Career Advice
At my last day at Facts on File, my supervisor came up to me and said, "you're going to be hard to replace. It's really hard to find good people."
Now that I've found myself in an economy that's saying the exact opposite, I'm taking a long, scrutinizing look at what I can do to make this place work for me. It's daunting to consider scrapping every bit of your formal education and starting over.
On the Cleveland-plus side, at least now I know that it's not just me. Back in 2004, before we left, both Jim and I were starting to take the lack of jobs really, really personally. We thought Cleveland hated us.
At the further risk of sounding like a cranky old man, I've started compiling a list of career advice for my future-children, which probably won't be applicable by the time they start looking for jobs and which they probably won't listen to anyway. So far, it consists of:
I realize that #5 is essentially a reiteration of #2, but I feel like it's very important. And, as such, it's probably the bit of advice that my future-children will reject the hardest.
I've spent this morning using my librarian skills (okay, I guess library school wasn't totally worthless) working on #3.
Specifically, I'm trying to figure out which career path has the brightest future in Northeast Ohio. I think it might be manufacturing.* I'll condense my research and post it tomorrow.
Meanwhile, any ideas?
*note: joke
Now that I've found myself in an economy that's saying the exact opposite, I'm taking a long, scrutinizing look at what I can do to make this place work for me. It's daunting to consider scrapping every bit of your formal education and starting over.
On the Cleveland-plus side, at least now I know that it's not just me. Back in 2004, before we left, both Jim and I were starting to take the lack of jobs really, really personally. We thought Cleveland hated us.
At the further risk of sounding like a cranky old man, I've started compiling a list of career advice for my future-children, which probably won't be applicable by the time they start looking for jobs and which they probably won't listen to anyway. So far, it consists of:
1. Don't go to library school.
2. For your first career, do something that you don't hate that pays a lot of money and save that money like it's going out of style so you will have more flexibility later.
3. Do some research on whether the career you're considering actually has a future.
4. Don't pick a career with a limited future.
5. Don't "do what you love" and expect the money to follow. (This may sound very cynical, but at the close of my twenties, I've concluded that the marriage of money + what you're really all about is dangerous territory). Do something that pays well enough that you don't have to do it a lot and do the stuff you love in your off-time.
I realize that #5 is essentially a reiteration of #2, but I feel like it's very important. And, as such, it's probably the bit of advice that my future-children will reject the hardest.
I've spent this morning using my librarian skills (okay, I guess library school wasn't totally worthless) working on #3.
Specifically, I'm trying to figure out which career path has the brightest future in Northeast Ohio. I think it might be manufacturing.* I'll condense my research and post it tomorrow.
Meanwhile, any ideas?
*note: joke
posted by Christine Borne at 9:57 AM
16 Comments:
What's the intersection between a library and manufacturing? I'm being serious here. What skills do librarian have that could be used in manufacturing?
Hmm. Technical writing maybe.
Pardon my ignorance, but how much writing do librarians (who aren't bloggers) do? Where's the line between a library and knowledge management?
Librarians sometimes do writing, depending on what kind of library they work in. If the library is small and doesn't have a PR department, sometimes you have to write up your own copy for promotional materials. Sometimes you're the one responsible for what's on the website. You sometimes do a lot of reference work via email and chat, so it helps to have written communication skills. You have to write up materials for conference presentations. Some employers expect you or want you to write for trade publications. (There are also A LOT of library bloggers.) If you're in an academic library, sometimes you're in the publish-or-perish circuit, I think. You sometimes have to write up materials about how to use the library collections.
You have to be a good verbal communicator as well, because you're interacting with people who can't or won't tell you what they're really looking for, so you have to wheedle it out of them by asking the right questions....
There's a significant connection between librarianship and knowledge management, and as long as you go to library school with that in mind and take a hefty dose of tech-related classes, you should be OK (not that you're thinking about going to library school, just "you" in general. My future-children, I guess I'm talking to here). Unfortunately I didn't have much foresight at age 23. My degree is a Master's of Library and Information Science, but I went real light on the Information Science part, and now I really regret it (I focused on youth services in a public library.)
Christine -
Hey! I'm lovin' your blog. As an unemployed marketing/communications person (and writer), I'm thinking looking for a new profession in Cleveland is like reading a Chinese fortune cookie...you know, add "in bed" after every pithy statement. (Well, it's usually funny.) My point? Add "medical" in front of any noun and you might be able to find something significant without scrapping your years of training.
If you need any contacts regarding searches, job hunters, job hunting helpers, etc., (and these are free) let me know.
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Great post Christine. I don't believe people can just do what they love and have the money follow either. It makes more sense to do something you can tolerate that pays well so that you can FINANCE what you love.
If you have great writing skills you may only have to pick up a few college courses but could probably get jobs in grantwriting, copyediting, web content writing, and technical writing. I recently read there is a need for writers in the software gaming industry because the plots for video games are usually poorly written by programmers. Then there is always book writing if you have the patience for querying literary agents and publishing companies.
Regarding job searching in C-town, I have to agree with copper. Anything medical is where it's at, especially nursing. Try searching Careerboard without parameters and you'll find pages upon pages of Cleveland Clinic and UH positions posted. I think our economy will always need salespeople and administrative assistants. They're not glory jobs but you can earn enough in them to do what you love. Of course, networking and knowing someone in an industry you want to enter certainly can't hurt.
I just read somewhere that a Cleveland manufacturer received 1000 resumes for 38 available positions. That's a sad reality that probably applies to more career fields than manufacturing.
As for jobs of the future, check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook on the Department of Labor's website at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
Best of Luck!
Is there such a thing as a medical librarian?
George - yes. You are the second person in a week to suggest this to me. I am taking this as a sign. There is still the problem, though, of the glut of librarians in NEO. But I will say that health-related reference questions in the public library were sort of my "thing," so it's something I know I would be good at.
Copper - I also like your fortune cookie example. I am seriously considering getting into *something* with healthcare, although my one stipulation is no body fluids! (I got enough of those in the public library - ack.)
Emmanuel - All good advice! I will have to look up the gaming avenue - I'd never thought of that, but it could be really interesting.
One problem I'm finding is that I'm definitely overqualified for jobs like administrative assistant. There are more than enough people applying for those jobs that I don't even get called back.
What do you guys think about database administration? It seems to pop up on in-demand lists, but seriously, I tend to take these things with a grain of salt. A few years ago, there were a lot of "omg! there's going to be a librarian shortage!" articles around. There wasn't, and there hasn't been yet.
DBA=bleah. Anytime there's a glut of something, it's best to carve out a new niche.
Here's what the Dept. of Labor defines medical librarians:
A medical librarian may provide information about new medical treatments, clinical trials, and standard procedures to health professionals, patients, consumers, and corporations.
Also, there's an interesting article about how writers fit in with gamers on the International Game Developers Association website here: http://www.igda.org/writing/WhereDoesTheWriterFitIn.htm
so George, is there a glut of database administrators then?
Not sure. There's this:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos042.htm
I don't think it's too difficult to get certified. I think the question is which db would you get certified on (oracle, microsoft, MySQL) then where would you get experience managing one.
Christine, I'll have to introduce you to my friend Michael Keating, a fellow KSU master's-level librarian (with Penton Publishing) who's a font of information about so-called special libraries (library holdings as such institutions as medical center, musueums and the like). Also Ann Abid, Roldo Bartimole's wife, who was head librarian of the Cleveland Museum of Art before her retirement. They'd be great sounding boards for you.
Christine - I would recommend, in addition to a lot of great back and forth advice in this thread, taking stock of skills you've had to employ or develop just in getting on with life. I know that sounds a bit basic or even lame to some, but as a more or less stay at home mom for a the last few years, even with the part-time freelancing, seriously - you have to be able to do a lot of different stuff just to keep life going.
Now - that doesn't set you apart necessarily, and you can't really demonstrate anything measurable per se, but still - it's just another way to review how resourceful you are and then maybe extrapolate from that to see how you've put those skills to use either in your actual job or could put them to use in a job.
Just a thought.
I love this post. It really rings true - especially #5.
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