#fandom-potatoes

Hiya!! I hope its okay if I publish this. Just in case anyone else has this same question :D

Okay so first of all the biggest thing I want to say is if you love history/museums and want to study it then GO FOR IT!!! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I had to face quite a bit of “don’t do that, you’ll never make any money”, “history is stupid”, “you’ll never find a job” and so on. Screw them. Study what you love! It will make your life so much more enjoyable. I’d rather not be rich doing something I love than get super rich doing something I hate on a daily basis. Call me crazy. 

Okay so for the practical stuff:

-Undergrad degree in history to get the basic historical background you need and to learn about the field and how to write and all that fun stuff. 

-Masters degree. Not absolutely necessary but very helpful. You can find a museum job without this degree but it may be hard. A lot of museum require some kind of masters degree out of their applicants. It may help you find a job. Plus, imo, the museum studies degree, while challenging, has been very enjoyable and helpful to me. I am learning so much.

-Internships/Experience!! This is the biggie. Experience is key to finding a job in the museum world. Do internships, volunteer at a local historical society or museum, anything that will give you some hands on work in a museum setting. 

-Network. The job market sucks. I’m not gonna lie. It’s rough out there. And the best way to get a job is to know someone. That’s true for any field not just museums and history. So form relationships with your professors and students. Meet people. Talk to them. Continue those relationships. They can write recommendations, find you jobs that are not posted anywhere, and much more. 

-Don’t be afraid to start at the very bottom. If theres a job as a sales clerk or admission desk worker at a museum you like, go for it! Personally I think all museum workers should spend time on the frontline to really learn how museums operate and who their clientele are. Plus it’s a great way to get your foot in the door and work your way up the ladder. I may not have made it as far as I wanted in my museum but my museum is.....odd. But i was able to do curatorial work and education work while being a sales associate. So that was cool and got me good hands on experience. Take what you can get where you can get it.