To Museums with Love

In the two years since I completed my master’s degree in museum studies, I’ve thought a lot about putting something on this Medium page. That being said, I’m surprised at what I landed on for this first post: I’m leaving the museum field.

Many have written similar posts about what led them to leave the professional world of museums, the frustrations they felt, and how we can improve as a community to keep top talent within the industry. I don’t disagree with the majority of the opinions shared, it’s just that my story didn’t shake out in the same way.

I love museums. I truly love them. I’ve had some of the best conversations with my museum colleagues, learned about science, history and art, was challenged beyond my wildest dreams — and yet, I was persuaded to leave. What began as casually tossing my hat in the ring for a corporate communications position led me to make one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my young career. And I believe it is also one of the best.

Many mentors have extolled the virtues of transferable skills to me over the years. “You’re not just researching, you’re critically thinking.” “You’re not just coping with difficult situations, you’re problem solving.” “You’re not just producing blog content for fun, you’re building a portfolio.” I’ll be honest, for a long time I focused on building a museum-minded resume; one that would set me apart from the competitive pack of young professionals who will fight tooth and nail for any museum position. But, in the corporate interview process, I realized that I was not only making myself unique and hireable within the museum field, but really anywhere.

In museums, we’re asked to accomplish impossible tasks with few resources and, at times, a lack of strong leadership. These environments make us scrappy, productive, and ingenious problem solvers. I learned, it is also what makes us competitive outside the four walls of a museum.

I’m not advocating for everyone to suddenly throw up their hands and jump into the corporate world. Rather, I think that if there is a position that has elements of a job that you’d be interested in within the museum field, but happens to be at a for-profit company, there shouldn’t be anything keeping you from applying for it. That may be somewhat taboo to talk about in this sphere, but I wholeheartedly believe that the very skills which allowed me to break with museums will only be enhanced by this new position. And that will eventually help me find my way back.

Now, I’m not completely throwing off my mission-minded-cap in seizing this new opportunity. I’m fortunate enough to have found a position focused on telling corporate social responsibility stories more than marketing a specific product. I’m excited for a new challenge and to think differently about connecting with audiences.

I’m not leaving the museum field because I don’t see potential within it. I’m not leaving because I was underpaid. I’m not leaving because I’m tired of the trials and tribulations that come from the non-profit world. I’m leaving because I see this as an opportunity to learn something new, from people who think differently than I do. After all, I initially chose a career in museums because I like learning something new everyday. And, I think that insatiable curiosity is what will bring me back in the near future.

So, this isn’t goodbye to the museum world I love. We’re just on a break. And as I’m constantly told, if it’s love, you’ll always find your way back to each other.