When Vsevolod packed his bags to return to Vilnius after years of teaching contemporary art in Scandinavia, he expected his international credentials to open doors. Instead, a rigid bureaucratic loophole left the multi-degreed academic pouring drinks behind a bar, exposing deep systemic fractures in how the Lithuanian labor market evaluates foreign education and creative expertise.
An International Academic Journey Meets a Domestic Wall
Vsevolod’s educational pedigree spans three distinct European nations and multiple rigorous disciplines. In 2013, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in audiovisual media at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, following up with a Master’s degree at the same institution in 2015. He then traveled north, earning a contemporary art master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts at the university of Northern Norway in 2018. That same year, he secured a third Master’s degree in moving image and film art from a university in the United Kingdom.
While his time in the United Kingdom did not immediately tempt him to settle down, Norway offered a frictionless transition into academia. Hired to teach at the very academy where he had just studied, Vsevolod successfully guided three cohorts of students through their programs. In 2021, he relocated to Oslo to work at the city’s art house. Yet, the gravitational pull of home eventually drew him back to Lithuania, where he spent three years working as a curator at a capital-city art center and briefly served as its acting director.
The Breaking Point and the Myth of the Advanced Degree
The fast-paced, high-stress realities of the cultural sector eventually took a severe toll. Following a bout of burnout in the autumn of 2025, Vsevolod stepped away from his administrative and curatorial duties. The subsequent job search, however, transformed a routine career transition into an exhausting ordeal.
Reflecting on his experiences across borders, Vsevolod noted that his path dismantled a common societal myth: the assumption that a higher academic tier automatically translates to expanded career opportunities. In practice, he discovered that a foundational college bachelor’s degree can sometimes clear bureaucratic hurdles far faster than a clutch of master’s degrees.
“Within three years, I managed to burn out, ruin my health, and feel humiliated,” Vsevolod told Lrytas, describing the immense pressure of a sector where professionals often work punishing hours to mount complex exhibitions. “It feels like a complete crash.„”
When a Single Line of Administrative Criteria Neutralizes a CV
Today, Vsevolod finds himself locked out of interviews due to strict, unforgiving administrative filters. The culprit is often a single line in job descriptions stipulating that a candidate’s degree must fall under strict humanities classifications.
“Institution staff immediately throw [applications] out of the competition because I do not meet one technical line—my diploma is classified outside the humanities,„ Vsevolod explained to Lrytas. “And when you are asked to show your value and experience, the CV becomes an absolutely dysfunctional document. Then the question arises—what is it even needed for?„””
He stresses that studying art is far removed from casual sketching or playing with creative materials; it demands deep historical rigor, critical theory, and analytical skills that mirror traditional academic disciplines. Yet, facing a closed door in his specialized field, he has been forced to take work as a bartender to make ends meet—a striking descent for a former university lecturer.
Navigating the Stiff Bureaucracy of Modern European Labor Markets
As Vsevolod continues to weigh whether returning to Lithuania was ultimately the right choice, his story serves as a cautionary tale for governments aiming to attract international talent back home. What experiences have you had with rigid hiring practices in your own industry? Let us know in the comments below.
