I am a mid-career exhibition designer and I am stuck.

I got into the field because it allowed me to work with other interesting people and integrate my interest and skills, in fine art, history, theatre, film, architecture, etc. For many years it was terribly exciting and some days I could hardly believe I was getting paid to do what I enjoyed doing anyhow.

Unfortunately, now, 15 years after graduation, with plenty of good and varied experience, I feel stuck and miserable. Part of this has to do with the tendency in any industrialized society towards specialization, part of this has to do with my own personality (do not have the nerves of an entrepreneur) and career missteps, part of it has to do with timing and the economic crash, but maybe part of it has to do a limitation of my imagination.

I have a lot of skills. I have 190 credits in study of fine arts and architecture (a rigorous training but no master's degree - ooops!). I have taught - in the US, France and India - and generally enjoyed it. I'd love to go back to school, to get that masters degree and prepare myself for the next 20 years, but I can't afford to. I fantasize about getting a job at a school, where I could work in the university's museum, maybe help teach, etc. and go to school, but the lack of a master's seems to be a big hurdle.

So the request is two fold: 1) does anyone out there know of situations like I describe in the above paragraph [a job at a school, where I could work in the university's museum, maybe help teach, etc. and go to school]; and/or 2) does anyone out there have ideas of other ways to attain my goals (to enjoy going to work every day while to working with other interesting people and integrating my interest and skills, in fine art, history, theatre, film, architecture, etc)?

Thanks in advance!