As a public historian, I’m a trained “jack-of-all-trades” in a field known more for its titular ambiguity than its overall purpose. I like to think of our cadre as professionally trained mediators obliged to make the past relevant and useful to a diverse public. Nonetheless, definitions of public history and its uses remain intentionally and intellectually broad so as to attract both interested students, financial resources, and partner institutions alike. Still, does learning how to “wear many different hats” in a field that often points students down multiple career paths necessarily translate to finding a good job?

Case in point, at American University I gained experience and earned credit working in four professional disciplines – collections management, historic site interpretation, exhibition development, and web design. While the process of discovering what moved me as a public historian proved fruitful, I cannot help but feel slightly under-prepared as I search for full-time employment in Milwaukee, WI.

Whether a result of America’s stagnant economy, the Wisconsin state government’s assault on education/arts programming, or my own professional blindness, public history jobs remain in short supply (especially outside of Washington, DC and other mega-cities). Meanwhile, non-history-related companies seeking, for example, web designers typically hire (surprise) applicants trained in that particular field. While my academic credentials are more than sound, nothing makes up for proven technical proficiency or know-how. Certainly, other grads exploring private sector opportunities outside the digital humanities bubble share my frustration.

In any case, designing participatory online experiences for museums and non-profits not only peaked my interest as a graduate student, but represents what I do best as a public historian: visualize, write, and engage people in meaningful ways. Through my program at AU, I was fortunate to create usable websites for Smithsonian Institution museums, learned that new media tools require two-way participation, and connected with digital humanists outside of Washington, DC who actively post relevant content on Twitter, Facebook, and personal blogs. This allows me to stay in the loop so to speak as new employment opportunities present themselves and public history methodologies evolve in the Digital Age.

Although Milwaukee’s job-picture looks bleak, I’m confident I’ll find an opportunity to put my digital and humanities skill-sets to good use for a local museum, non-profit, or business. I will continue to improve on an emergent web design skill-set, volunteer/work on freelance projects beyond museums, and intently peruse local want-ads until I fulfill my goal of designing for the web full-time. The constant reminder of monthly student loan payments leave no recourse.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.