Is it fair to say that most museum jobs (even entry-level) require 3+ years
experience?  How does one get museum experience without a museum job?  I see
a pattern of itinerant workers in the museum field: volunteer a few months
here, work on a project a few months there, etc.  Stay at the same location
at most a year.  It doesn't sound a very stable lifestyle for a
married/family person breaking into the field.

I'm not a total newcomer to the ideosyncrasies of museum studies.  Undergrad
degrees in anthropology and history, with some graduate work in archaeology
and museum studies -- I really wanted to pursue (and still think about) the
field(s).  But it seemed too harsh.  I ended up going back for an undergrad
in the computer sciences.  Jobs abound, salary is good, but they're dull.

My dream job would be a database analyst/researcher for a huge
paleontological or archaeological collection.  Full benefits package, didn't
require 10+ years in a museum (2 years as a database administrator, and a
triple-major in anthro/history/computer science should be adequate). If only
such a job were there.  Would some kind soul e-mail me if it exists?


-Paul Bramscher
 Information Technology Specialist
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 http://www.freenet.msp.mn.us/people/bramschp/resume.html