I am certainly not defending low salaries, I think it is  extraordinary
the quality of people drawn to museum work despite the typical poor wages
and, often, lousy working conditions. But $25,000 is probably an average
wage give or take 20% in the Big Apple.  And while institutions tend to
get a good deal more than they pay for, at $25,000 they face both the
advantages and disadvantages of rapid turnover. For a young professional,
he/she gets exposure to  some of the greatest museums in the World.  Also
some of the worst ones, but there is learning in that as well.