We surveyed 881 curators to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical curator. Here are the results.

How much intelligence is required as a curator?

Low

High

Working as a curator typically requires higher levels of intelligence when compared with the average career. This means that curators are required to actively learn new things related to their discipline and solve complex problems.

Can I learn to become a curator?

Intrinsic Talent

Acquired Talent

A career as a curator typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.

Is it easy to get a job as a curator?

Easy

Hard

It’s typically difficult to find a job as a curator. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for curators.

Info

Do curators work full-time or part-time?

45% of curators work in full-time roles while 55% work part-time.

Is being a curator stressful?

Low

High

Curators tend not to find their jobs stressful, which likely contributes positively to career satisfaction.

Is being organized important as a curator?

Low

High

Some level of organization is generally required to be a curator.

How competitive is the workplace for curators?

Low

High

Curators see mild competition in their workplace.

Does being a curator require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?

Low

High

Time pressure tends not to be a major contributor of stress for curators.

Are curators allowed to express themselves creatively?

Low

High

Creativity is intrinsic to being a curator, and a highly valuable part of the career.

Do curators have control over the direction of their work?

Low

High

Curators have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.

Is being a curator physically demanding?

Low

High

Work as a curators is not the most physically demanding of careers, falling in the bottom half of all careers.

Are curators exposed to a wide variety of work?

Low

High

While sometimes repetitive, curators tend to have opportunities for variety in their work.

Does being a curator require attention to detail?

Low

High

As in many careers, attention to detail is quite helpful for curators.

Does being a good curator require compassion and empathy?

Low

High

Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as curators.