Full Careers
Is Art History worth it?
I've been planning on staying in school until I get my Ph.D because my dream career is to be a curator at the Metropolitan in NYC. Currently, I work in a development office in a small art gallery in a city that is in between decadence and cultural restoration. Truth be told, I am eternally bored at my job (I've been here less than a year - I handle money and correspond with our donors, along with some b**** work, such as filing and mail.) I've only completed my freshman year as an Art History/Philosophy major, so I think I can still make whatever jump I want. The people that I work with all have at least their M.FA, with mainly a concentration in Art History. I'm afraid that even with a Ph.D, I'm going to be working in a stuffy office doing work that is boring. I just don't like the atmosphere. It seems glamorous on the outside, but I'm afraid that I've tapped into the reality of it. The real question: Is this IT or have I just gotten the bad end of the field? Experiences? Desk3, I appreciate your advice, but my fear isn't being unsuccessful. My fear is being stuck in a job that I'm unenthusiastic about. I guess it's a hard question because interests are relative...
Public Comments
- I am an artist, I admit I don't know the art history field well. However, one take I have on it, is how can you make your present job more interesting and more fullfilling? Is there some project that you could initiate or develop at your job that would inspire you? Is there some way to delegate some of the boring work to a student intern? What do you imagine that a curator at the Met does? It's possible that those curators have some tedium in their jobs as well. It is a good skill to find meaning in the everyday. And to find how to "want what you have" while working toward having what you want. Good luck.
- You're doing entry level work. Minor in business or finance along with your Art History major. Pragmatically speaking, an Art History degree is important if you plan on appraising art. Either Prince Andrew or Prince William attended St. Andrew's College in Scotland and majored in Art History. Do you know why? Because the Royal Family has zillions of dollars worth of paintings of family portraits [kings, queens, dukes, princes, etc.] done over the past five hundred years by famous painters. And they all need to be accurately appraised. As an Art Historian, you can do appraisals in: auction houses, museums, or personal collections. A lot of billionaires buy art as 'investments'. But it is always wise to have a business degree along with a liberal arts degree.
- I work in the art field. I think your best bet before you invest a huge chunk of money into a doctorate is to see if you'd really like working as a curator. Try to mentor underneath someone at the Met so you can learn what the politics are like there. I didn't do a Phd because I didn't want to spend years in the library. My masters was a 2 year program and didn't cost half the amount of a Phd. My advice is to spend a lot of time doing personal interviews with likeminded people who work in the field BEFORE you get into the $$ and time investment.
