Hello All

I am new to this list and hope to be enter the field in the near future.
After a lot of soul searching, I had this sort of epiphany that I should
pursue my interests in the world of museum studies. I hope to find a career
in a place where I will be able to combine my love of cultures, histories,
art and artifact and my incessant desire to educate others about such.

As I am just beginning the real research of what I need to do to achieve my
goals...and I need to make my goals a bit more concrete and discover if they
are realistic, I could do with some information and guidance from all
willing parties.
Currently I am located in Boston, but will be making a move back to
Milwaukee (birthplace) in the late summer/early Fall. Specifically, I am
interested in learning about graduate programs in the
Milwaukee/Madison/Chicago area. Is it suggested to complete a course as a
full time student?  If I chose a particular specialty during my course work,
will it be difficult to find a position outside of this specialty, or for
that matter in the specialty? From your experiences, what questions should I
be asking when I select a program? Is it difficult to break into the field?
I will be spending a minimum of 5 years in Milwaukee, any ideas about the
job market? If I enter a full time program, it will not be until the Fall of
2000, though I would like to take any preparatory course work and field a
job that allows me entre into the field.

I have a BA with majors in Psychology and English from Marquette University
and a certificate for a mini MBA in Non-Profit Management from University of
St. Thomas. My first years out of school were spent developing curriculum
and teaching for a summer community program for children and serving as
Assistant Coordinator for the Adult Division Community Education. I
overlapped this experience with my dream job of working for AFS (high school
exchange). With AFS I held various positions which lead naturally to Manager
of Orientations. I left AFS (I still volunteer) to come to Boston and
explore the corporate world....where I am finding I am a bit of a misfit and
crave something that once again stirs my passions and allows me an outlet
for research, educating and my own continuous education.

With this brief information, I am interested in knowing what my prospects
might be. What possibilities are available to someone with no experience in
museum studies? Are there suggested readings for career exploration? Is
there any place that sells individual copies of Museum News &/or Aviso? I
have many, many questions, but this is already too long!

Thanks in advance for any feedback


Tracy L. Grinker
Manager of Organizational Development and Tenant Administration
Transit Realty Associates, LLC
20 Winthrop Square
Boston, MA  02110
(617) 482-2525, extension 226