The argument "I have this nifty degree but can't get a job using it" is the recent grads lament. In our field, we lack the formal requirements that professions such as law and medicine require. We work in an area populated by volunteers and often we get hired only after the corps of volunteers has grown weary of doing the work. Behind most of our jobs is the shadow of more volunteers who could replace us.
When IMLS stopped their GOS grants, the carrot that kept some professionals employed moved out of sight. With that carrot gone, museums that had job specific educated professionals could revert to their home-town candidate pool to fill in. The move toward the business model did not improve the prospects for professionals with museum studies backgrounds.
English majors and fine arts students aren't restricted because of the lack of job prospects for graduates. Why should museum studies geeks face such a restriction?
It is clear from all of the responses that far too many graduates of museum
studies programs (or equivalents) are being produced each year. This
appears to have been the case for at least a decade or two. This makes job
finding difficult, or even impossible for some. The big question is who is
responsible for all of this? Is it the universities, who are happy to offer
a major and take your tuition, as long as there is student interest? Do
they have a collective responsibility not to flood the job market? If so,
which universities should cut back or eliminate their programs - all of them
equally, or eliminate the less-effective programs? What criteria will be
used to determine this?
Or, is it the responsibility of the students to investigate the reasonable
likelihood of gaining a job upon graduation? How would they possibly know
what their future prospects are? Graduates of different programs have
different degrees of success, but this information is not tabulated. How
does a prospective student know if they are capable of learning the
necessary skills and having the requisite aptitudes before they commit to
studying? What about the students that really have very little likelihood
of succeeding, but don't have a good self-assessment of themselves?
And what about museums? Does responsibility lie with them? Should they be
advocating for less training opportunities, since they can't provide
employment options? All indications are that museums in the 21st century
are facing enormous changes, and the old business model is not likely to
succeed. It appears that the numbers of museums will be decreasing,
especially in the smaller size category, unless significant re-invention
occurs on the order of a paradigm shift. This will lead to still fewer
jobs. Of course, entertainment venues are ever more merging into museum
life, and this may be the new salvation, although it will most likely be
available only to the larger institutions.
I, of course, am the most familiar with graduate training in conservation.
It seems to me that of all of the museum areas, these programs have done the
best job of matching the number of graduates to the potential need. There
are three US graduate conservation programs and one in Canada (I am talking
only of the broad-based programs, and not those that train only in a
specific limited area, such as library materials). Each trains
approximately 10 students per year. This matches fairly well with the job
opportunities, although some graduates do go into private practice. My
observation is that very few conservators who want to work are lacking
employment. Yes, some are not working as much (or making as much) as they
would like, but the "unemployment rate" among conservators is low. Now, did
this occur because of a conscious effort on the part of universities to
limit the number of conservation graduates? Or, is it that setting up and
running a conservation graduate program is very expensive, much more so than
a creating a museum studies program?
Here is my anecdotal information, otherwise known as my 2 cents. In 1985, I
was the founding director of the Smithsonian Institution's graduate
Furniture Conservation Training Program. When I designed the program, I was
consciously aware of the job possibilities for graduates, and did not want
to flood the market with more wooden object conservators than could be
absorbed. For that reason, we chose to train an average of two conservators
a year. We very intentionally looked at the number of wooden object
conservators being trained by other programs before deciding on our output.
Although I am no longer involved with the program, the SI has decided to
stop training wooden object conservators, partially because the other
programs have stepped up to the plate and have been training an adequate
number of w.o. graduates.
This is a huge subject area!! Please put forth your own ideas!!!
Brainstorming like this is the first step in creating change that may make
the museum world more friendly for all of us.
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4 Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT 06016
www.conservator.com 860-386-6058
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Low-Tech Environmental Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
Furniture
Painted Wood
Horse-Drawn Vehicles
Architectural Interiors
Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jenifer Simon" <
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To: <
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Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 4:17 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Advice for Entry Level Applicants?
> The responses providing employment advice for entry level applicants in
> the
> arts all serve to support the larger and more important issue of a lack of
> career paths in the arts and culture industry and the need for the field
> to
> hire and promote from within.
>
> While certifications and degrees increase a candidate's marketability,
> they
> do not, unfortunately, guarantee that a candidate will obtain a job in his
> or her field; especially one that provides opportunities to use and learn
> skills in a dynamic environment with proper compensation.
>
> Candidates need to look at jobs and their careers in a new way.
>
> In the museum world of today, a job is not an opportunity for an
> individual
> to gain experience and skills from an employer so s/he can become more
> marketable for better jobs at other organizations in the future. Rather, a
> job encompasses the activities, skills and knowledge provided by an
> individual to an employer that meets the needs and objectives for an
> organization for which monetary compensation is awarded.
>
> Seen this way, only apply to those jobs for which you are qualified, have
> the appropriate skills for and are interested in. Employers and recruiters
> can easily detect applications that are focused and relevant from those
> that
> are sent without purposeful intent and regard for stated qualifications.
> To
> best position yourself, learn what your skill set is and how to articulate
> it to others in cover letters, resumes and interviews through compelling,
> relevant accomplishments.
>
> In addition to searching Museum-L's archives, sign up for our monthly Art
> Career newsletter which provides helpful advice and tools for finding a
> job
> and developing your career. More, while advice is helpful and abound,
> there
> is no substitute for meeting with a Career Coach who is knowledgeable
> about
> museums and the arts and culture industry and who can help you develop
> strategies specifically to meet your goals.
>
> Jenifer Simon, M.A.
> Training & Careers Associate
> Thomas & Associates, Inc.
>
www.artstaffing.com> 6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200
> New York, NY 10016
> 212.779.7059
>
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>
>
>
>
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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).