Tips for College (SAT, private schools, best, reviews)
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English and History majors can have great careers too.
I would reword #3 to pick a major that will showcase your talents.
You can't pound a square peg into a round hole. Stem & healthcare are great for math minded people. A student with a high level of verbal skills in a stem job won't work. Not everyone has the patience or a strong enough stomach for healthcare.
I would add to #4 - attend a college which is near your profession. If a student is interested in diplomacy, it makes for sense to attend a college in DC - near the state department & potential internships.
If a student is interested in art/art history, a college in NYC - near the major museums & potential internships makes sense. Attending a local college in (as an example) Oklahoma for art history isn't going to help no matter how much money you save. It won't give you the connections you need.
If you want to work on Wall Street, realize you need to attend a NYC or Ivy League college to break in. If you want to work in mutual funds, as mutual companies are located in Boston, you need to attend a Boston based college.
There are colleges that are feeder schools into some professions or graduate schools.. Research them.
I fully agree on the importance of a minimum wage job. It teaches so many great skills - even as motivator to do well in college.
As an addendum to that, I would suggest not majoring in something and simply assuming that the major = a job that sort of relates to the major. Do your research of what the best degrees are to actually work in the field. Art History is the study of... well... the history of art. You don't learn to actually DO anything with that major. You learn more about the subject. It =\= qualifying you to work in an art museum. I'd actually study marketing, communications, business, or public relations for that. Art history might be a decent minor and probably help your writing skills, which you will need to work for an art museum.
Businesspeople, marketers, writers, communicators, fundraisers, librarians/archivists. Not an art historian needed among the bunch.
Although a handful of art history classes for any of those people wouldn't hurt, so you can sell the philanthropists on giving money to support the museum's art & you make clear you know something about what art is.
As an addendum to that, I would suggest not majoring in something and simply assuming that the major = a job that sort of relates to the major. Do your research of what the best degrees are to actually work in the field. Art History is the study of... well... the history of art. You don't learn to actually DO anything with that major. You learn more about the subject. It =\= qualifying you to work in an art museum. I'd actually study marketing, communications, business, or public relations for that. Art history might be a decent minor and probably help your writing skills, which you will need to work for an art museum.
Businesspeople, marketers, writers, communicators, fundraisers, librarians/archivists. Not an art historian needed among the bunch.
Although a handful of art history classes for any of those people wouldn't hurt, so you can sell the philanthropists on giving money to support the museum's art & you make clear you know something about what art is.
Okay, this proves the point of knowing a profession.
Art Museums focus is on curating art shows. Curators decide what the museum purchases and when to show it. At top museums, the top curator requires a Phd in Art History. The majority of the curatorial staff have their masters in art history.
Natural Museums focus is on curating shows. Depending on the museum's focus, their curators require a Phd either in biology, anthropology or astronomy, etc.
All the other museums are secondary position. These jobs exist to support the curatorial staff. So there is fundraising, public affairs department, brochure writing/publishing, retail sales, security services, etc.
A student would have to decide if their goal was a curatorial staff position or a secondary job. However, the "fun" secondary jobs require a solid knowledge of art history - not a few courses.
"The Associate Director of Philanthropy Services" at Chicago Museum of Art requires "Art historical knowledge." Without a solid backgorund in art, a conversation with a prospective donator would be difficult. Donators are usually passionate about art. Many donators have their own art collectors and give money for particular artists or art periods.
The CMA's librarian job requires "Master's degree in Library Science (MLIS or equivalent) from an ALA-accredited program. Knowledge of art historical literature; experience developing and managing relationships with vendors; and working knowledge of at least two foreign languages required, especially German, French, or Italian." "Knowledge of art historical literature" requires an intensive study of art criticism.
For the remaining jobs are security, retail sales, art gallery attendant, night watch, electrical staff, events coordinator, grounds keeper, etc.
Also - There are more museum workers than coal miners in the USA.
Okay, this proves the point of knowing a profession.
Art Museums focus is on curating art shows. Curators decide what the museum purchases and when to show it. At top museums, the top curator requires a Phd in Art History. The majority of the curatorial staff have their masters in art history.
Natural Museums focus is on curating shows. Depending on the museum's focus, their curators require a Phd either in biology, anthropology or astronomy, etc.
All the other museums are secondary position. These jobs exist to support the curatorial staff. So there is fundraising, public affairs department, brochure writing/publishing, retail sales, security services, etc.
A student would have to decide if their goal was a curatorial staff position or a secondary job. However, the "fun" secondary jobs require a solid knowledge of art history - not a few courses.
"The Associate Director of Philanthropy Services" at Chicago Museum of Art requires "Art historical knowledge." Without a solid backgorund in art, a conversation with a prospective donator would be difficult. Donators are usually passionate about art. Many donators have their own art collectors and give money for particular artists or art periods.
The CMA's librarian job requires "Master's degree in Library Science (MLIS or equivalent) from an ALA-accredited program. Knowledge of art historical literature; experience developing and managing relationships with vendors; and working knowledge of at least two foreign languages required, especially German, French, or Italian." "Knowledge of art historical literature" requires an intensive study of art criticism.
For the remaining jobs are security, retail sales, art gallery attendant, night watch, electrical staff, events coordinator, grounds keeper, etc.
Also - There are more museum workers than coal miners in the USA.
Curator is kind of the dream job of museums, though. Tough jobs to get, because they are the dream positions. You get paid reasonably well AND get to use your creativity and liberal arts knowledge. It's a luxury. A degree alone won't get you there. So if that's the goal, definitely need strong internships.
My opinion is that fast-food or other non-relevant jobs can be a great reverse motivator “man, I don’t really want to flip burgers/wash dishes/dig ditches the rest of my life, so I better go to school so I can do something I’m more interested in.
While I was in college working on my Physics degree, in the summers my Dad invited me to go to work with him at Concrete Construction Company, which despite the name was mostly involved in installation and repair of natural gas lines. Dad was a welder. I worked as a laborer. And welder's helper.
Dad's gone now and it never occurred to ask him if he got me this job because it was convenient for me to ride in to work with him, it was a job he knew about, and the pay for an unskilled kid was actually pretty good. Well it was physically hard work in the Georgia summer heat, I did a lot of ditch digging.
Or, did he pick this out on purpose to motivate me, sort of an unspoken statement that "If you don't do well in school, you can always work like this..."
English and History majors can have great careers too.
I would reword #3 to pick a major that will showcase your talents.
You can't pound a square peg into a round hole. Stem & healthcare are great for math minded people. A student with a high level of verbal skills in a stem job won't work.
As someone who has a career in Software Engineering, a STEM field, I somewhat disagree. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are very important for career advancement and for being an effective employee pretty much in any field, STEM fields included. It will also be very hard to even get hired without having at least average or perhaps slightly below average communication skills.
But of course technical skills are even more important for STEM fields.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YorktownGal
I would add to #4 - attend a college which is near your profession. If a student is interested in diplomacy, it makes for sense to attend a college in DC - near the state department & potential internships.
If a student is interested in art/art history, a college in NYC - near the major museums & potential internships makes sense. Attending a local college in (as an example) Oklahoma for art history isn't going to help no matter how much money you save. It won't give you the connections you need.
Does it have to be NYC though? I think there are art museums in any big US city. Certainly in Boston....
Quote:
Originally Posted by YorktownGal
If you want to work on Wall Street, realize you need to attend a NYC or Ivy League college to break in.
You can actually also attend any decent school in the NYC tri state area. I used to work for a European investment bank and they recruited from Rutgers, NJIT, etc. Ivy League college is of course helpful but I am not sure that it is worth its insane costs.
Curator is kind of the dream job of museums, though. Tough jobs to get, because they are the dream positions. You get paid reasonably well AND get to use your creativity and liberal arts knowledge. It's a luxury. A degree alone won't get you there. So if that's the goal, definitely need strong internships.
I think the point is that a curator needs to know Art History. Various degrees fill their own niche. An MBA is not gong to get you a curator's job, and an MFA does not make you competitive for a finance position.
I disagree with studying what is in demand. Study what you want, and know the limitations of the degree. Research salaries and avoid debt as much as possible.
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