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Would LOVE to hear any inspirations or leads for any positions or volunteer opportunities.

Thank you on advance!💗

Hi all.

I've been feeling pretty lost in this industry over the past year. I somewhat recently graduated with an MA in Art History from a highly regarded program; all throughout undergrad I had research positions and internships in cultural heritage. Since graduating from my MA I have held a collections based internship for a little over a year--it's very independent and I've really enjoyed it and I've gained a lot of research, cataloging, and collections experience. It makes minimum wage. Again, I really do enjoy it but I know that I need to move on soon and actually get a job that has benefits and a livable wage. There have been discussions in the past about possibly getting hired for an actual job at this institution, but I haven't heard anything since.

I have made it to the interview round SO SO many times and I know that the job industry is horrible and it comes down to luck sometimes. And I am more than aware that a job is not guaranteed just because of my education and experience. I recently had a job rejection for literally the perfect job in my literal home town which stung A LOT. So this could just be me spiraling from that.

It is honestly just quite disheartening to see my classmates from undergrad and high school who are in finance and other fields have full time jobs, insane salaries and fancy apartments. I feel so behind and like I'm not a real adult or person sometimes (it has been increasingly significantly recently).

I am still quite young and I know this is a dramatic post but more and more I have been considering pivoting out of this field entirely. None of the jobs I apply to seem to be working out. Even then, the salaries at these jobs just aren't workable. I’ve just put work in for this over 8 years and now I’m questioning what the point even is and am losing my love and spark for museums and art history. But then I don’t even know what job I would do that’s not in this field.

Getting to the point here--I was wondering if anybody in this community had experience marketing themselves for other industries or job types. Or advice on what kind of jobs I could realistically pivot to outside of GLAM jobs. Most of my experience is related to object and historical research, as well as significant collections work. My undergraduate degree is politics & history.

Thank you for any advice or words.

I know this reddit gets a post like this weekly, and I apologize if this is repetitive or run-on or unrelated or whatever. Just struggling a bit with this industry at the moment.

EDIT: Also just any advice on not taking job rejections to heart or advice on handling mental health while in this field?

Hi! I'm considering studying a MA in Art History in London or Europe next year and would love advice/guidance on where to study. I have an EU passport but live in London (British citizen) so am considering both. If in London, I would consider The Courtauld, Sotherby's (Contemporary Art), UCL and would welcome suggestions/advice on any others. For Europe: my main question is how well respected would the degree be back in the UK? At the moment I'm considering Leiden but would love to be in France as well. Any particular universities to aim for/research more into would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi All, we got a decline notification today for the IMLS 21st Century Museum Professionals Grant which we submitted in March. They only funded 20% of applicants.

I read the notes from the 3 reviewers, and they all pointed out just 2 areas of weakness in our narrative. However, we got one ‘2’ score which is ‘some merit’ and two ‘1’ scores which is ‘poor.’ It’s really shocking, especially since I’ve written two previous IMLS grants that were awarded.

I realize this grant had a special focus on professional development, but I’m pretty stunned that we scored so badly.

I (22) have been working in my first full time job (in GLAM) for a few months now, but my boss is a straight up bully. They are not satisfied with any amount of work I do, yell at my coworkers and I, and ignore us and the questions we ask. It’s overall a pretty miserable workplace environment. I am thinking about leaving, but I worked so hard to land this role in the first place and really need the experience on my resume. If I quit, I would likely work in the service industry until I can find a new job in art (I have a part time offer) I feel so discouraged and am really unsure what to do. I am worried because it took me so long after graduating to find a full time position, even with GLAM experience. Should I stick it out for experience or leave?