How to ignore the "doom and gloom" when making a career change?

September 5, 2016 3:04 PM

I've finally decided to go back to school to pursue my MLIS. Over the summer I had interviews with several librarians and they generally recommended that I go for it. Of course they all recommended that I don't go into debt for the degree (which shouldn't be a problem) and that I should be willing to move (which I am). With my current experience and interests, it honestly just makes sense. I felt so relieved when I decided to finally go ahead and apply for it. But every once in a while...

I find myself sooo focused on all the "doom and gloom" in the profession and really start to second guess my decisions. Like, I'll remember a comment I read on reddit (yeah, I know haha) or wherever where I read about someone who applied for like 340 library jobs and never got a call back and is still looking for over 3 years. Or some sort of horror story like that. Which scares me!!!!! I know people who have gotten jobs recently after getting their MLIS it's not impossible. But my god everyone just has a horror story about someone who couldn't make it.

I feel like I've been letting these horror stories get to me lately and it's just not productive. Is there any advice on how to, I guess, essentially just go on without giving much weight to these stories?

I get it, libraries are in such a state of flux right now. Jobs are not as easy to come by as they are in some other fields, but goddammit this field just makes sense for me!!

posted by modesty.blaise to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Honestly, I wouldn't ignore the doom and gloom about the profession. I agree, if you don't go into debt and are willing to move, you will have a leg up. I also think it is really valuable to gain some practical experience while you are in grad school in the form of graduate assistantships or internships if available. I've been continuously employed in academic libraries for a number of years, but I think I've been much more fortunate than most. The job market does seem really really tough out there. Don't count on the fabled "librarians are going to retire and there will be plenty of jobs" stories that tend to go around.
posted by gnat at 3:23 PM on September 5, 2016

Response by poster: I guess I didn't mean "ignore" as in be completely blind to the difficulties and ignore what is happening in the field, because it definitely not simple to get a job. I get it, I'm already in the field working in a paraprofessional position. I've really tried to investigate other career options for me and pursuing my MLIS and going further into libraries honestly just... makes sense for me. There really isn't another field I can see myself in.

I just want to find a way to not let all these horror stories completely scare me away from doing something that I truly want to do. I Know it's not easy and that it's not going to be easy. I'm definitely not falling for the "tons of jobs in the future because of retirees" line.
posted by modesty.blaise at 3:31 PM on September 5, 2016

Sorry, my knee jerk reaction when someone is contemplating librarianship is on the doom and gloom side. One thing I did when I was a student was to go to as many library conferences I could at student rates, volunteering, etc. Networking and getting more engaged in the profession as a student was very helpful, and I think those type of experiences can offset the general doom and gloom. I think too, focusing on the best way to market yourself and seeking out some unique resume building experiences can also be a good way of being productive without focusing too much on the difficulties of a future job hunt.
posted by gnat at 3:42 PM on September 5, 2016