Friday prompt

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a museum curator.

Obviously those weren’t the words I used, but even at age five I was obsessed with history and archaeology and I loved going to museums (still do), so I wanted to work in one.

I did everything right – got the qualifications, got the work experience – but unfortunately I graduated right into a time when arts funding was being severely cut, so I couldn’t get a job. Add to that being a woman with expertise and experience in a traditionally male-dominated field, that of military history, and I was kind of stuffed.

I decided eventually to just keep history and museums as a hobby. It’s probably more fun that way, anyway.

I will admit I do walk round museums with a critical eye – that’s just from my training at uni, and I often see areas for improvement. But that’s not my problem, and in a way, I’m glad it’s not.