The world is evolving rapidly and things are changing in the blink of an eye, the reason why it has become crucial to preserve our history, culture, and heritage. People around the world are realizing the importance of museums now more than ever. Museums will ensure that our history stays preserved for generations to come.
Do you share the same ideology or like to preserve vintage items? Or are you one of those people who love to know about how something originated and interesting facts related to the same? Have you ever considered pursuing your passion for collecting and preserving antique items and making a career in the same field? If the answer to these questions is yes, you must consider a career in museology.
What is Museology?
Museology or the study of museums is a unique career field that involves managing museums and taking care of their overall administration. This is one of the best career options for people who have a keen interest in history and culture. People who pursue museology are called museologists. If you plan to become a museologist, your main responsibilities will be to organize artifacts in the museum, arrange exhibitions at the museum, find items to display at the museum, and examine art objects and preserve them.
Careers Related to Museology
Here are some other careers in cultural studies and interdisciplinary career pathways.
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1. Archaeology
Archaeology is closely related to museology. We can consider museology as a sub-branch of archeology. It also encompasses other fields of study like numismatics, epigraphy, and archives. Many archaeologists choose to work in a museum but their main job is to visit heritage sites, examine them, excavate sites, dig material buried on the sites, and conduct research to find out the history. If you like to visit old places and do manual work, archeology can be the right career choice for you.
2. Museum Curators
A museum curator has an administrative job that requires them to display and manage the artifacts in a museum. They create special collections in museums and organize exhibitions. It is necessary for museum curators to have a great aesthetic sense, management skills, and communication skills.
3. Historian
The career of a historian is similar to a career in museology. Historians also study institutions, ideas, theories, methodologies, and events that occurred in the past. The majority of the time, historians do research through written documents. However, they also examine photographs, costumes, and other objects to collect evidence. Historians mainly teach history courses in colleges or work at government organizations.
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4. Archivist
An archivist’s career includes examining ancient documents to check if they have potential information that can be valuable in today’s times. Archivists go through old documents like manuscripts, photographs, maps, and film recordings and preserve documents that show cultural heritage.
5. Cultural Heritage Management
Cultural heritage managers have two main responsibilities. First, they have to conserve and manage cultural heritage sites like museums, ancient monuments, and historic buildings. Second, they have to manage the site while ensuring that it generates revenue from commercial activities. Cultural heritage managers are also required to secure funding from government or private organizations, prepare a budget for site management, and administer entrance fees.
Why Pursue a Career in Museology, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and Other Fields?
If you are still wondering where a career in museology or other related fields is for you, here are some of the most significant reasons why you should go for it.
1. Pursue Your Interests
One of the best reasons to pursue a career in museology will be to further your interests in the fields of architecture, history, and archeology if you love to know the history and are fascinated by museums or historic places. You will get an opportunity to follow your passion and make a living out of it, which is what many people aspire to do.
2. Career Opportunities
Due to rapid growth and technological advancements in the world, it has become necessary to preserve our culture and heritage for future generations. This has created several job opportunities in the field of museology. However, not many people are aware of this career path which has created many vacancies in this field. Graduates in museology or other related fields can get well-paying jobs at government or private museums. Some of the most popular jobs in museology are museum director, gallery assistant, exhibit designer, conservation specialist, archivist, and curator.
3. Be Renowned
Historians, museologists, and archaeologists do a lot of research and writing during their careers. These writings serve as a gateway for people around the world to know about history, heritage, and culture. Not only do historians and archaeologists get paid well for their writings, but they also become famous and leave their impression on the world through their research papers or books.
How to Build a Career in Museology and Other Related Fields?
Museology, archeology, history, or cultural heritage are considered unconventional career fields which are difficult to pursue. However, the process to build a career in museology and archaeology is similar to other fields. However, you need to have a humanities background in class 12th.
1. Select Course
The first step is to select a course in museology, history, or archaeology. If you have planned to study these fields right after completing school, you can enroll for an undergraduate degree in museology. If you want to study museology after graduation, you can go for certificate courses that offer specialization in this field.
2. Do Internships
It is essential to have relevant skills like aesthetic sense, good know-how of history and artifacts, and proficiency in foreign languages to build a flourishing career in museology. One of the best ways to acquire these skills is to do internships in museology. You can apply to private or government museums and request 4-6 week-long internships. It gives you an idea about specific job roles.
3. Apply for Jobs
Once you have completed your undergraduate, postgraduate degree, or certificate course in museology, you can apply for jobs according to your interests and career aspirations.
Conclusion
Museology and other related careers are best for people who genuinely have a profound interest in ancient history or artifacts, and love to tell stories to people. If you envision yourself pursuing Museology, you should try reading in-depth about it, like what are the career paths that you can pursue, salary bracket, learning outcomes, and professional growth. However, before you enroll yourself in a Museology course, it is best to receive professional guidance from a career counselor that can help you save hassle at a later stage of your professional life.
Mindler offers career counseling to students starting from class 8th to those who are in college. Try career counseling online with Mindler today to know if a Museology career is the best for you and how you can pursue it.