Max - Visitor Programmes

Max found the contacts he made and skills he gained, while completing his PGDip in MHST, were more than enough to quickly secure a position in the sector.

Visitors Programme Coordinator at Ashburton Museum

Having graduated from Otago University with a BA in art history and philosophy, and a further PGDip in art history, I was unsure how to turn my degree into a career. The Museum and Heritage Studies course at Victoria University of Wellington seemed like the perfect next step. Not only did it directly offer professional development and networking opportunities, being based in Wellington gave me access to a large segment of the arts, culture and heritage sector in New Zealand that had previously been inaccessible.

I was excited to move to Wellington and my decision quickly proved fruitful. I completed an internship at the City Gallery, as well as being given the opportunity to work at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, Foxton. I was also able to publish writing about museum practice and New Zealand heritage through the course’s existing networks. The things I learned at the course also gave me the confidence to reach out to Boosted, an arts crowdfunding platform, for a summer internship. This internship eventually turned into a paid position at the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.

Before doing this course I only considered curating or journalism as careers that would make use of my degree. I had no idea just how far-reaching the arts and culture sector is. Having listened to and met a variety of established industry professionals through the course, I realised that my personal values and abilities were better suited to a career based around community engagement. Based on the professional opportunities I took during the course, and a history of volunteer work in music festivals around New Zealand, I was able to land a job at Ashburton Museum as the visitor programmes coordinator almost immediately after graduating.

Initially I planned on completing a Masters, however, various forces made this impossible. This has not held me back at all, however, and the contacts I made, skills I gained and opportunities I have taken during the PGDip were more than enough for me to quickly secure a position in the sector.