Aslaug's Axe Shed

You know … when I started working at the museum in Randers over a year ago, I was pretty happy about it because first of all, it meant no more sitting around on my arse doing nothing for a year. Secondly, it was relevant work for someone with my education.

But it wasn’t what I actually WANTED to do.

What I really wanted to do was write a Ph.D. application and go on to do research and tuition at a university. I was so sure of that that no one could possibly have convinced me that any other alternative was open. Well, that’s not entirely true either … I would have readily admitted I would love to make a living as an author, but I would also have vehemently denied that as a realistic possibility.

Now we’re two days into August, 2009, and I have one month and 22 days left at the museum before the project I’m working on is over, and I’m back to the ever-increasing ranks of the unemployed. There’s no job waiting for me on the other side … but I’m not upset. I’m quite sanguine … which a year ago, I would also have thought impossible. I was getting desperate for a job, but at the same time I was limiting myself pretty drastically in relation to what work I wanted to do.

In the year that has passed since, I’ve done an amazing amount of soulsearching and quite a bit of growing up, at least in relation to work and employment. I still do not want to end up standing by a conveyor belt, doing mindnumbingly repetitive work eight hours a day if there is any way to avoid it, but … I’m pretty open to almost anything else.

Most importantly, I’ve realized that the whole Ph.D. thing isn’t necessarily my dream-job anymore. I know I would still like to do that … quite a lot in fact … but I’ve come to realize something important.

The main reason why I wanted to get a Ph.D. was security. University was practically the only “professional” life I knew, and I figured … if I could just go back to that, everything would be cool and great. But here’s the thing. One cannot go back. If I went back, it wouldn’t be as a student. It would be as an employed researcher. Now … that does not scare me and I’d LOVE to do that, but the point is, I would not be returning to a “known” daily life. It would be vastly different than what I was used to as a student.

Moreover, I wanted to get that Ph.D. because what I wanted to do was a) research and b) sharing what I know with others … in this case through tuition.

Then a few months ago, I had an epiphany. Quite litterally, it was like someone walked up to me and smacked me over the head with a clue-by-four and I sat there at work, probably boggling poor Michael sitting across from me as I started laughing like an idiot.

I mean, what is working at a museum if it is not a) research and b) sharing what I know?

I don’t know why I hadn’t realized this before, but I suppose we all wear blinders from time to time. My point is … I would dearly, DEARLY love to get a job either at a museum or an archive when I’m done down there. And I’m pretty sure I’ll get a decent recommendation when I’m done with the project, which should hopefully be able to help me get a job elsewhere in the same area of work.

Only … there’s one slight hitch.

It’s called the financial crisis. You may not think it affects museums or the likes, but I can tell you … it does. When the Danish state has to distribute funds to cultural organizations, events and institutions, it does so based on several factors, such as how many visitors the organization, event or institution can expect over the next year. But more importantly, museums and archives and the like also get money from the local communes, and THEY are almost all so severely hard pressed for money at this time that they can’t afford to spend much on culture. Only a few communes, like Copenhagen and ??rhus (the two largest cities in Denmark) really spend lots and lots on culture because it’s important for bringing in tourists. The rest … well, they have to save money somewhere and museums are usually one of the first places that feel the belt tightening.

Sad but true.

So … I’ll probably have to look into other kinds of employment. That is okay with me. I’m a good worker and I just want something to do, y’know … but since last year, the official homepage for the national unemployment agency has gone from showing over 16.000 available jobs every day … to showing just over 5.000 jobs a day. At the same time, Denmark hit 100.000 full-time unemployed for the first time in almost two decades this past month and the number is still rising. It should be obvious to anyone that the situation is not good.

But I’m not willing to panic. I’m going to stay optimistic, and I’m going to work my arse off for a real job once I am done at the museum.

And I’ve still got over a month and a half left down there, anyway …