Anne,
To boil it all down, yes, people are going to have a difficult time
breaking into the field right now. There are still jobs, but they will be
harder to find and more competitive. You certainly do not have to lie down
for it, and kudos for not doing so, but you definitely have to accept it.
Not giving up is what will get you a job eventually. Don't worry about the
3-5, just keep trying and let people know what you have to offer.
I got my MA in museum science in good times and god my first jobs in good
times, and it was still hard. The field is fun, interesting, and very
supportive, but it is stressful and often frustrating. Only half of my
graduating class are still in the field. They did not have your passion for
the work, and were drawn away by crass financial needs.
As to the not-quite-vitriolic nature of your post, I did not get the
impression Deb or Indigo were suggesting you or anyone else in particular
failed to do your homework or blew it in choosing this field. They were
simply trying to express the fact that many do not think ahead in making
such choices, and that doing that research can help a person choose their
career wisely. It is great for people to do something simply for the love
of the work, but those people should never complain about the downsides.
More education is never a bad idea.
You are right that it will hurt the field to have the new blood go
elsewhere. But that brain drain has been happening for a long time. They
will not all go elsewhere, as evidenced by yourself, and the field will
continue. Some few will follow their dreams despite the barriers thrown up
in front of them. Those are the people we really need in the field anyway.
Good luck.
Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Wichita State University
(316)978-5850
Anne Sawicki
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Re: experience for entry level
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05/11/2004 11:55
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So...with regards to the comments put forth by indigonights and Deb Fuller
regarding entry-level work...what you seem to be saying is that new people
entering the museum profession right now have about a snowflake's chance in
hell of finding work that will actually pay them a living wage. I also
gather that hunting for entry-level museum work will be about as painful as
having a root canal done. Point taken, but it still saddens me to think
that such a wonderful profession has fallen on such hard times.
It's also too bad that a lot of optimism in the profession has seemingly
opted out. Sure, you can't eat dreams...but sometimes that's all you've got
to sustain you in this cold cruel world. It would be far worse, I think, if
we had to live in a world where young people didn't have any dreams or
hopes.
And I really take umbrage at the comment that as recent grads, we all "blew
it" because we believed in our dreams of becoming museum workers. Let me
just say that none of us are fortunetellers and that there were a whole lot
of really smart economists out there who didn't see this negative trend
coming either. I bet that many of them are unemployed right now too. As a
matter of fact, at last count, there are about 8.2 million people out of
work right now in the United States. That's a lot of folks. Did all of
those 8.2 million people "blow it" too? Somehow, I don't think so. The
truth is that a lot of different people in many different fields have been
affected by economic circumstances that are way beyond their control.
As grad students, we certainly couldn't predict that we would be trying to
enter a job market during this massive downturn. We started our museum
studies programs during good economic times. The outlook for the profession
was much more positive just a few years ago than it is now. Sure, we
believed our professors who told us that we would find work when we got out
of school. And some of us actually did do our homework before deciding on
this field. We read the government charts and employment figures that told
us that the jobs in the arts were flourishing. But at about the same time
that we got out of grad school, the economy slid right into the tank. That
was not something that any of us planned for, we didn't have any control
over that situation, but we are all trying to deal with it as best we can.
It was a matter of bad timing, not bad planning on our part.
As for recent grads having to compete for entry level jobs with seasoned
professionals…and your comment that we should just "get used to it," well,
I'm not going to just lie down and accept that. I'm telling you straight
out that I think that this situation stinks. My opinion doesn't count for
much, but I think that this is a very bad trend. It is eventually going to
hurt the museum profession because the best and brightest of the new grad
students are now having to look for employment in other fields. If they get
better jobs, chances are they won't come back to museums. And seasoned
staffers having to compete for lower paying entry-level jobs…well that's
not good either. Soon those people will get disgusted with the lack of
opportunities and start leaving too. So am I off base with this, or should
we be concerned that we are starting to see a "brain drain" happening in
this profession?
As for looking for other options...well, many of us recent grads are
already doing that. I am taking computer classes in order to broaden my
skills, and so that I can become more marketable. But as for going back to
school full-time in order to get a doctorate in "French Celtic
Impressionistic painting," or whatever you said, Deb, well some of us just
don't think that would be a very smart move right now. Just think about
this for a moment: as new graduates, we just spent a whole lot of time,
money and effort getting our M.A.'s. Then we got out of school, but the
economy is in the tank and there are hardly any job openings in our chosen
field. And now you want us to go back to school for much more expensive
degrees but we still have little possibility of finding work? Sure, we
could all go get lots of student loans and become Phd's, but how would this
actually help us? We'll have a lovely degree for our wall, we'll be in debt
up to eyebrows, and it might be even harder for us to find jobs because
we'll suddenly be far too specialized in narrow little areas like "French
Celtic Impressionistic Painting." If museums aren't hiring M.A.'s for even
the lowest entry level jobs right now, then why would they even think of
hiring brand new Phds? They'd have to pay them much more money, and money
is the big problem for everyone right now.
And as per giving up what indigonights referred to as "visions of
butterflies and rainbows," well, you can go right ahead and tell people to
give up on dreams, but I sure won't give up on mine. Butterflies and
rainbows are some of the best things in life. Visions and visionaries are
essential. Walt Disney knew this. He made a fortune because he encouraged
people to follow their dreams. Right in the middle of the Great Depression
he reminded our parents and grandparents to "Wish Upon A Star." He knew how
important it is for people to find hope in tough times. Imagine, just for a
moment, what this world would be like right now if we all shared that kind
of optimism…
A. Sawicki,
Hopeful Museum Technician
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