Gail Boyle
Senior Curator (Archaeology & World Cultures), Bristol Culture
There are many reasons why a museum professional might choose to pursue the FMA. In my own case I had been faced with the prospect of being made redundant on more than one occasion, which led me to take stock of how I might adequately benchmark or demonstrate my level of professional practice – primarily to myself but also to others.
What had I already achieved, where did my competencies lie and how might I identify gaps to enable me to continue moving forward?
In the end it was a long-standing colleague who suggested that I should apply, as they felt that I was already capable of demonstrating what was required to meet the criteria.
The process itself provides an opportunity to do some structured self-reflection and I found this to be a positive and affirming experience that improved my self-belief and self-concept. The latter was particularly important since it gave me the opportunity to think about what I might become or want from my ongoing museum career.
It renewed my energy and determination to continue to do my best to make a difference in museums, because it showed me what effect I had already had, and more importantly that it had mattered and continues to matter.
In short, I found that undertaking the FMA was so much more than just a professional form-filling exercise about my past achievements and capabilities, because it helped me to be more confident and excited about the future.