Life after school

I have neglected to mention on this blog that 1) I am done with school (I will graduate in May, but no more classes), and 2) I got a new job.

I am now the Digital Resources Designer at the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities (new job, same place.) The somewhat ironic thing is that the new job does not require a MLS degree. I don’t regret getting the library degree though—a lot of what I learned (like ways to search and information storage and even things like marketing) will directly impact my job. So whether or not I end up as a librarian in the future, I’m glad I got the degree.

I’m not sure right now whether I will become a librarian, and if so, when. The new job is a great chance to hone my technical and design skills, and after I have been here for a while I can better determine what exactly I want to do. Many aspects of librarianship are still attractive to me, like working with lots of different people, working with technology—basically, being able to do a bit of everything. But I’m also REALLY excited about the new job despite it’s non librarian-ness, and can’t wait to see where it leads.

So for now, I will be concentrating on the new job and things that relate to it. This might mean I’ll be doing a bit less in terms of library stuff. For instance, I probably won’t go to ALA this summer. I’m hoping instead to attend a Digital Humanities conference. My blog will probably take more of a techie/design direction while I explore aspects of the new job. That’s not to say I will never post anything library related—I’ll be very concerned with search, data organization, accessibility, usability, semantic markup and metadata—all things important in the library world.

What will I do with all my free time? A lot of projects have fallen by the wayside in the last semester or two – commitments I have made, projects I have meant to keep up, home repairs that need to be done. I will come back to these things in full force. Also, I will read, dance, paint, hang out with friends, and otherwise occupy myself.

I had a hard time last semester. Actually, during the last two semesters I felt I was losing focus and drive. From talking to other students I know it’s a common thing. I think part of the problem for me was that I never really focused in my education. Towards the beginning I figured that I would find some kind of focus as school went on. But due to somewhat limited course options, I pretty much took what was available. I was also just plain burnt out from full time work and school towards the end. Because of all the superstars I know that manage to do so much more than me, I feel like a bit of a slacker. But, I recognize my limitations, and my need for free time.

I have also been suffering from writers block the last few months. Well, not a block, exactly. My mind has been busy, but I just can’t seem to get the ideas out. I’m hoping forcing myself to write will improve things. :)