Starting Public History MA this fall...how can you do it all?

[historybuff]

Hi!

I will be starting my Master's program in Public History this fall. I have signed up for two of the three classes my advisor recommended, however, the third class hasn't been posted yet because they don't have a professor for it yet...So I have no idea when it will be. I am a working professional going back to school after being away for many years, so I am out of the loop as to how academia works. I work in a completely unrelated field. This is something I have dreamed about doing for years, and finally took the plunge. My plan was to quit my job and live on loans and be completely immersed in school and hopefully pick up a paying internship along the way. My boss today said they would be willing to work with my school schedule and I could continue to work for the company -- totally not what I had expected. HOWEVER, I have been told by others in similar graduate programs (Art history, Library science) that the way they got their jobs was from their internship experiences. One told me she wished she had not worked part time and had tried to do more internships. I have heard that the program I am in is very favorable toward helping you get on projects and internships that will help boost your resume. As nice as it would be to have less debt, am I hurting myself by continuing to work (in a field that will do nothing to help me get a job in an archive) -- I can't fathom how I could work part time, go to school, and still have time for projects or internships. (Oh and still sleep!)  Is it possible to work AND go to grad school?  

 

My BA is in Archaeology. I never did a thing with it because I was working full time and going to school, and when I graduated, I stayed working in the again, totally unrelated field. There was no way I could have done any internships or networked with anyone because I had to leave campus immediately after my classes were done to rush to work. I'm in a different place now as far as what I feel is important, but I am still practical and having less debt is appealing....

 

Anyone able to shed some light on this? Thank you in advance!

[Katzenmusik]

Perhaps you could look for entry-level, paying jobs in the field, whether they happen to be long-term internships or full-fledged positions?  Even working as front-line staff at a museum or historic site can be a valuable way in and a good learning opportunity.

 

Also you could try to find a position at your university that may be public history-related -- like working in archives/special collections or for a campus museum.  Campus positions might allow a flexible schedule, accounting for your student status, and they might be 9-month positions, allowing you time off to do a summer internship.

 

Basically I do think you should transition away from your current unrelated field and give yourself the time and space to seize new opportunities, otherwise you'll end up right where you were after your BA.  But it would be ideal to make connections, build skills, and have an income stream all at the same time so that you don't completely undermine your financial life.

 

Personally, I worked a part-time campus job (assistantship) all through my masters.  The stipend paid much less than my job before grad school did, but it was enough to live on and worth it to leave the old job behind.