Careers with Museums

IF YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR DAYS AT the museum, there is a wide variety of interesting jobs that make working at these repositories of historical and significant artifacts, artwork, and data, a fascinating career choice. People are mesmerized by museums and the behind-the-scenes work that makes these venues time capsules for the treasures of past generations. Museums are where history comes alive, visitors venture into a bygone era, and they have a chance to see the relics they have only read about in books. Rare art, noteworthy documents that hold a prominent place in history, tools used in the stone age, costumes worn in celebrated movies, weapons and uniforms from the American Revolutionary War, the laboratory instruments used to make an important scientific discovery, and so much more can be found in the thousands of museums across the United States. Not all museums dwell on the past. Some are exhibit centers for the trends of today - recently created works of art, the ever-changing face of the digital world, and the emerging cultures that surround modern-day living. There is hardly a subject that does not take center stage at a museum somewhere in the United States or another part of the world. Used to educate, inspire, enlighten, and inform, museums tell a story, and the people who work there are responsible for making that story accessible, engaging, captivating, and exciting. A well-crafted museum is the work of a carefully chosen team. Each member of the team is highly trained in an area of archival expertise that gives the museum an air of individuality that makes it stand out as a place to visit for a one-of-a-kind experience. From the front entrance to the main exhibit hall to the gift shop, that special ambiance has to be there every step of the way in a museum. It can be quite a challenge for a museum director, curator, exhibit designer, archivist, conservator, registrar, collections manager, researcher, and the support staff working with them to keep exhibits fresh and relevant. These dedicated employees make the museum a hub of community activity, a place where something remarkable is always going on, an attraction that brings in visitors from far and wide, and has those living close by coming back time and again to see new exhibits or view the latest addition to an already vibrant collection. This is a job where you can leave your mark, a career where discovery is encouraged. It provides you with a chance to go out and track down an artifact that will enhance the museum's collection and get people talking about a rare find, another piece of the puzzle that will unlock a mystery hidden somewhere in the past. Museums are where people go to satisfy their curiosity because seeing is believing. They want to judge a piece of art for themselves, peruse an archaeological find, and - in those museums that allow it - touch an object that changed history. Those who visit a museum are seeking an unforgettable journey. Just imagine a career where you can help make that happen.