The Best Booze Related Job I’ve Seen in Age

beer-historyBoy, how cool would it be to hand out business cards that read:

Joe Blowe
Beer Historian/Scholar
Smithsonian Institution

Someone is going to get to be that person since the Smithsonian Institution is indeed hiring for such a position. If you are wondering if your many years of downing craft beer qualifies you, the position requires a bit more: “Candidates with an advanced degree in American business, brewing, food, cultural, or similar specialization within history are encouraged to apply.”

The Beer Historian will be part of the Smithsonian’s “three-year initiative to collect, document and preserve the history of brewing, craft brewers and the beer industry to explore how the beverage and brewing connect to larger themes in American history.”

There was a time when I thought I’d make a career in the academy as a Historian. I had planned to get a PhD in History and teach. However, in the course of getting my Masters I had the chance to lecture college freshman and grade their papers. All too often I’d come across entire paragraphs with no verbs and very little indication within the mish mash of Freshman worlds of what they were talking about. I marked their paper with a “D”. I was informed by my Professor that I could not base grades on the quality of their writing.

I immediately had visions of grading such papers for 30 years. I got my masters and left to get real work.

Twenty Six years hence, the idea of making a career as a “Wine Historian” actually sounds pretty cool.

 

Tags:


Leave a Reply