Dear whom it may concern
I was doing in the process of finding a history job, but failing. I am writing a historical fiction book. I decided to started writing a blog to go along with it to get noticed and stand out. Thanks to the blog I am now more dedicated then I would have been without. It gives me a reason for my degree for now. I am having to much fun doing the research, and seeing people reaction though! I can't wait till its done.

On Aug 24, 2013 4:49 PM, "Jim Lyons" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
You're welcome, Ray.

I'm glad to see a little response here, but I'm bothered that, so far as I can tell, no one's piped up who's looking for a job.  That's the people I hoped would get involved.  I thought my title, "Getting Around Lack of Experience" was clear, but maybe not.  Well, maybe when I see a message from someone who can't find a job I'll slam my first message above in their thread, and see what happens.  We'll see.

-Jim




On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 7:15 PM, Ray Foley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Jim,

Thank you for sharing that. I loved reading it.
Ray

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 23, 2013, at 10:06 PM, Jim Lyons <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Nicholas, a fair question. 

U.S. Army 1956-57 (quad-.50 gunner; that's four fifty caliber machine guns), worked for a bank 1957-60, printer 1960-1972, ran own business 1972 till retirement in 1997.  For 25 years I was a full-time dealer in historical newspapers; that's like a coin or stamp dealer only with old rare newspapers.  Just high school, no college.  Along the way I wrote two books, put out three newsletters and wrote numerous articles on various subjects.  I retired at 58.  My wife wanted me to retire ten years earlier but I wouldn't.  I was having too much fun.  (To me that's the ideal job.)

What I know about museums is by volunteering at four of them for much of the past thirteen years.  (Incidentally, the first exhibit I ever put on was in the main lobby of the library of the California Historical Society in San Francisco in 1971.  Since the turn of the century I've pretty much constantly had an exhibit in some museum or other, often two at the same time.) 

I had a few people working for me, and never hired anyone who wasn't smarter than me.  (I wish I could claim that, but actually Henry Ford said it first.)

But I clearly remember back in 1957 and going around for interviews.  ("What can you do?"  "Anything."  Believe me, no employer wants to hear that.)  Finally an employment agency sent me to a bank for an interview and I remember the wonderful feeling I got by actually getting the job.  ("No experience?  Never mind, we'll train you.")  I made $245 a month to start, and I've never felt so rich in my life.

For me it's payback time.  Most of the people who helped me when I was young are gone now.  But I can look back at 40 years work experience and 74 years life experience and try to help others just getting started.

I've probably told you more than you want to know.  I belonged to this group for several years previously but dropped out in 2003 out of sheer frustration.  But that's a tale for another day.

-Jim




On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 5:43 AM, Cass Karl <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I must agree with Adrian.  Lack of experience is a problem for new grads, but the bigger problem is too many people with graduate degrees competing for too few jobs.  At a time when most museums are downsizing and current museum staff are reluctant to retire, Museum Studies programs are turning out more graduates than ever.  Although volunteer experience will set you apart from other candidates, it simply cannot get you a job when there are no jobs to be had. Just my experience...
-Casandra


On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 7:52 AM, Adrian Miller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi

Great ideas Jim and I must jump in here with some of my own observations. Perhaps I am playing devil's advocate or just want to share what I have seen in the world of museums and historic houses:

--The job market is slim to none.

--The internships are usually unpaid and don't often lead to full-time, paid employment.

--Many entry level jobs require an advanced degree yet the pay scale is significantly lower than a comparable employee in the "for profit" world.

--You can prove your worth, volunteer your time and show how much you know and it can go nowhere.

--There is an incredibly large number of qualified and fabulous people out there doing much of what you said but it has gone nowhere fast.

--I'm in NY---huge market, huge potential…..Mmmm, not!  No one is leaving their jobs, movement is minimal, budgets are frozen and people will work for peanuts.

I think your post has the potential to make it sound a tad easier than it is and I hope that the job searchers on this list know that we KNOW how darn difficult it is to get a toe, forget a foot, into ANY door.

Working in a museum is a passion and the passion makes all of the above totally okay…but is it really okay?  Looking in from without, I think not.

Saying that, I am an eternal optimist but I always need to see both sides of the picture.

Thanks.

A.

Adrian Miller
Business Growth Architect

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516-767-9288 (office)


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On Aug 22, 2013, at 6:20 AM, Jim Lyons <38lyons38@EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:

After reading various threads on this Forum it‘s obvious jobs in museum work are hard to come by because new college graduates generally lack experience.  It’s that old Catch-22 bugaboo, you can’t get a job without experience and you can’t get experience without a job.  That gave me an idea.  Why don’t you invent your own experience?

Am I saying lie about your lack of experience?  Certainly not!  I’m saying find something that will greatly enhance the museum experience for visitors that the museum doesn’t currently do.

I’m a retiree and volunteer at our local medium-sized town museum.  Our local town historian wrote one of the nifty Images of America (http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/) books a few years ago.  Now the museum is looking for someone to write the second volume, covering the years since incorporation (1952).  

What’s in it for you, you ask?  Suppose you live near by and hear of this.  You run over to our museum, find out what’s involved, and volunteer for the job.  Images of America books are essentially picture books with suitable captions.  You bone up on local history, do interviews with local old-timers and pick out some suitable pictures.  You put out a nice book and what happens?  The museum appreciates the work you did, you have become steeped in local history, and you have spent considerable time with the museum director and other towns-folks who matter (museum-wise).  And of course you have a book signing at the museum.  They now know you and the work you’re capable of.  In short, you have “experience”.  But don’t stop now.

Having written the book, you do other volunteer things with the museum.  (Not full time, just hours you can spare.)  You help with the exhibits, maybe even plan a couple.  You answer research queries (you wrote the book, remember?).  You get to know people and collections in other area museums, and act as an informal intermediary, perhaps arranging an inter-museum borrowing system.  You learn every department and area of your own museum and help out where you can.  You try to be a part of their planning sessions.  You arrange to place a few traveling museum pieces (with suitable captions) in local schools and businesses.  You do what you can to get the museum’s events noticed in the local newspaper (make sure you know the editor).  You write a few booklets on local history & town pioneers that the gift shop can sell for a buck or two.  You create the museum’s oral history project.  You devise a hands-on exhibit to occupy small hands (kids), consisting of a typewriter, a full-keyboard adding machine, a dial telephone and whatever else comes to mind.   You’re in charge of the yearly museum crab feed (this is a big money maker, not to mention publicity gatherer).  You do other things you can think of that will add to the museum experience.  And you learn the ins & outs of applying for grants and museum fund raising.

Now, sometime or another a job at the museum is going to open up.  You apply for it.  Is someone going to say you lack experience?  Not if they’re smart.  

However, what if a position doesn’t open up at your museum?  That’s taken care of because you have gotten “to know people and collections in other area museums”.  You’ve kept in touch with situations all over your area.  If something appears on the horizon you’re going to hear about it.  And the other museums are already well familiar with your work with your own museum.  (And maybe you’ve already done an Images of America book for them.  A number of people have done several books for them.)

There are some ideas that come to mind.  The moral here is: don’t wait until they come to you, you go to them with something they may not have known they even wanted.

Here are links to the book lists at Arcadia and it’s rival, History Press.  Look them over and see if any book ideas come to mind.  

Arcadia Publishing: http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/index.html

History Press: https://www.historypress.net/catalogue/bookstore/Series/Hidden_History/?pageNum_menuRS=1&totalRows_menuRS=64&p=Series/Hidden_History/

And remember, there are many more “get your foot in the door” ideas than I can think of.  Think about it.  Maybe we can get some ideas going on this forum.

-Jim Lyons

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