Not always true. For places like the Smithsonian, you’re right, but most smaller museums don’t require much in the way of education. Experience is what matters.
I’ve been working in a museum cleaning artifacts, setting up exhibits, researching, archiving (and myriad other taskes) for five years now, and I have no college degree at all. Conversely, we have a new intern who is getting her Master’s in history and hasn’t been able to find a museum which will hire her, even with all of her academic credentials. (No experience.)
Yeesh. Perhaps my view is narrow because I’m in a science field and I want and need a post-grad degree for what I want to do in life. If you attempt to go into a science post-grad program, you’d darn well better have majored in a related field and/or have a lot of experience with said field. My BA in history was a great time and definately helped me learn to research and think critically; however, if I applied to a psych grad program with only that background I’d be laughed out of the interview, assuming I got an interview.
If you have post-grad plans like mine, major in your field. If not, have fun as its more about the diploma than the actual field.
I have a BA in History, with an emphasis on ancient Rome, and please please please don’t fall into that trap believing you have to do what your major dictates you to do. I got the same jokes when I was an undergrad like “oh so what do you want to do with your degree? Teach?” Hell no did I ever want to become a teacher! (No offense to anyone who is one. I just don’t like working with kids). Although I had no desire to become a historian, I chose History because with history you learn a lot about all the fields: economics, political science, art, music, etc.
A degree is ultimately what you make of it and during my undergrad I had 3 different internships in completely different fields to help me gain a perspective of what I wanted to do post grad. My first internship was at an art museum. My second internship was at a record label. My third internship was with the county working in the community development program. None of those internships had anything to do with History, yet when I graduated I had enough experience in a variety of fields to pursue the career I wanted- even though it didn’t relate to my ancient Rome knowledge. (I currently am now getting an MA in Urban Planning). Although I am not 5 years into the workforce yet, from what I’ve heard, after 5 years, no one really cares what your degree is. You get jobs based on your experience and motivation- NOT YOUR MAJOR. My advice to you is to don’t pick a major because you believe it is “practical.” Pick a major that interest you or else you will hate your classes and not have as much of an enjoyable college experience.
Oh to add a bit more to all the people who work in “professional fields:” My friend in college started as a computer science major and got a job doing the IT for the dorms. After 2 years into his major, he was really unhappy due to the academic curriculum and the people that were in his major so he changed his major to Psychology but kept his IT job. So now he is a computer programmer yet his degree on this resume states “Psychology” so it truly doesn’t matter what your degree says, just as long as you have the experience for the job.
Thank you all for your input. I think I’m going to go for the history major… although I might take a few technical classes as well, just to round things out.
Obviously, a technical degree is no longer a passort to job security and a high salary. Some of the “soft” skills described by rackensack and others here may prove more valuable over the long haul of a career than specific technical competence, what with outsourcing and all. And I’m saying this as someone who has tremendous respect for technical and scientific knowledge. I would have chosen that type of major had I been situated differently.