Hi Melanie,I was in a similar situation to yours last year. I was working a great job at a museum in Boston that had the potential to develop into bigger and better positions, but also wanted to get my Master's degree. I was accepted into the Museum Education Program (MEP) at GW and pretty much knew I would enroll, but a little part of me did think, "Am I going to be so mad at myself a year from now when I am possibly unemployed?"The answer is yes, kind of. I finished my degree in July and am still looking for work, which is a huge bummer. I often wonder where I'd be now if I hadn't taken the time out of my career to earn an advanced degree. But I still wouldn't trade my experience at GW for anything. The 14 months I spent in MEP dramatically changed the way I envision my future in museums. I now have a much clearer idea of what I want to be doing in 5, 10 or even 20 years and a better sense of how and where I can accomplish my personal goals. The opportunity to interact with and learn alongside other emerging museum professionals at such an early point in my career was incredibly valuable. For me, grad school was worth the terrible uncertainty I'm facing now, because it made me confident that when I do find the right job, I'll be great at it.That being said, the time I spent essentially "learning on the job" in Boston greatly contributed to my success in grad school. It sounds like you also have some great experience, which I know will be a huge help should you choose to pursue your degree.Sorry this ended up so lengthy. I can't give you the "right answer," but I hope my story at least helps a little as you make your decision. Best of luck!Samantha BarbosaMEP '12On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 11:55 AM, Melanie C Deer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello everyone,
I'm stuck in a sticky situation and I was hoping some of you had some advice. I volunteered/internship/did independent studies at the undergraduate level at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) in Tucson, AZ (as Southwest archaeological museum) for about two to three years and then managed to get a student position in the Repository and held that for a year, graduated with a BA in Anthropology and Creative Writing and I am currently employed full time at ASM working on a major repatriation project as well as working on finishing an article on a research project I did with Southwestern Prehistoric pottery that I hope to get published. Before I got the full-time position I had applied to Arizona State University's Museum Studies Master program and was accepted. I am scheduled to start classes Fall 2013 (I've already postponed enrollment the max amount of time, due to a different situation). My employers already knew about my plan to attend graduate school in a year before they hired me, so that is not a factor.
I am wondering whether it would be better to stay at my full-time position and pursue a Masters later (in other words tell ASU I will not be attending classes in Fall 2013, potentially closing that door permanently) or if I should leave my full-time position to attend classes as originally intended risking not having a job when I graduate.
An idea I had was to get an online Museum Studies Certificate while still working full-time at ASM and possibly do night classes to get an Anthropology MA. But I'm not sure how highly or lowly Museum Studies Certificates are viewed in the museum world.
Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Melanie Deer
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