I think half of the work problems in museums come from the fact that most staff feel trapped. And if you don’t want to move and you don’t live in a huge metropolis, you basically have very few choices.
So what’s to do? One option is to leave the field. Listen, I’m just a few moments out. So, I’m not sure how good it is.
But, I’d like to share my thoughts on how I got out.
I’d really thought I wanted to stay in museums, but then the level of ridiculousness got too much. I decided I needed to look at other things. I would say this is the first step. You need to want to leave.
But desire is pretty lonely if you don’t have any place to use it. I honestly couldn’t see where I could go. I felt like my skills wouldn’t be translatable. And here in is the next step. Ask for help. Call a friend doing work you might like to do. Hear how they got there.
Most museum pros can research anything. And these skills really came in handy in my job search. I spent time reading job descriptions and matching my resume to their needs.
We have so many useful skills. Project management, public speaking, and writing are three big ones. Many of us have spent years wrangling databases and organizing editorial schedules. I spent a good amount of time tallying my skills against those needed in the business world.
After that, I updated my LinkedIn and turned the light on (set it to show that I’m looking for work.) I did use the pro version for a month. I did the easy apply version for everything remote that was related to UX research and writing, since most of my work has been evaluation and interpretation. I got a lot of no thanks and many interviews. People were very receptive. No one was surprised I was leaving nonprofit.
Now I’ve just left, so I can’t say how it is. But I am excited that I wasn’t trapped. I have options. You have options too.