Any jobs that deal with classifying or indexing information?
December 6, 2011 2:17 PM   Subscribe

Please help me come up with jobs where the main duty is organizing or classifying information.

I have been an attorney for the past 7 years and despise it. My undergrad degree is in business administration, but I've never used it.

One thing I've noticed that I enjoy is when I'm asked to organize or index information. I've created several indexes to help me find information I need personally or professionally. I've never taken any formal coursework in this area. I also like to index information I find on the Web in blog or notebook form so that I can forward things on to people when asked or post it to help someone.

I know librarians are very involved in information management, but I would like to avoid going back to school if possible. I also know there are database management jobs, but I don't have any IT experience. I would be willing to learn the IT stuff on my own if necessary.

Are there any jobs where a law or business degree would allow me to do what I propose?
posted by stedman15 to Work & Money (13 answers total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
Paralegals do a lot of this when organizing incoming files.
posted by craven_morhead at 2:23 PM on December 6, 2011


Best answer: The database computer science stuff isn't really that hard. You can do it! The job title is "Data Architect". My opinion is that that job will get more and more relevant with the vast amount of data being created these days.
posted by dobie at 2:28 PM on December 6, 2011


Many different vocations are converting their paper records over to scanned editions, a lot of that is grunt work but I wager each company porviding those services has a food chain where a pro's eye is important to do set up schemes and the quality control. Likely not lawer level money but also likely no weekends either, could be good.

As is mentioned here the future is in controlling and searching data.
posted by Freedomboy at 2:29 PM on December 6, 2011


Could you see what kinds of jobs Westlaw and Lexis have available? Someone has to create and organize all of those cross-references and citation numbers and hierarchies. Presumably, that could be you.
posted by decathecting at 2:31 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


You should become a linguist/philologist.
posted by michaelh at 2:41 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: You might enjoy the fields of archiving or records management. I've worked in those fields for over a decade now for the same reasons you described. Organized people such as yourself tend to enjoy the attention to detail that those jobs require. Good luck!
posted by chatelaine at 3:05 PM on December 6, 2011


Seconding archiving. The tough part is finding a decent job.
posted by Fister Roboto at 3:07 PM on December 6, 2011


Can you develop expertise in large-scale e-discovery? It's in demand and it's nothing but sorting, indexing, organizing, etc.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:15 PM on December 6, 2011


Just as I wouldn't dare to either practice medicine or law without the proper education, neither would I consider a vocation as an archivist or librarian with a proper professional education in the information field.

An accredited MLS degree can be completed in an all-online program or in person in a little over a year. An advanced history degree - a prerequisite for many archival positions - may take longer - 2-3 years full time for a MA and up to 10 years for a PhD. Many starting CRM (Certified Record Managers) already have an MBA. stedman15, as much as it may pain you, if you would consider viable employment in most of your listed career choices, you would be well advised to obtain an additional degree.
posted by mfoight at 3:24 PM on December 6, 2011


Many professional services firms have internal knowledge management business units, and specific roles which require the architecture and management of data/content taxonomies. Many of the people in these roles are librarians, but many are not. If you have experience in a related role, and a passion for it, you've got quite a decent shot. Memail if you'd like to know more.
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 6:47 PM on December 6, 2011


Museum Registrar.
posted by Miko at 7:36 PM on December 6, 2011


I have an MLIS and I don't work anywhere near a library - I do content management for a start-up website. There is a lot of information that needs to be sorted and organized. I love what I do. This position started as internship and I was promoted to a full-time manager six months later.

Are there internet companies near you? Check if they are hiring.
posted by amicamentis at 9:39 AM on December 7, 2011


Best answer: Database journalism, apparently the hot new thing
posted by Tom-B at 8:54 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


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