Getting a good job in the Seattle area is challenging, but not impossible. There are many other parts of the country in which professional, entry-level job opportunities are more plentiful. This is, however, a city and region that appreciates initiative and creativity, and values what you can do (and have done) as much as what you studied in college or graduate school, and where you got your degree.

This is good news for optimistic, self-starting preservationists-to-be in our region, regardless of age. Whether you're young, still in school and planning for the future, recently graduated, or looking to transition into historic preservation in the area, there are steps you can take to improve your chances of getting a good job in the field sooner rather than later.

Volunteering Opportunities

One of the easiest and most productive ways to get your foot in the door is volunteering with local preservation organizations, museums, or historic societies. Where you volunteer and what you do while volunteering are very important, because if well chosen, a volunteer gig can help you learn more about what you like or dislike, what you're good at, and who might help you get a real job in your field.

People volunteer for many reasons, some altruistic, some less so. Nonprofit organizations and museums need volunteers who will help with programming and events, sit at registration tables, or even provide administrative tasks. Volunteers who provide these much needed services believe in the mission of the organization, and are actually sponsoring the organization through a donation of services. These are very important kinds of volunteers.

If you are looking for job or a career change, however, you should be choosy. Look for an organization that will listen to what your goals are, and which will provide project-oriented opportunities. Projects that you can "own" are ideal, as are self-initiated projects that you, yourself create and pitch (at no cost).

How you volunteer is highly personal, and depends on your personality and personal goals. My first volunteer internship within the field of preservation was self-created because the Historic Wilmington Foundation (NC), the organization I worked with, was supportive of my illustrating a speculative guidebook project. I spent the summer out-of-doors drawing historic houses in my hometown, which gave me a great opportunity to talk to residents and passersby about the merits of saving historic houses, and what Historic Wilmington did to make that happen. This was a perfect introduction to advocacy, with little stress for me, and 200 drawings for my host organization.

Volunteering for Historic Seattle

Peri Muhich, Historic Seattle's Volunteer Coordinator, is our organization's primary staff to all volunteers. She receives requests from other staff who need volunteer help. Historic Seattle's programs require many volunteers to do numerous tasks that help things go smoothly, and reduce stress on our staff. Peri's email is perim@historicseattle.org. Advocacy is the next most volunteer-needy category in our offices, because good decisions require lots of research.

This research varies. Because advocacy covers a broad spectrum of subject areas and community concerns, the opportunities for mutually beneficial volunteer projects are great. For instance, I recently received a call from a young woman who just graduated from WSU's interior design program. She is very interested in historic interiors, but this wasn't a strong point of her professional program. She is currently looking for a job in interiors, ideally with a firm specializing in historic preservation. Such jobs are very limited, and without any experience, nearly impossible to secure.

She is now working on a research project that will help Historic Seattle better serve our members, and will help her get information that will advance her personal career goals. She is compiling a binder (or binders, depending on the job market and her patience) with xeroxes of historic interiors dating from 1880 to 1965 taken from interiors and ladies magazines such as House and Garden and Good Housekeeping. We won't be republishing these images, but they will provide a valuable reference for homeowners looking to restore "remuddled" older house interiors to an appearance more in keeping with the house's construction date.

As our advocacy output grows, and our organization matures, there will be even greater volunteer opportunities for a wide range of pre-professional preservation types.

The preservation community is small in most places. Getting known by association with established organizations or people is a good idea, whether you are paid for work or not.

Opportunity Costs

Very few preservationists-to-be are independently wealthy. With an undergraduate degree only, it is relatively difficult to find a job in preservation in this area. Even with a masters degree, jobs are limited. That means some very good, competent and intelligent preservationists-to-be sometimes take jobs outside of the field. If student loans are an issue, one may have to take more than one job at first just to keep clear of your creditors. Combining a volunteer gig with a half time position answering phones or waiting tables is a respectable, practical compromise.

If at all possible, however, focus on preservation-related work, paid or unpaid. If you can forbear your loans and get a little help from your parents, spouse or significant other, consider it an investment. Don't freak out about money (easier said than done, but try). None of my many friends in historic preservation ever got a free ride. No one is a superstar in this field overnight. Those who succeed earlier were the most focused, and sacrificed a few creature comforts to work for free (or close to it) in the beginning. Working hard and expending emotional energy in food service or other non-related areas will increase the amount of time it will take to be a bona fide preservation professional.

Playing Well with Others

As with every other career path, good interpersonal and communication skills are extremely important. Being personable, having a good sense of humor, being honest, direct but decorous, noticing group and interpersonal dynamics and carefully navigating through them, as well as showing up on time, are all helpful and valued in most office environments. Getting to know people before you graduate, making the most of volunteer opportunities by networking, having meaningful informational interviews, attending professional conferences and local events, and having membership in preservation organizations is not a requirement, but will substantially shorten the amount of "dues paying" time you'll make on your way to the presidency of the National Trust (if that's your goal).

Try on your ideal preservation job by producing simple personal business cards. If you are interested in working for cultural resource management firms (or with independent consultants) or if the idea of being your own boss interests you, this is a good exercise. Cards are an easy way for others to keep track of you. You can reduce your resume to a few words and include these on your card. If you have no related work experience, business cards can just contain your contact information. Few young pre-professionals do this, so you'll probably impress potentially important people by bothering.

Undercooked

Pre-professionals with masters degrees, in general, have a better chance of avoiding administrative or backbreaking entry level positions within the field of preservation. If you're having trouble finding a decent job with a BA alone, or want to duck out of the current economy for a while, you may consider getting a masters degree. The National Trust for Historic Preservation publishes a list of professional programs around the country once a year in its monthly Preservation Magazine.

Getting an advanced degree is also helpful in securing better paying, leadership positions within the field in the future. A decade or more ago, preservationists with a BA could expect a good job in preservation, such as a directorship or a high profile position like a city or state historic preservation officer. Many professionals in these positions today have careers based on hard work and accumulated experience. Having a masters was less of an issue in the1970s and 80s. Getting into the field today is different. This is especially true if you are considering moving to the East Coast where masters degrees from reputable institutions are a dime a dozen. The field is competitive. Having a masters can't hurt. I have two, in part because I graduated from college during a recession, so jumped immediately into graduate school without taking time out to work or look for work.

Graduate preservation degrees are also good for people with BAs in non-preservation related fields. People with highly practical undergraduate degrees looking for a career change, especially in business and finance or planning, are especially good candidates for futures in historic preservation, and would benefit from advanced degrees in preservation.

Preservationists Persevere

A career in preservation, regardless of your talents, skills or grades, involves paying dues. My first job in preservation is a great case in point. I worked at one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's properties, Chesterwood, which is the summer home and studio of Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial and many other monuments around the country. The house and studio are fantastic, and I was hired as a curatorial specialist to clean up registrarial/curatorial work that was conducted in 1969 when the Trust first acquired the property. It was interesting but tedious work, and the conditions were sometimes less than ideal. At one point, I worked in an unheated attic (in Western Massachusetts) in the winter surrounded by vermin excrement and sticky no-pest strips. I could not wear goggles (my eyes watered and stung from the stinking fumes and dust) and a respirator (it was also hard to breathe because of the cold, fumes and dust) at the same time because the respirator fogged the goggles. I made $8 an hour (in 1994) with no benefits, vacation or insurance. I drove an hour to work in the morning and an hour home at night. I finally left because I totaled my car in a freak April ice storm on the way to another Trust property, and could no longer commute to work. Not my best time.

The good news is, I persevered, got another masters degree, and a good job immediately after, moved to Seattle, and found my place. Others have had similar experiences. If you really want to be a preservation professional, persevere and be optimistic. It's well worth it.

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