Tom Hanks said it best in Apollo 13 the “Earth is getting awfully big in the window!” Of course, he was referring to space travel between the Earth and moon, and I’m thinking about transitioning from being a full time Library school student to being a full time Library practitioner.
But there are certain similarities…
It’s been a long trip, you’ve learned a lot, many people have supported your journey, etc.
But really, how do I make the transition from student and part time library practitioner- to being a full time contributor in the field of Library Science???
I decided to start early and visited the Simmons College Career Center last summer when I reached the half- way point in my program. This visit was helpful and I learned how to reformat my resume/CV to highlight both my library science and non- library science experiences.
But of course there is no magical formula to plug in to ensure that I or any of us land that dream job!
Then I decided to be more proactive on the job search front. And I starting following more job listservs. I expanded my RSS feeds from New England to the mid-west, because I can relocate if the right job offer came my way. I like being able to read the postings (even if it’s still a little early to apply for most jobs with my degree still 8 months away from completion).
I can see what institutions are hiring. Are the positions grant funded? Tenure track? What skills are required and which are desired? I can try and adjust my final course selections to meet such qualifications.
But for all the prep we can do on the front end- there’s the inevitable and interminable wait from the moment we click the submit button on the on-line application and the time some months later when we receive an email response in our inboxes.
For someone like me, who went straight from college to Masters degree #1 and then to Masters degree #2 in Library Science (without passing go) it’s hard to imagine my schedule without school as a part of it. I’m excited to become a practitioner and put all of the theory I’ve learned and experiences I’ve had so far into a brand new job and a promising career.
It would be great if a professional org like SAA or ALA had a panel that addressed such a transition from student to practitioner. I would certainly attend and appreciate any advice.
But since those conferences are months away- if anyone has an tips or literature to point me to- I’d greatly appreciate it!