I wish a LOVE of anything was enough to get an internship nowadays, but it is not. This is coming from a frustrated second year Grad student, who has been told numerous times that her portfolio is "great", but has gotten turned down time after time. You are right in wanting technically proficient interns, but were there absolutely none available to choose from? Or are you passing up the technically proficient for someone who just sounds good on paper? Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T ----- Reply message ----- From: "Aderman, Ella" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, Apr 17, 2012 1:38 pm Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Is a love of history enough for interns? To: <[log in to unmask]> I think an internship is their opportunity to try out a job and see if they like it before actually working or preparing to work in that field. It is a time for those that are committed to refine what they like doing, and also a time for them to learn what they DON'T like doing so they don't waste any more time going in that direction with their coursework or career. Is a love of history enough? No, they have to also be able to write, speak intelligently, have basic computer skills or whatever they need to be useful for your situation. Regards, Ella Aderman Pennypacker Mills -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Christa McCay Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 12:09 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Is a love of history enough for interns? Hello All, My question is about interns. After having recently interviewing over 20 interns for the summer semester (fyi, we are a staff of 4 and will have more interns then staff at the Museum this summer), I have begun to feel that potential interns think that a love of history is enough to get them a position. Is it really enough? I have begun to feel that no it?s not. Often times they don?t have the experience with basic computer programs or with graphic design programs (mainly exhibits and marketing interns). I understand with this economy getting an internship and experience is the best for their resume and for getting a job after college. Also I understand that people need to start their experience somewhere,but most of these students don?t want to be in the Museum world when they graduate and often times assume that they will get to ?play? with cool artifacts all day. We all know that the truth is, there is a lot of paperwork involved with maintaining a collection along with data entry, both of which are not glamorous or very exciting. I know that our job is to teach interns but like many of us, we are juggling multiple tasks to make up for the positions that are currently empty and can?t be filled due to budget. Our teaching and training time is limited. I do want to have interns with a passion for history but also a passion to work in Museums. I sometimes feel like my time was wasted trying to teach and train someone who just wanted to do this for fun. I am sorry if this sounds like whining or sour grapes but I would like to know from others if a love of history is enough? Sincerely, Christa McCay, M.H.P. Registrar Marietta Museum of History 1 Depot Street, Ste. 200 Marietta, GA 30060 770-794-5726 ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).