Last week was a crazy one for me- the last (I hope) bit of bad winter weather and serious time constrains made me a bit crazy. I think every once in a while I need a little breakdown to straighten myself out. Better weather means brighter spirits for me, and I started this week with renewed optimism.
As I have hinted at in previous posts, I have been having a good deal of trouble settling on a career trajectory. It’s not that I want the perfect first job, but I want a good first job. I still have my “OMG, did I do the right thing?!?!” moments about withdrawing my name from the position I applied for. I have come to the conclusion that job hunting is a little like gambling- sometimes you have to go with your gut and hope for the best. It doesn’t help that I hate gambling.
I have a few ideas about what I might want to do re: job possibilities.
1. Find a local job, save up money and continue networking like crazy
  photo credit: Photocapy |
The advantage of finding a local job is that I would not have to waste much time with planning a move, deciding where to live, etc. Lincoln affords a good deal of leisure time, and Omaha is not bad either. If I stay in state, I can put away a lot of money and would have a good amount of free time I can devote to professional development (read: more school, but not the crazy pace I have been maintaining.)
Of course, this option is dependent on a job opening up in the right place at the right time. I have heard of a few possible opportunities opening up, but there’s a LOT of talented new library professionals out there that I would be up against. Staying in state would probably mean settling for less than a dream job, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t find something that makes me happy.
2. Try to get as many fellowships/internships as possible
The wanderlust part of me loves this idea. Basically, I would try to find some kind of flexible employment that would allow me to leave for a few months at a time to do internships here and there. Better yet would be to get some fellowships to pay my way. I was kind of hoping I might be able to use the new NEH Digital Humanities Fellowship as a springboard (that would, of course, be contingent on finding a center to sponsor me), but unfortunately, I won’t meet the eligibility requirements because I’ll still be in school. I have not started to search in earnest for other fellowship possibilities- the library field isn’t known for tons of fellowships, but there are a few.
I like this idea because it would allow me to try out some different locations and jobs and hopefully find something that fits. The downside, of course, is that it would be less stable and would probably mean being away from my husband for extended periods of time. It would also mean not saving as much.
3. Be patient, wait for the perfect job
Instead of taking something less than ideal because it is close, I could just wait and apply to the dream jobs I’m sure will pop up after I graduate. I like my job and wouldn’t mind staying on for a bit, but the pay isn’t great.
The problem with this plan is I have no idea where I want to live. Lincoln is OK, and I’d love to live in California again but I can’t imagine being able to afford it. (I have a few other dream locals, like Portland Oregon.) I started a google map where I plotted places I might like to live and recommendations based on a quick Twitter poll. I would love to live somewhere I could walk to work or take public transportation, somewhere with a moderate climate, and somewhere with lots of natural beauty. Of course a low cost of living is helpful too. I’m not too picky. ;) Suggestions are welcome.
The problem with the above approach is I don’t really know yet what the perfect job is.
Of course, I am oversimplifying my options – as William Turkel pointed out recently, career trajectories are never a linear or predictable as we would like. For now, I’m taking a step back and keep watching, listening, and waiting. I’m looking at what others in my position are doing – a big crop of enormously talented Library school students are graduating this May. I’m keeping tabs on job descriptions and trying to figure out what would be right for me.
A big part of this is trying to figure out what kind of person I am- I have become quite the homebody in the last few years (that may just be a result of marriage, or maybe just a lack of money) but I’m starting to come out of that a bit. How adventurous do I want to be? How much risk am I willing to take? These are questions I ask over and over but I can only answer myself.
Reading your post came at the perfect time for me, as I’ve started pondering many of the same things, despite still having a year left in library school. And it’s stressing me out! Of course, I’m feeling more geographically constrained: I already know that I want to move back to California, and to the bay area no less, so my job options are going to be limited. And obviously, it has to be something that will pay well enough for me to be able to live in the bay area (how do people do it?). Do you ever get so overwhelmed by it all that you start wishing you just didn’t have to have a career? :-)
Just wanted to say good luck, and man, I know how you feel.
One piece of advice that I tend to give to people in your situation is that you should interview for everything that looks the least bit interesting. There really isn’t a “perfect” first job — you want something that is interesting, that will help you grow, and where it looks like you’ll be working with people you can get along with and learn from. You can always withdraw from a search at any point if you feel that it’s not right for you, but often that great first job may come from a quarter that you really didn’t expect.
I’m glad to see New Mexico on your map. It would be great to be colleagues again at some point!