The museum field has always been a challenging place for job seekers. Even in the best of times, there are often more talented people than positions available, and salaries tend to lag behind comparable roles in business or government. But with the recent elimination of federal funding through IMLS and NEH, and with looming threats of layoffs at the Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, and National Gallery of Art, the situation is becoming even more precarious. I’m deeply concerned about what lies ahead for our field, not just for those losing jobs, but for the ripple effects on institutions, communities, and careers.

Fifteen years ago, I faced a similar moment when the National Trust for Historic Preservation laid off about a third of its staff. I was fortunate: I had a generous severance package and a consulting project waiting (thank you, Jim Vaughan!). But not everyone will be so lucky this time. In that difficult season, a few books proved invaluable to me, and I strongly recommend them to anyone now facing an unexpected job search:

Transitions by William Bridges
This classic isn’t about job hunting directly — it’s about managing change. Bridges makes the essential point that transitions are psychological, not just practical. Understanding how to navigate endings, neutral zones, and new beginnings is crucial when facing career upheaval. In his view, transitions are a “natural process of disorientation and reorientation marking the turning points in the path of growth” and he offers a way to deal with them productively.

What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles
This enduring guide remains one of the most practical and encouraging resources for job seekers. Bolles offers clear advice on how to assess your skills, network effectively, and approach the job market with resilience and creativity. It’s aimed at college students who are getting ready to start their first professional job, but there’s plenty for mid-career professionals. For example, Chapter 4 on the “parachute approach” explains its superiority to the tradition of responding to job postings. Chapter 8, “Your Resume is Already Online,” will aid mid-career professionals who haven’t maintained an online presence (it’s one of the primary reasons I created this blog). There’s also a chapter on starting your own business, and if you’re interested in consulting, I’ve shared some thoughts in “Advice for Future Consultants and Freelancers.”

So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
Newport challenges the traditional “follow your passion” advice in the first half of the book and, in the second half, explains how to build rare and valuable skills instead. He reminds us that, “you need to be good at something before you can expect a good job.” New professionals have very little to offer so the job hunting strategy is different from the mid-career professional—they should have a decent level of “career capital.” His approach is especially helpful for the museum field, where passion is abundant but strategic skill development can make all the difference.

If you’re facing an uncertain future, I hope these books offer not just guidance, but hope. They did for me.