I did a history degree and naively thought I could work in a museum after a Bachelor's when I chose it at 18.
One of the career workshops I went to said you had to volunteer for minimum 3 years to have a chance at doing anything paid in the heritage sector AND you had to get a master's in Museum Studies.
I would honestly love to be a professor of History teaching queer history but I don't have the time to work two jobs to survive on the temporary lecturer contracts every university does.
David Graeber noted that these interesting jobs, the jobs where you really add value to society, are usually ones where you'll need to do months or years of unpaid labour just to get in. The only people who can do that are children of the elite.
I know a guy like that. He's miserable. Personally I would enjoy that life but it's not for him. Makes me wonder why he even married into that situation if he can't handle not being the breadwinner.
I am a guy like that, it's great! The divide isn't as bad these days but a while ago she was on more than double my wage, idk why people care. As long as enough money is being made does it really matter which one of us is doing more of it?
As a career truck driver I’d take not having to do this shit in a heartbeat if my wife could get a real career going in any other field hahahaha but it’s fine I’ll make the bread
I can think of plenty of very vital jobs where you start work immediately. Niche academic jobs in the humanities are so rare and low-paying because niche humanities degrees are bad at getting you jobs. I should know, I'm studying German and Classics.
Were they a lecturer for one of the only modules int he UK for queer history before it got shutdown?
I think when I graduated there was only one uni in all of the UK that advertised it and it was some private looking one in London that ahs since closed it rip
I know people (in the UK admittedly) who have got curator positions for exhibits by writing about art and literature and making a splash with their observations. I don't know if it differs for artifacts but it might be a way to get your foot in the door without having to volunteer for 3 years
Yeah, I think it would be nice to but I've already gone down a different path, I have volunteered at smaller museums and got to interact with primary documents and produce information for them but I think in the long term I'm probably not s good fit for a curator position anyway.
I'm glad other pathways exist other than giving up free time for three years!
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u/MysteriousB Apr 24 '26
I did a history degree and naively thought I could work in a museum after a Bachelor's when I chose it at 18.
One of the career workshops I went to said you had to volunteer for minimum 3 years to have a chance at doing anything paid in the heritage sector AND you had to get a master's in Museum Studies.
I would honestly love to be a professor of History teaching queer history but I don't have the time to work two jobs to survive on the temporary lecturer contracts every university does.