i agree with deb on this 100%. its a powerful issue to me as i feel far too much emphasis has been placed on masters degrees (and degrees in general for the arts.) i think of the very best, most talented artists and curators of art history - how many have been hung up on their MFA? or even had/have an MFA? how many people who are/have done extraordinary things in the arts in general have any degree? not that many. i went to so-called 'famous' schools and had a 4.0GPA (which was the easiest thing in the world to achieve) but found most of my arts classes, undergrad and otherwise, to be a complete waste of my time, boring as can be, under instructors who were basically failed artists. when it comes to the arts i believe 'those who can do..those who cant teach." the entire college system to me can be a solid manipulation, and a costly one at that which ultimately benefits? the schools the most. administrators and executives at top schools are taking home larger salaries than ever yet their multi-degree'd grads can't find work! that is pathetic. making students believe that they 'have to have' this or that degree is a joke. students are leaving college very deep in debt, when i hear of some nearing six figures! it is really shocking. do they think that is every going to pay off? at that rate they wont have to wait years for a museum job. they'll be working three jobs just to pay back the loans. most people i know who are doing the most advanced creative work in the arts are college drop outs. so yes deb you are right. there is no excuse. education and job help comes in many forms; and with technology today is available via many sources often for free. j james linza managing director thegentry.com project for contemporary art: Homepage: http://www.thegentry.com E-mail: [log in to unmask] Telephone: 561/301-2474 Text Messaging: [log in to unmask] Snail mail: P.O. Box 2474, Palm Beach, Florida 33480-2474 thegentry.com project for contemporary art is an Internet based e-commerce site that sustains programming in visual arts, poetry, arts news and education, and critical discourse. ----- Original Message ----- From: Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 9:51 AM Subject: Re: job help > Standard response to people who are trying to get into the museum-field: You > will be competing with people who have a master's and years of experience for > entry-level jobs. You'll find something eventually but be prepared to look > for months, even years at a time. > > In a message dated 3/16/00 6:37:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, > [log in to unmask] writes: > > > I can't find any design-related jobs that don't require extensive > > computer training (which I lack because of the philosophy behind a liberal > > arts education). > > That is BS. I have a "liberal studies" theater degree and now work doing > web-pages, CD-ROMs and other "computer stuff". Get access to the software and > learn it. Photoshop isn't that hard to pick up either. Front Page is easy > and there are plenty of good books on every computer program out there. > Community colleges also have cheap courses on software packages as well. > > Deb > > ========================================================= > 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).