Jill of many trades, Mistress of ...
Like a lot of kids, I had a litany of occupations that I rattled off whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Between the ages of 5-7, it was "firefighter or ballerina or stunt woman or truck driver". I blame PBS for the ballerina nonsense. From 8-13, I looked at medicine: "nurse or general practitioner or OB/GYN". Then around age 13, I realized that I might not make it through basic anatomy because the thought of being near a dead body terrified me (I went to my first funeral when I was 14).
Briefly (14-15) I considered becoming a historian (specializing in Mideval and Renaissance Europe), but realized that historians write for a living and I didn't believe I had the chops to write for my bread and butter. I entered college majoring in psychology, planning to specialize in forensic psych/criminal justice. I graduated with a B.A. in polisci and figured on becoming either a lawyer or a prof or a pundit or the press secretary to the President of United States. That didn't quite work out.
But now, I have an advanced degree and a solid foundation in a profession ... maybe. I was over at LISNews and happened upon my account page where I read my self-desc: "Currently a library paraprofessional. And LIS grad student in the Bay Area. A future librarian ... or analyst ... or lawyer ... or something. I have a LiveJournal (same username) that I use to talk about school and personal stuff. I'd like to use this one to talk about things from the perspective of a library user, and a non-degreed library worker. Don't know if it'll be interesting, but I'll try."
I've had that desc for a year and it needs changing, but that sentence in bold probably won't change anytime soon. Which is a bit sad, really. I went on a tour of Stanford's Archive of Recorded Sound and while I have no interest in being a music librarian (although I'm sure it's a cool field), the discussion of preservation techniques made me think of my interest in digital preservation. And film preservation. But going into film preservation would most likely require going back to school for another 2 years for a post-MLS MIAS program, but if I'm going to go back to school, I should probably get a second master's or maybe a J.D. but what if a news research job opens up, those don't come along every day even when the economy is good, and what's wrong with working in the trenches (i.e. info desk) at a public library?
I'm a touch undecided about what I'd like to pursue professionally. I'm not sure that trying to do it all (or even 60% of it all) is feasible, given the educational and training requirements. And a number of personal and professional factors make it inadvisable -- I don't even know if I have the personality to change careers every 3-5 years ... or less (I did that during my 20s, but that was due to a lingering recession).
This requires further dithering, I mean, thought ... in the meantime, please excuse me if I seem to draw a blank if asked what I want to do now ...
Comments
Guess what? You've been more stable than I have been.
I have faith in you, Eli. I have no idea where you'll be in five years, but... guess what? I have no idea where I'll be in five years.
Oh, wait. I know one thing about where we'll be. Together.
Posted by: Chip Unicorn | September 16, 2004 03:50 PM
Even as a post-grad, I'm having a hard time going in the direction I *think* I want to go in, so I support you in your feeling scattered. I've wandered in and out of different roles in technology and project management during the dot com boom (before the bust), totally by accident, since I was originally an English major (see, English majors *can* make money, if they put their communications skills to work).
I'm starting a job as a technical services librarian Monday, a job I was pretty sure wouldn't interest me when I was a student. I think that one of the best things for librarians right now is to be flexible and multifaceted, since it helps a librarian stay employed and helps the library profession evolve. Going back to school, well... if you're change in interests is strong enough, I'd say go for it when the time comes. If not, you can poke around with different positions, and see what fits you best.
Just remember, it's all good...
Posted by: Andrea | September 16, 2004 06:42 PM
Thank you, Andrea ... it's nice to know I'm not alone.
Posted by: misseli | September 17, 2004 12:00 PM