The Going Back to School Option
There really is no worse time to be a laid-off librarian in Ohio. The economy wasn't great when I was in library school, but the Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System (CAMLS, now NEO-RLS) used to consistently have around 15-20 job postings listed at any given time. Now there are usually 1 or 2.
I hate the idea of going back to school. I wrestled with it before, the last time I was out of work. I really don't want to learn a whole new set of written and unwritten rules for another profession, but I wonder if I'll have to.
So here are some educational avenues I could pursue:
Cleveland Marshall College of Law. I think I would find law school interesting and pleasantly challenging, but my magic 8 ball (aka the Occupational Outlook Handbook) says that for lawyers: average employment growth is projected, but job competition is expected to be keen. Not too promising, given that the OOH also says the job prospects for librarians are expected to be favorable.
Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations. The Mandel School offers a Certificate in Nonprofit Management or a Master of Nonprofit Organizations (how's that for impressive-sounding). Honestly, part of me has had it up to my eyeballs with nonprofits, but at the same time, I hate to just throw out all those years of experience. And the larger question is, do I really want to manage anything? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't.
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. This is where my intellectual proclivities lie, but I have serious doubts about actually getting a job afterwards. I can see myself exactly where I am now, only with a degree (MUPDD) that's pronounced "Muppet."
Some sort of continuing ed in database development, technical writing, web design, etc. As you've probably noticed, my web design skills haven't been updated much since about 2002. If there's anything off of this list that I choose, it's probably going to be continuing ed. I just don't know if I have it in me to do another degree program.
I hate the idea of going back to school. I wrestled with it before, the last time I was out of work. I really don't want to learn a whole new set of written and unwritten rules for another profession, but I wonder if I'll have to.
So here are some educational avenues I could pursue:
Cleveland Marshall College of Law. I think I would find law school interesting and pleasantly challenging, but my magic 8 ball (aka the Occupational Outlook Handbook) says that for lawyers: average employment growth is projected, but job competition is expected to be keen. Not too promising, given that the OOH also says the job prospects for librarians are expected to be favorable.
Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations. The Mandel School offers a Certificate in Nonprofit Management or a Master of Nonprofit Organizations (how's that for impressive-sounding). Honestly, part of me has had it up to my eyeballs with nonprofits, but at the same time, I hate to just throw out all those years of experience. And the larger question is, do I really want to manage anything? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't.
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. This is where my intellectual proclivities lie, but I have serious doubts about actually getting a job afterwards. I can see myself exactly where I am now, only with a degree (MUPDD) that's pronounced "Muppet."
Some sort of continuing ed in database development, technical writing, web design, etc. As you've probably noticed, my web design skills haven't been updated much since about 2002. If there's anything off of this list that I choose, it's probably going to be continuing ed. I just don't know if I have it in me to do another degree program.
posted by Christine Borne at 9:26 AM
4 Comments:
The good thing about a Master's Degree in urban planning is that it is very versatile, and you can focus on any particular area that tweaks your interest - physical planning, economic development, real estate development, public policy, affordable housing, etc. It's hardly a useless degree. I should know, I have one (OSU '03).
I didn't mean to insinuate that it was useless. I meant more along the lines of, what are my job prospects here, because now I'm stuck in Cleveland, plus, is the job market getting clogged with other MUPDD's (and related)? I'm also wary of spending money on another degree that gets me into a another profession that (I think) relies so heavily on public funds and philanthropy. Maybe you could shed some more light on this. Thanks!
No offense taken! Your concerns are certainly warranted. As far as the community development industry is concerned, Cleveland's is one of the most mature in the country - so I'd say there's a lot of jobs within the field, but there's probably significant competition for them, given the weak job market. Plus I suspect that the pay isn't that high (just based on my own anecdotal research) for the same reason.
Cleveland is blessed with a legacy of philanthropic support from a number of foundations - but as you know, there's no guarantee of ongoing support, especially when times are tough. Some smaller community development organizations are facing enormous hardship (and even closing their doors) because City resources are targeted toward groups and neighborhoods that either stand the strongest chance of success or are critical in stemming the tide of disinvestment. But all that said, I still think it's a degree that can open a lot of doors for you, even if it means a job in an area you weren't quite expecting.
The Cleveland thing is huge--with 1 Master's, any Master's, you are already overqualified for a lot of things there. It all depends on what Cleveland is going to try and throw itself into as an economic driver for the future.
I wound up going from librarianship to performance auditing, which is a better fit for me. I work with a lot of Masters of Public Policy and Public Administration types, but I might try to burnish my accounting skills at the community college level to improve y long term employment prospects.
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