Ladies and Gentlemen,
I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to hijack this list-serv to ask you
all your opinions on how I should work toward getting into the museum field
given my current options.
I graduated Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 2011 with a B.S.
in secondary education social studies with a teaching certification. I'm
25 and began my higher education in 2005 but was delayed in graduating due
to joining the PA Army National Guard and then deploying to Iraq. I
graduated in the spring of last year and in the fall/early spring of this
year I began applying to graduate programs for an M.A. in museum studies.
Unfortunately, I was not granted admission. I have since been volunteering
at the state museum and the National Civil War Museum, both in Harrisburg,
PA. I am hoping that having these experiences on my resume will give me a
better chance at getting into an MA program in the fall of 2013, so this
summer has very much become about getting work in at those museums. On days
when a job is available I substitute teach at one of three local school
district.
I recently had a pre-interview for a full time teaching position at the
middle school in one of the area's school districts and I believe I stand a
half-decent chance at getting the position. However, today I received a
mail packet from Tufts University in Medford, MA telling me that I have
been accepted to the Museum Studies Certificate Program. I have 30 days to
accept or decline. Accepting requires a $100 deposit.
What I suppose I'm ultimately getting at is the question of how a
post-bachelors certificate looks on a resume should I ever have the
opportunity to apply to a museum position. What do hiring officials think
when they see a museum studies certificate and a BS in education vs.
someone with an MA in museum studies? I imagine that the certificate is
generally disregarded when other applicants have a full MA. So is it worth
it for me to pursue a certificate obtained through four classes and one
internship at $2,570 each ($12,850) or should pass on the opportunity and
find a full time job until possibly getting into a full graduate program in
the fall of 2013? It is terribly depressing to think about having to wait
a full year from this point to apply and only HOPE to get into a grad
program that doesn't even start for another year and half. I'm not sure
what to do, especially since getting into another grad program is no
guarantee.
Even if I got the certificate, I'd likely end up trying to get into a
museum studies MA the following year anyway, if just out of the uncertainty
that a certificate would get me anywhere. If I ended up getting into an MA
program, would the certificate become pointless or would it act as further
evidence of a "competency" in that field. Would it be better for me to get
a history MA if I had the museum certificate as opposed to a museum MA +
museum certificate? Is it worth passing up the teaching job should it be
offered? If I never do end up getting into grad school though, that
certificate and my volunteer experience would be all I had. If these were
state school prices, the decision would be a little easier, but with it
being a private institution, the idea of attending this program and then
another program at high cost is less than attractive when I think of the
payoff that a museum job would eventually have in the salary department
(very little).
Hopefully this wasn't too confusing. If you find the time to offer any
advice, you may e-mail me directly at Augustine13F@gmail so that we don't
inundate everyone's inbox with my personal problems. Thank you all for
your time.
Summary: Is a certificate worth $13,000? Will it realistically help me to
land a job?
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Alex Augustine
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