[NHCOLL-L:750] Re: Still seeking work, but...

[Una Smith]

On Tue, 17 Oct 2000, Eric Eaton wrote:

>Wondering if I just don't understand the "system," and politics of the
>collections management profession.  I am told without a PhD (I do not
>even have a Bachellor's, but have experience as a contractor with the
>Smithsonian, etc), I might as well not even apply for curatorial
>positions.

It isn't a political problem;  the problem is that your competition is
very strong.   Many people with advanced degrees (MS and PhD) apply for
curatorial and collections management positions, and in the course of
getting those degrees they also got plenty of hands-on experience.  So
when applicants are ranked, someone with only some experience and no
formal training is unlikely to come out on top.

Why not get some formal training?  Enroll in a collections management
program?  Get a BS in entomology?  If you have the nerves for it, and
the discipline, you might take the GRE and try to get into a graduate
program without going to college.


> What about curatorial assistants and technicians?

Here too your competition is very strong:  plenty of applicants have BA,
BS, and MS degrees in relevant fields, including collections management.

	Una Smith		una.smith at yale.edu

	Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
	Yale University
	New Haven, CT  06520-8106