology or museum job for
over a year since earning my M.Sc.  In the meantime, I have taken a less than
ideal job as an "executive administrative assistant" at a retirement planning
firm and also a night job producing mass mailings for an art studio.  I don't
think these jobs will make me more marketable in the museum field.  I'm not at
all inflexible about the sort of job I seek, but my outlook about my current
work situation is realistic and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.  So I would
agree with you that YOUR job is a step in the right direction, but let's not
compare apples with oranges.

Andrea Shapiro