You'll need a masters in art history before you do any sort of decent museum work. Before that, I suggest taking as many art history courses as possible in order to learn the material. What courses to take depends on what area you want to focus in. For instance, I have a focus in 19th century European artwork and I'll be working on my masters soon.

I'm an art history professor and have worked in museums and galleries as well.

My first piece of advice: Spell it 'course,' not 'coarse.' ;)

Second, forget the management classes and take a wide range of art history courses. I'd especially recommend a class on art historical writing/theory/methods.

Experience as a volunteer or intern in museums and galleries is essential before getting a permanent position there. I think that many galleries will hire someone with only a BA, if they have the right assortment of art historical knowledge, people skills, charisma, and business sense. As for museum work, there is a wide range of possibilities, many of which do require advanced degrees. Depending on the museum, most of the curators will have PhDs and even some of the people in the education department will have an MA--in either art history, museum studies, or education. In smaller museums, the requirements might be less. But I'm realizing that there is really a glut of highly educated and qualified people out there, so even smaller museums are asking for PhDs to apply for curatorial positions.

This is what came off the top of my head! Let me know if you have other questions.

I am a waiter in a fancy restaurant. I studied art and am getting ready to get a publisher for a coffee table book of photographs.

I remember a conversation I overheard at a table, a cute little duce. There was a ravishingly beautiful woman, brunette, with a French accent. She was probably in her late 30's or early 40's.

She was with a CEO-type. It seemed like a complete mismatch. It was like she had slept with him because he might have made lots of money and seemed to be doing well in the world, but to me he was ugly.

Anyway, she was going on and on about how she wanted to work in a gallery and he told her, "You don't want to do that. There's no money in it. You only have so much time in your life; you've got to make money now. You are going to get older and not be able to take care of yourself. The whole process of life is relatively short and you have to start planning now."

It shook me to my roots since I am 45 and have simply lived my bliss, producing a book of prose poems and now what amounts to a couple of photography books.

Luckily, I bought a place and may finish paying it off in 12 years. By then I will be having a very difficult time doing my job. Waiting tables is murderously stressful but not for the reasons you may think.

What really bugs me about my job is that I do not handle stress well. I am terrible with money and basic calculations confound me. So, I've always felt that my survival after all these years was by the grace of God. I have always said that it was only a way station until my skills as an artist and writer were recognized.

All my eggs are in two baskets: Writing and Photography. If the photo book and prose poetry book do not do well, since they've literally taken my entire life to write, of course really over the past 10 years, then what will I have?

It's a crap shoot. But, merely working in a gallery or a museum is probably not as exciting as the art contained in the gallery exudes. Do an internship as a guard and ask around.

I know former curators for the Whitney and fund raisers for the Cooper-Hewitt and I just don't know. The Whitney curator is no longer doing that.

The majesty of the job (What do you imagine yourself doing?) does not consider the competition to get there, the education required, and for what? What is it you are after? Do you just like hanging around the art? Find out what it is that attracts you about the field and specific tasks you perceive are involved and then ask for an informational interview with someone who holds that type of position. Ask them how much they make and if they can make ends meet.

Life is really, really expensive. My advice is to practice what you want to preach (do in a gallery or a museum) and then do it.

At my age, I finally realize that life is really about the inner signal of responsibility to autonomy and mere carrying-out of what it is you uniquely do. It is not as specific as say working in a gallery or a museum but you are much more complicated and things will happen in your life that will guide you in directions that just are. Follow your soul but also get a job that supports you well or to an extent that you can buy the place where you will live. Once you buy you will no longer have to worry about that big expense each month and then you can relax with a job that pays as little usually as someone in a gallery makes.

True artists are not idealists. They embrace the soul and the soul takes you to the most difficult places. They see the deepest depths and translate that into beauty, which is the sense when something touches you deeply.

I recommend that you follow your shoulds and banish your vanities.

Regina, this page from the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics might give you some concrete and unbiased answers on what education and other training archival and curatorial jobs require, working conditions, employment opportunity, and median salaries for archivists, curators, and museum technicians: stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos065.htm#top I believe most of the statistics quoted in the article date from 2002.

A foreign language, French, Italian or German because research materials are written in other than english.

While I would not get into this whole debate of "what I want to do when I grow up," I must say the Professor and Mario both have valid points, just be aware colleges donot necessary prepare you for opportunites you may or may not have, nor are they necessary guarantees of where your carear is going to be in 20 years.

Good luck...