Jumping
in on this discussion because it is employment related. Employers please note
that you are always welcome to post your jobs free of charge on MuseJobs.
Saying that, six people will jump up and say, post on my site instead (smile).
My suggestion, post everywhere you can afford to post. Again, MuseJobs is free,
and there are 3,800 people there who would probably appreciate seeing your
post.
That said, the dearth of museum jobs, compounded by the fact
colleges and universities churn out more and more museum studies graduates with
regularity continue to make the employment picture bleak. However, it is not
just the fault of the educational institutions; it is also poor job market
research on the part of the candidates themselves. Just saying what,
unfortunately, needs to be said. Those who are not starry eyed and aspiring to
be actresses, rap singers, or football players aspire to be museum
professionals! Well, not exactly, but I hope you understand the analogy.
Not everyone who wants to be something in a market that just is
not there and dwindling is going to get through and be successful. I, for one,
wish it were not so, but things like sequesters, recessions, a dumbing down of
our culture so that a lot of people hardly know what a museum is, much less
attend one, in combination with the haughtiness in some circles of the
institutions themselves are killing museum jobs.
That is why, from its inception, at MuseJobs, we do not post just
direct leads. We post indirect leads as well that provide an opportunity to
acquire transferrable skills that will help you pay your bills til you can get
that magical job. It is done knowing there are not enough jobs for the
candidates and assuming some will take the other jobs, be happy with them, and
wean out the population for those who can afford to hold out for only a museum
job.
For many who live in areas where the competition is too stiff or
there are no jobs, moving is the cavalier thing to say. But how do you move
when you do not have a job that will allow you to earn the money to pay the
bills?
My suggestion is that you map your skills and look for other types
of jobs to fill the bill until you find that magical opportunity. MuseJobs is
one way to do that, and I'm sure there are a host of others.
I'm sorry that the employment picture is not better than it is,
but to be honest, its better than it was just a few years ago, and, if there is
any conciliation to be had, this lack of jobs is not isolated to museum pros.
It has been a slim job market for some time.