Hi Erin - It is hard to get in.  In my own experience and based on the other stories I've read here, getting in sideways and backwards is your best bet.  

When I got my first degree I spent 3-4 years travelling and working.  I worked in publishing, as a temp, managed a retail shop, as an assistant to a television choreographer and talent agent, and for a wholesaler.  All of those experiences paid off in the end because of the transferrable skills I acquired in people management, organization, publicity and communications.  

When I decided to get into museums I started at the top.  I interviewed the then-director of the South Australia Museum (the only person I knew - *very* slightly - in the field).  I took a 12 hour train ride to make that appointment.  He gave me names and numbers.  I spent the next year knocking on doors, doing informational interviews, networking, reminding people I existed, sending updated c.v.'s etc.  I also volunteered.  A year later I was in the right place at the right time.  I got a temporary collections job that was supposed to last 6 weeks and went on for 2 years.

I don't think I've ever met a person in the museum industry who got their start without some similar story of volunteering, perserverance, and a dash of luck.   Call on your reserves of creativity and downright stubbornness - you'll get there.

Lindsey Richardson 

>>> [log in to unmask] 08/22/02 04:41PM >>>
>From: Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] 
>Subject: Re: Career counselors
>Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 09:50:33 -0700
>
>--- Kathleen Brown <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >I've actually observed the
> > opposite of what Deb noted regarding work experience vs. higher degrees.
>It
> > seems at least in the larger art museums for curatorial positions, a
>newly
> > minted Ph.D. will be hired over an M.A. or B.A. with some museum
>experience
> > every time.  Especially if they come from a prestigious program.
>
>That's another good point and an exception to the experience rule. A
>curator's
>primary duty is to do academic research and be an expert on their
>collection.
>Therefore, it does make sense that more schooling does win out over
>experience
>in that case. (Not that I agree with it mind you. :)
>
>But for practically every other position in the museum field, experience is
>just as important if not more so than education. You can pick up classes
>and
>degrees at a later date but a solid work history tells the employer that
>you
>can handle responsibility, hold down a job and are dependable. Someone who
>is
>fresh out of school without a decent work history is much more of a risk,
>especially if they went straight from undergrad to grad work.
>
> > I simply cannot afford to get any
> > more in debt and I am probably considered "too old" (over 35) to even
>get
> > into a good program.  My personal belief is that the field is now so
> > competitive that it is not worth going unless you can get into one of
>the
> > top programs in your area of specialization.
>
>Pshaw on the "too old". I think something that the museum world is lacking
>is
>"older" people in the field. It seems like a lot of places have either
>fresh
>recruits or "seasoned vets" that have been in the field for 20 years or
>more.
>What I think is missing is that middle ground of people who have worked for
>several years and can really mentor the younger generation without dealing
>with
>a huge generation gap. Since a lot of the "older" generation museum people
>fell
>into the profession, they find it hard to relate to today's recruits who
>face a
>new set of challenges. 20-30 years ago, museum work really wasn't a career
>field, especially in the areas of education and public outreach and there
>certainly weren't an abundance of academic museum programs out there. You
>got
>into the field from somewhere else. Now people can choose museum work as a
>profession which opens up a new set of challenges and opportunities.
>
>On the flip side, I think that museums are startin to lack something
>because
>people have become museum specialists and haven't worked in other career
>fields
>but that's a whole other topic.
>
>Deb
>
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I like to hear that experience is just as important as school, but the
problem is getting the initial job to build experience with right after
undergrad.  Most openings want you to have around three yrs. experience.  I
just wanted to point out that I am finding it to be a hard field to enter at
any point.

Erin Huckstadt
ITARP
UIUC
Champaign, IL

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