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| University College and King's Circle. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko |
As a new museum studies student, starting this degree can be overwhelming. A few of the things occupying your time include: learning all the theory, discovering free food events, project management, the names of your cohort and participating in extracurricular activities (and yes I am going to pretend riding the TTC counts as extracurricular.)
One of the first things you learn is that there are a lot more jobs in the museum industry than is “advertised” in popular culture. So many jobs, so little time, and how do you even begin to discover the pros and cons of each one?!
Being a student gives you a secret super power, which I suggest you use – Student Status.
Professional interviews are one of the best ways to make connections, make new friends, and discover potential paths for your career. Student status means having an excuse as to why you want to reach out to professionals in the field, and ask them what their job is about.
I know this from personal experience. For the past 9 months I have had the privilege to interview alumni from the Museum Studies program. This means I reached out to persons (who often I had never met before!) to ask them what life is like after graduation. The alumni have been friendly, gracious, and eager to share their experience.
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| Human impact on environment comes in all sorts of forms. Museum preservation is beyond objects, and includes complicated discussions. For example, how could a museum professional raise awareness for the need to preserve native prairie landscapes? Canola Field, Alberta. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko |
Initially, what I had felt to be rather scary and intimidating has turned into a column I look forward to initiating. Who can I ask next? What exciting things are happening out in the field? Even though these alumni are across the continent and working in different museums, many of their concerns are shared. Through interviews, themes such as the environment, decolonization and technology are all repeated again and again. My eyes have been opened to the fact that the museum community is tight knit and comes together to work on some of the most complicated issues.
Some of the alumni have even thrown down challenges for the museum professionals (new and old) to tackle.
Kate Wolforth asks us to consider the waste of exhibitions, and what happens to the signage, packaging, and materials used afterwards. Is it justifiable that so much ends up in the dump?
Roderick MacLean asks how historic sites (and museums in general) can adapt to the longer visitor seasons due to global warming. Will it be the new trend to hire past the Summer season, into the Fall?
And Deborah Robichaud tasks new professionals to incorporate environmental scans into their daily practice, and ask “What are the big issues in the world and how do they affect museums?”
I am excited to present you the new interviews in this upcoming semester, and I hope that you too are inspired to reach out to the alumni network. Remember, in a few short years, you will be an alumnus, and a nervous student might reach out to you!
If you want to reach out to me, feel free to!
elizabeth.cytko@mail.utoronto.ca
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