My Background and Plans
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved history. I remember going to museums and being in awe of all the artifacts and images because they allowed me to connect with history in a way that books and movies just could not match. Seeing those objects allowed me to imagine what the world was like for the people who created and used them. As I grew up, I knew I wanted to be a part of preserving those pieces of history and helping others experience them in the same way I did. The only problem was that I did not know how to achieve that goal. I knew that there were people doing those things for a living, but I did not yet understand how they got those jobs or even what those jobs were called. I also struggled with people often telling me that there is no money in history and that I am not gonna be able to find a job working in that field. This definitely choked my ambitions for a while and made me temporarily abandon my dreams. As I was finishing high school and moving on to university, I chose to pursue a more 'lucrative' degree in computer science.
I thought coding was what would work for me. However, after three semesters, I realized I was just going through the motions. I do find computer science, and programming, interesting from an intellectual perspective, but it is not something that I am particularly interested in dedicating my life to. I ultimately decided that I had to change majors, and I ended up switching to history. I had always loved history, so it seemed a natural choice, and it turned out I was right. However, as I was finishing up my history degree, I again had to figure out what I was going to do for a living. There are obviously careers for history majors, but I still wasn't sure what career path I wanted to take. In the end, however, I determined I needed to pursue a masters degree in library science.
In my senior year of undergrad, I had learned that the best pathway for getting work in a museum was to get a library science degree. Specifically, a masters in library science. As a child I was always fascinated with museums and the people who got to take care of museum collections. As someone who loved history and wanted to explore and interact with history in more of a hands on way, I dreamed of working in a museum or archive. As an adult, I still have that dream, but my interest in this work is less one of selfish intrigue. Instead, I truly believe in the important role that cultural heritage institutions play as custodians of our collective history. I want to help preserve our cultural history so that we are not constantly having to rediscover our roots and history. My plans after graduating are to find work in an archive or museum somewhere in the US and start building some experience in hopes that one day I can apply to one of those great museums that I have loved since I was a child.
