I thought I might throw my hat into the ring... aiming for a museum position...am qualified with a BA and an MPhil research degree in archaeology, teaching experince including museum education- working closely with a museum- and conference experience- presenting academic papers-...and there is nothing out there. Is it any better in Europe? >From: "Feltus, Pamela" <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: recent grad looking for direction >Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 09:33:18 -0500 > >Although I agree with David, I also disagree. Yes, the market is crowded. >And yes, you might not get a museum job right away. And of course you need >a >job- very few people have the luxury to be unemployed until the perfect >museum job comes available, which might take years (plus, you'll need to >answer for that big gap in your resume). And that non-museum job can be a >great job that gives you amazing experience. > >But don't give up on your dream because you didn't succeed right away >(unless you find you prefer something else). Get that other job- make sure >it's something you'll like because you do need to be there every day and >who >knows for how long. But still spend some time every week looking and >applying for that dream job. And the good thing about already having a job >is you can afford to be picky now- you don't have to take the job as a shop >clerk in a history museum if you really want to be a painting conservator >at >a modern art museum. Enjoy where you are at the moment- this might be the >last time you have a chance to work with a lot of other people or in the >for-profit world! > >All jobs have valuable experience- I used to know a visitors service >director who said the most valuable job she had ever had was not another >museum job, but selling shoes at Nordstrom. Valuable experience can be >found >in all different forms. Museum employers appreciate non-museum experience. >Don't give up your dream because you didn't get a job in a few weeks. It'll >come, it just might take a few years. > >And recent grads remember you have about 40 years of work ahead of you, >don't rush it. > >Pamela > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: David E. Haberstich [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > > Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 12:38 AM > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: recent grad looking for direction > > > > > > In a message dated 01-11-20 02:41:14 EST, Christopher Wise wrote: > > > > << Beth, you are not alone. I'm beginning to become > > concerned, though hope that persistence and patience > > will pay off. >> > > > > and... > > > > <<Hang in there. I'm sure that there are a lot of us > > out there.>> > > > > The latter is precisely the problem. There are too many > > people competing for > > a small number of jobs. I hate to sound negative, but I > > think it's important > > to be realistic. When a field is overcrowded, not everyone > > will succeed in > > finding a job, no matter how persistent they are. Period. > > Do the math. > > Persistence and patience are necessary, and yes, wearing a suit to an > > interview, but they're not enough. As someone else said, you > > may well need > > connections, plus luck. But you know, even if a pool of 100 people, > > competing for 20 jobs, all had equal patience, persistence, > > connections, > > luck, superior qualifications, and Armani interview suits, 80 > > would fail to > > get a job. And don't wait for me to retire: I'm told that I won't be > > replaced if I leave or die! > > > > I think it's extremely important to have an alternative plan > > when you're > > competing in an overcrowded job market. Keep your options > > open, and be ready > > to fall back on another career (whether related or unrelated > > to your primary > > focus) if it proves necessary. You can still continue > > looking for your first > > choice after you (temporarily) give up and pursue another > > line. Ironically, > > I took a museum job at a time when the museum field was not > > overcrowded, but > > my original career choice was too competitive, and I've tried > > to make the > > most of it. I became just as passionate about my second > > choice as I was > > about the first, and my regrets are minor. While I > > sympathize with your > > problem, I think it's important to set a time limit and be > > ready to move on > > to something else if necessary. > > > > David Haberstich > > > > ========================================================= > > Important Subscriber Information: > > > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain > > detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a > > one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The > > body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line > > e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of > > the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > > >========================================================= >Important Subscriber Information: > >The Museum-L FAQ file is located at >http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed >information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail >message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should >read "help" (without the quotes). > >If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to >[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff >Museum-L" (without the quotes). _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).