> a.  What is your involvement in the museums field
> (i.e., fine arts, garden, aquarium, history,
> archivist, technologist, whatever)?

Currently, the primary foci of my work are audience research, evaluation,
interpretation and the visitor experience. Over the past 19 years, my work
has included development, PR, exhibits, collections management, and visitor
services. Currently, I am in a science-technology center. I have worked in
museums that present culture, art and history.

> b.   Given that career, if you could do it again, what
> one class would you NOT take in school because you
> found no value in it (as it relates to your museum
> career)?

The most useless class I took was as a freshman in college. Since I was
majoring in history with a focus on US history, I took a US history survey
course. This was a BIG mistake and waste of time. The quality of teaching
and content was far exceeded by my history classes in junior high school and
high school.

The program may say that you start "here" and work your way to "there." This
doesn't mean that this is what you should do. Find out about the content. If
you can, check sylabi before registering. Talk to students, teachers and
advisors. Take classes that challenge you and provide opportunities to grow.

> c.   What class do you feel is imperative for a
> professional in your particular profession to take?

If I had been planning to be here, I would have taken a class in audience
research and evaluation - or at least statistics. You can learn these on
your own, but it's a LOT of work.

However, I was not planning to be here ... My career has been an
ever-evolving exploration. While some people carefully focus their careers,
others develop a generalists' approach. This is particularly useful in
smaller institutions where staff always wear many hats. The drafting class I
took in high school was useful when I got into exhibits. The astronomy class
I took to fulfill my science requirement in college sure came in handy when
I needed to fill in operating a planetarium for a while. Computer
programming classes gave me the background I needed to develop a collections
management database for a small museum. You just never know what learning
may come in useful some day.

Opportunities in this field are so limited. A broad education enables one to
be very flexible. On the other hand. If you have a very specific interest
(like to be a curator of botany or something), you'd better develop
knowledge related to both your content of interest and the specific museum
methodologies used in that sector of our field.

(The opinions expressed above are entirely my own.)

Susan B.F. Wageman
Senior Manager, Interpretation/Visitor Experience
[log in to unmask]
The Tech Museum of Innovation            408-795-6303
201 South Market Street                  fax: 408-279-7167
San Jose, California USA 95113           http://www.thetech.org

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