"Work very, very hard to achieve your deepest dreams, and eventually they will come true." - Ingrid M. Furniss Inspiring! and true everywhere in life. -----Original Message----- From: Ingrid M. Furniss [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2000 12:47 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: HELP!!!!!! and Looking for the "Dream" Position The "real" world has taught me a valuable lesson: Work very, very hard to achieve your deepest dreams, and eventually they will come true. As long as you continue to work towards these dreams, your experiences and education will add up over the years and one day you will be offered the job you seek. The process of looking for my "dream" museum job has been admittedly frustrating, but I am finally on the right track after getting some work experience under my belt. In 1998, I graduated with an M.A. in Asian Studies from a Midwest school and moved to Seattle. I had already held two intensive museum internships, and worked in an art gallery. My goal was to work in a Seattle museum, but the competition was very tight and I did not have as much experience as many applicants. When I finally landed a job as an Assistant Curator of Special Projects at a local nonprofit organization, I really had the chance to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. When I left grad school, I did not think I would go back to school again (not so soon at least). My work experience made me realize, however, that I really love museum work and the best place for me is in a curatorial position. Now I am on my way back to school to pursue a Ph.D. in Chinese Art History, and I am thrilled. While in school, I plan to intern or volunteer as much as possible at places like the Smithsonian or the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. I know that it will be some time before I get my "dream" job as a Curator of Asian Arts, but all of my experiences and education will eventually put me in the right place. My advice to all in search of your dream job right out of college or graduate school is to get as much experience as possible by serving as an intern (paid or unpaid) or by working in a nonprofit arts organization. Festival or event planning is also an interesting way to get some experience. The road is tough, but I believe that the hard work will eventually pay off. Sincerely, A fellow dream seeker, Ingrid ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).