"Why finance? I am a nerd. Wasn't always one, but with the years I am becoming nerdier and nerdier. I just love a difficult problem, to tweak and try, until I crack it. I like numbers, too. The work in M&A is really rather interesting, and the better you get at it, the more fun it becomes. I also like to think that this work adds value to society; we help companies sell loss-making divisions, improving their financial health.I didn't have much sympathy going in and I lost the remaining shreds here. Didja ever hear of science? Or unemployment?
The great King Shite of Finance plays his slimey tune & all the little turds dance their little jig, squealing "Look at me ! Look at me !" What fulfilling lives they must all lead. The words "sad" & "pathetic" spring to mind.posted by Miko at 11:19 AM on January 27
I wonder, have they ever seen the sunrise from the slopes of Kilimanjaro ? Or observed a herd of African Elephant settling down for the night ? Or the sunset from Key west ? Or swam in the Indian Ocean off a beach in Goa ? Or ridden a motorcycle across Europe ? All this I did before I was thirty, just about the time all these bright young things think their lives have begun, so it seems.
In my earlier internship I didn't play the office politics right. I got offers for two jobs, but declined as there was this other job I wanted. Turns out there was no 'headcount' there, no openings. Headcount is the magical word for interns.posted by Miko at 1:43 PM on January 28
Keen competition is expected for most jobs as archivists, curators, and museum technicians because qualified applicants generally outnumber job openings....Curator jobs, in particular, are attractive to many people, and many applicants have the necessary training and knowledge of the subject. But because there are relatively few openings, candidates may have to work part time, as an intern, or even as a volunteer assistant curator or research associate after completing their formal education. Substantial work experience in collection management, research, exhibit design, or restoration, as well as database management skills, will be necessary for permanent status....Conservators also can expect competition for jobs...Museums and other cultural institutions can be subject to cuts in funding during recessions or periods of budget tightening, reducing demand for these workers. Although the number of archivists and curators who move to other occupations is relatively low, the need to replace workers who retire or leave the occupation will create some job openings. However, workers in these occupations tend to work beyond the typical retirement age of workers in other occupations.Wage-wise, if nothing else, my employer is leading in the field - a field reknowned,and I hope more frequently held to task, for its general standards of low pay, especially at the entry levels. These again are jobs higher in the organizational structure than assistant jobs, but the assistant role is exactly the kind of entry point you would need to be able to compete at some point later for a curatorial or other advanced position. As this writer puts it:
...Median annual wages of curators in May 2008 were $47,220. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,910 and $63,940. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,850, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $83,290. Median annual wages of museum technicians and conservators in May 2008 were $36,660. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,030 and $49,170. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,320, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $66,060.
Think Small... First off, don't apply for that director position straight off. Go for the executive assistant instead. Don't go for full curator, go for a curatorial assistant. You need experience even if you are coming from another career field and have job experience.From the UK Museums Association site:
Lots of people want to work in museums and there aren't very many jobs, so competition for entry-level jobs is often fierce. Different types of jobs need different types of skills and knowledge. Frustratingly, this can vary between different museums (for a guide to different types of job, see case studies). For most types of entry-level job, you'll find you need to have relevant experience, and people usually get this by volunteering. Some types of job, such as museum assistants or administrative jobs, can be easier to get.Chronicle of Higher Education:
A few forward-looking museums offer training and development to their administrators and assistants, so they can progress up the career ladder - but most museums don't. For many types of job you'll be expected to have qualifications. Employers can be demanding.
The biggest challenge to a museum career is breaking into the profession. Museums are famous, popular institutions for which many knowledgeable people are willing to volunteer their labor. As a result, even large museums will have relatively small paid staffs, and since this is the nonprofit sector, the salaries can be considerably lower than in comparable for-profit jobs....Entry-level positions for professionals with graduate degrees often fall between $20,000 and $35,000, while the most senior educators at a major museum usually earn less than tenured professors in the humanities.Museum Blog:
Be realistic. This is key. Work out your budget. What can you live on? If no one has told you yet, museum work is usually not going to make you rich. What will you be happy doing? Are you willing to work in the pest management department or will you refuse? And remember, please remember, that this a a field that many people want to work in, many people are qualified for, and in which there are relatively few open positions.PDF - a survey report addressing some of the disconnect between academic museum studies programs creating more graduates with higher expectations than the field could supply jobs for that met those expectations:
The expectations of practicing museum professionals are important because they set job qualifications and make hiring decisions. Ultimately, the entry-level employee must meet their criteria. Also these are the people determining the work environment of the entry-level worker. Their expectations are terribly important to prospective as well as new employees.This is the context my experience needs to be seen in. Chances are good that I'm not making shit up. This may not be like others' experience from different fields. In fact, it's so niche in nature that I'd be surprised if it were. If you don't understand it, you don't. It's okay; I don't understand nursing or IT or higher education or any other field's hiring practices, wage structure, or needs beyond vague outlines, either. I wouldn't take that as my invitation to cast aspersions on the character of the people or the quality of the institution doing the hiring, though. I would maybe take it as a chance to get a glimpse of what it's like inside that field.
Entry-level employment was targeted, because most academically-based museum studies training is in fact directed to persons wanting to make museums their career path and who have had little or no experience in the museum. This is especially true of new museum studies courses and programs developed in the last decade at the BA or MA degree levels.
[Academic Museum Studies programs] need to attract students to museum work who are good with people as well as with objects. They need to attract students who not only can achieve in their program and courses, but also can continue to learn on their own outside of the formal classroom. Highly motivated students are necessary to have highly motivated entry-level employees. Capability to become a professional in the museum community needs to be assessed and encouraged in recruiting students.
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posted by planet at 5:23 AM on January 27 [3 favorites]