From "Mid-Career Professionals and Museum Leadership," Douglas Stark, History News (AASLH Member Publication), Summer 2008.

Does this sound familiar?

"Too often, mid-level professionals feel as if they have stalled in their careers. To them, the field feels compartmentalized, and plum jobs often seem to have a low turnover rate. These issues are further compounded by limited networking opportunities.

Frustrated and disappointed, many leave the profession. Those who stay often lack the resources for career guidance. The absence of a clear-cut path of upward mobility within museums creates uncertainty in the minds of mid-level professionals. As workers invest in their careers, museums must match that investment by providing resources, guidance, and a succession plan to groom the next generation. . . ."

Stark identifies the following steps mid-career professionals can take to increase their "personal investment portfolio" (i.e. investments in one's career):

• Volunteer at another museum to get new skills/demonstrate initiative.
  
• Join professional organizations & participate in them.
  
• Network ("At least two-thirds of all jobs are obtained through some form of networking"--wonder where he got that figure?)
  
• Utilize professional mentors
  
• Get mid-career training (update skills, get training in fundraising, communications and marketing or administration), attend one of the various Leadership Intitutes (which again, are great networking opportunities).
  
• Try for a bigger job at a smaller place
  
• Develop skills outside the museum (broader community or civic involvement)
  

Anyt thoughts on these ideas?