Hi Alex, This is what we are here for...advice and opinions. Based on the information you provided, I would agree with the others and say go with the teaching job if you get it. If you do not, then you have decisions. I think you are doing all the right things volunteering, getting yourself and your interests out there and making contacts. If you really want a museum position, then it will come about eventually. As to the MA vs certificate debate, that one has definitely come up before. While my advice to a young professional seeking education would be to go for the MA over a certificate, it can be a very complex and personal decision based on many factors. When it comes to the hiring table, it honestly does not factor in as much as you might think one way or the other. It would potentially matter largely if you were being compared to someone whose experience was almost identical to yours with the exception of the degree. So much more emphasis is placed on other elements of your background, experiences, interests, etc., that the distinction between MA and certificate on paper can be marginal. If your real interest is in a full MA, then there would be no point in doing the certificate program only to backtrack and do the MA. That would not serve you well financially and would not improve your experience. I would say keep working to gain experience and get your foot in the door. Stay open to opportunities all over. Your volunteership, degrees, and other life experiences will speak loudly enough on your behalf. Wait for the MA program when you do finally get in to the program you really want. Thanks for serving our country. Good luck. Mark Janzen On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 8:53 PM, Alex Augustine <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > 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? > > -- > --------------- > Alex Augustine > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > ========================================================= 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] . 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