I have been out of the office for a few days, so I may be late in following this discussion, but I wanted to say a couple things for the graduate students and potential graduate students on this list.

Don't let all this banter about how there are too few of jobs for the number of people coming into the museum field scare you away from your choosen profession. This is correct (in a way) but is no different than in any other field. The way to find success after graduation is to make your degree flexible enough to fit many types of jobs, either voluenteer or intern or something so you have some practical experience, send out tons of GOOD resumes, be willing to relocate, and know what you need in a job so you can know when you find it.

I have just successfully completed my MA and found a good job in the Wisconsin State Historical Society. I was not able to volenteer at a local museum because of my kids, but I was able to do two very good internships that gave me lots of practical experience. I also took on some independant work in the community when they contacted the University for assistance. This was paid and it looks great on my resume!

Also, I used the Museum-L and all types of on-line museum job postings sites to locate the places that I would send my resume to. I could have used paper journals but I found that most of the time I didn't have time to sit and read through them and almost all of the jobs in places like the AVISO ended up of the web somewhere.

So my long winded answer is DO NOT GIVE UP, just keep trying. If you find that you are getting a lot of rejections, (I haven't counted but I would estimate that I got about 45 rejects from the approxiamately 55 resumes that I sent out) relook at your resume and cover letter and see if there is someway that you can make it more positive and alluring for potential employers.

I hope this helps. I would hate to think people would not enter this field just because of the banter here on the list.

I would be happy to help anyone who needs it. Feel free to contact me off of the list! You can use my work e-mail listed below or my home e-mail at [log in to unmask]