Hi Alex- Sounds like you may have answered your own question. Reading between the lines, it looks to me like you would really like to go for the MA program, but your impatience and frustration with the way things are going are leading you to consider the certificate. So if I'm not too far off base on this, I would say take the job, forget the certificate program, and use the teaching job (and the time and $$$ it will give you) to prepare yourself for grad school. If you focus on that and do a little something (reading, study, research, volunteering, etc.) every day to prepare yourself for grad school, you'll be in an awesome position once you start. Take it from us "old folks" who have been there and done that: don't let the impatience of youth lead you into a bad decision. But in the end, it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks: what does your gut tell you? What feels right for you? Best, Don >>> Alex Augustine <[log in to unmask]> 5/7/2012 8:53 PM >>> 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] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).