Julia’s Comments (group member since Mar 29, 2012)

Julia’s comments from the Public Librarians group.

Thanks so much to everyone for responding! Your advice has been super helpful.

Rebecca, thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post! I really appreciate your input. It is pretty tough when your dream job is unfortunately not the most practical path considering the job market/school requirements. I've actually started taking some Accounting classes at my local community college (completely the opposite career path, I know!) and am enjoying it so far. I think I'll just have to entertain my love of books on my free time and hope that I win the lottery so I can afford to get my MLS and to be jobless for however long it takes to land a job after that!

Hello Librarians!

Let me start off by saying that I am extremely jealous of each and every one of you.

I was wondering if I could get some advice about the process of becoming a librarian and job prospects. I just graduated last year with a degree in English Studies and a minor in English Education (however, I don't have a teaching certificate because I never completed student teaching but took all the required education classes). This is because during my last year in school, I basically realized that I probably didn't have what it takes to be a teacher. I like kids and all but I am an extremely shy person which is something I am trying really hard to improve on. Anywho, I've been wanting to pursue an MLS or MLIS for a long time now. Being a librarian is literally my dream job. However, I'm about $40,000 in debt from my previous school loans and have not exactly landed a job that has anything to do with what I studied in school. I'm working at a doctor's office in the evenings and am stocking vending machines in the mornings--not exactly what I went to school for. I'm worried that getting my MLS will just require me to shell out another $20,000 or so only to leave me in the exact same position.

So, I guess my questions are:
-What are the job prospects for libraries? (I guess I should mention here that I have applied to approximately 30 library positions, of which I've been called for an interview for only one. I have volunteered at multiple libraries as well so I feel like I should have some advantage here, but that doesn't seem to be the case).
-Is there anything you would recommend for me to do in the meantime that could make me more marketable and appealing to my local libraries?

Sorry for the rant. Any advice would be extremely appreciated!! Thanks so much. :)

Julia