Yow!  Miss one day, and come back to 50 messages in your mail box!
Obviously a thread of some interest.  To add my 0.02 to several
comments:

Ms. Bryant is right.  All of those jobs that require advanced degrees
*also* require some years of experience.  Earning a Masters' degree is
fine, but that alone will not get you a better, or even entry-level job.
(Personal anecdote: I have only a Bachelor's.  A few years ago I asked
my then-boss, VP of a major museum, if I needed a Masters' to advance in
the field.  He said don't bother, my experience was far more important.)

To Ms. Hanson: the "can't get a job without experience / can't get
experience without a job" conundrum is not unique to the museum field.
I've found it to operate in virtually all professions.

To Ms. Ogorek: I disagree that one has "no leverage" over volunteers.
Every Personnel Director and Volunteer Manager in my experience would
concur.  And calling my volunteers "inefficient" -- well, them's
fightin' words.  ;-)

To Ms. DeArmas: you are absolutely right.  It *is* hard to supervise
interns (and volunteers).  A simple but oh-so-true rule of thumb: the
more you both put into the internship, in terms of preparation, clear
expectations, training, ground rules, etc., the more you both get out of
it.  Viewing an intern or volunteer as simply "free labor," someone upon
whom you can dump whatever grunt work is available on a particular day,
is manifestly the wrong approach.  It deprives the intern the
opportunity to use his/her creativity, and it deprives you of the
creative results.

To Mr. Reed: hiring is an imprecise art at best.  I hired an entry-level
person last year.  At least a dozen candidates met the qualifications.
(Two or three dozen applicants weren't even close!)  Did a lot of phone
and in-person interviews.  Came down to a very tough choice between
three or four well-qualified, educated, experienced people.  The final
determining factor?  Gut instinct.  Sorry, it's not a science.  There is
no formula either the employer or applicant can follow.  Once I find an
applicant who can do the job, I have to ask "what will it be like to sit
in the cubicle next to this person, train them, go to meetings, etc.
etc., five days a week for the next several years?"

To Ms. Watkins: I am more than happy to support and encourage anyone who
wants to break into this fascinating, rewarding field.  And I believe
most of my colleagues are, as well.  I'm not sure what else we can do,
beyond the suggestions that have already been posted in this thread, but
we're happy to offer any advice we can.

To Ms. Anderson: the entire thread can be found at the Museum-L archives
at http://home.dc.lsoft.com

I think I'm up to 0.18 now, so I'll stop.

Eugene Dillenburg
Lead Developer, Philippines Coral Reef exhibit
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois  60605

V:      (312) 692-3136
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"After five years, they give me a brush."

-- M. Python, Episode 12, 1969