When I worked in museums, the best thing an applicant could have was the proper attitude. If their values fit with the museum's values, if they showed a history of good work and they approached the tasks at hand with enthusiasm and positive good will, the exact nature of their experience was always secondary. Assuming the candidate had that, when faced with a recent graduate I preferred to see at least 6 months of good exposure to an operation similar to the position I was hiring for. The higher quality of that exposure and longer duration, the better chance the candidate had for getting hired. Practical experience was what counted with me, not the # or type of degrees. Past the first MA, any additional degrees would indicate to me a specific direction the candidate would have for their career, based on their experience. Racking up a variety of degrees one after another just to have job flexibility at the entry level doesn't seem to make sense, since if a current job goes bust it is very difficult to go back to something one has 5-year-old training for with no practical experience. However, if a candidate had a MA in an academic discipline, worked a series of entry-level jobs in a variety of settings and then pursued a MA in Museum Studies, to me that would indicate a definite commitment to the museum field. Julia Muney Moore Public Art Administrator Blackburn Architects, Indianapolis, IN (317) 875-5500 x230 -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kaia Landon Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 10:15 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Glut of graduates What is the "best" way to improve one's job possibilities? Extensive volunteer experience? A wider range of degrees? (I'm currently completing an MA in my subject, and have pondered the idea of an MLS, or an MA in Museum Studies, or Public History, or Historic Preservation, or something. Would something of this nature help provide more/different job oppotunities, or just provide more debt?) ========================================================= 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).