I had a conversation today that made me remember the internal debate many of us (including myself) go through when we first graduate – namely, do we hold out for a professional librarianship position or do we apply for whatever's available?
I know there are people reading this who fall into both camps so I thought I'd try to summarize the arguments for each.
I also want to
stress that I'm not making judgments here – I think both are valid
options and I recognize that we all do whatever works for us as
individuals. So with the patented Hammond Disclaimer out of the way…
Only Professional Librarianship Positions
– that's what you went to school for (duh!)
– for the most part, professional librarian jobs pay more than a library assistant/library tech position
– someone once told me that you only have one chance to set your entry level spot into a profession. That resonated so I'm including it here.
– there are people out there who feel that other MLIS grads taking anything less than a professional librarianship position somehow devalue the entire profession
[edit
added via someone's e-mail comment – like it or not, there is a library
caste system which means that you will be treated differently than the
other “real” librarians if you're not in a capital-L *Librarian* position. This
ranges from not being invited to PD opportunities to social functions
that the librarians have.]
Take Whatever's Offered and/or Available First
– bills don't pay themselves
– often a clerk/tech/assistant job gets you that foot in the door that allows you bid on internal positions (ie. in a union environment)
– it's a good way to get frontline experience that will serve you well for your entire career, especially if you've never worked in libraries before and/or are going to end up managing people doing the jobs that you start out in.
– some people are able to return to positions (the same or similar) in libraries where they worked before, retaining their seniority/benefits and reserved seat in the coffee room.
Have I missed anything? I'm whipping this list off the top of my head pretty quick. Personally, when I had this internal debate, I was really close to applying for a couple library assistant-type positions early in my job search when they were the only things out there. But I decided to hold out at least for a bit longer and it worked out in the end (though I'm very conscious that it could have easily gone the other way.)
Comments 10
It can be difficult to decide, I believe we had this conversation at one point as well, but for me, the reality of the situation was that I had a job, received a promotion in that job and am now working/gaining experience/paying the bills.
I don't think that what I'm doing at all devalues my professional degree (disclaimer acknowledged) & I think there is potential to move up in any position at a library, given your qualifications/experience. It isn't always easy, after having done all the work, but I always figured that I would need to work my way up anyway, I always have up to this point.
Finally, the bank wanted its money, in fact, they are quite adamant about it, so who am I to argue? 😉
Hmm. A very timely post for me; I just got turned down from yet another job, with the same feedback as in previous interviews: “great resume, great interview, great references … not enough experience.” I did the co-op thing for 4 months. I think I've done a decent job of highlighting experience I've had in other jobs and how it would transfer to a librarian position.
But here's the thing: it is a buyer's market these days. The market is saturated with MLIS grads. Which means that libraries and organizations can ask for the moon and the stars … and they'll probably get them. It is highly competitive out there right now.
So which is better, holding out for a “real” librarian job, or taking the first thing you can get? The disappointed and frustratred cynic in me says TAKE THE FIRST THING YOU CAN GET! Especially if you don't have that elusive “experience” that they are talking about. {How we're supposed to get experience without being able to get employed is a little beyond me, but I guess that working a circ desk, or as an LA or LT is considered more applicable than working as a manager or running programs in a non-library setting}
It's hard enough just to get to the interview stage – there are 40-50 applicants for each job, maybe 5-10 get interviewed, one gets hired. If you happen to be that lucky one, it would be stupid to turn down the job because it could be a long time before the next one comes along. Of course, if you have a strong instinctive negative reaction about a job during an interview, don't take the job. But the 8R's report tells us that librarians are not vacating their jobs, and now that there is no mandatory retirement at 65 I suspect that many librarians will stay longer. It's not a physically demanding job and the longer you do it for, the better you get at it, so why wouldn't they stay on?
I'm not sure whether the bleak outlook is just me, just today, or whether it is more widespread. Ask the folks who graduated in April, or last December, who are still unemployed.
I'm not sure what to say about this one. I'd have to say I fall in the “take what you can get” camp, because any experience is probably going to help at this point. Besides, at least you'd be staying active in the field and tied to the library somehow. I don't think taking whatever job really devalues the degree in any way, since many of things we learn in library school have little practical use in the field. The same can be said for many professional programs/graduate degrees I'm sure—It's not like I will ever write a literary essay when I'm teaching, but the skills are transferable.
I (maybe very naively) did not realize the job market was so competitive right now. Most of the people I know have found jobs eventually, even if they're not the dream job that we all aspire to. Maybe it depends on exactly what you're looking for? There seem to be jobs, at least contract jobs, for people who can move around a bit and are willing to work in library settings beyond their initial choice.
I'm sure everyone will find the job that suits them best. It just takes time, patience, and then some more time. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune eventually, when I, too, venture out into the library job market.
A very timely post indeed, Jason. I just had my three month performance review and I’ve been pondering my job and the choices I’ve made since breaking out of FIMS.
I don't find your assumption that MLIS only have two options for jobs, being a librarian or being a library assistant, accurate, mostly because I knew that once I finished the program, I didn’t want to work in a library. I think a fairer assessment would be waiting for your dream job or taking the job available right now.
I’ve never been a big believer in what you study at school dictates your future career. Had that been the case, after undergrad I should have been working at some historic site, telling visitors all about the rigours of pioneer life. Unfortunately, my disdain for the general public and a job that would require me to dress in period costume precluded me from following that career path.
When I was applying for jobs near the end of the program, I only got two interviews. For the one interview, I wasn’t offered the job. For the other interview, I was offered the job. I thought about whether to take the job or wait for something else that I really wanted. The debate in my head raised many of the points you, Michelle, and Barb have already discussed (I can totally relate to paying the bills – man, creditors are just obsessed with money for some reason :). In the end, I decided to take the job, not just for the obvious pragmatic financial reasons, but also because I felt the job would allow me to use some of my mad liberry skillz and develop other skill sets that would improve my employability.
Now that I’ve been in the job a few months, I have found that I haven’t been able to use as much of my information science training as I had hoped, but I don’t think that the job I’m in devalues the MLIS degree. You have to take other factors into consideration: I may not use a lot of my information science training in my job, but I report to a very supportive manager who asks me what my future career aspirations are and tries to give me projects that will help me work towards those goals.
And who is to say that if you find your “dream job” it will still be so wonderful after you have been in the role for a while. Many of us information scientists are going to have several careers throughout our lifetime. The job market is a lot like the dating scene – lots of trial and error :). But, like Jess said, it just takes time, patience, and then some more time to find your dream job.
I think that the library profession is comparable to teaching, at the moment. It *is* possible to break in, but likely not at a full-time permanent job. It's a lot of contract jobs, casual or part-time, until they get to know you. Then when a long-term occasional or maternity leave comes up, maybe you'll get it. Then you're positioned well (and hopefully internally – gotta love unions!) when a full-time permanent comes available. Which is fine if you have someone to support you financially through those months or years of working your way up. It's not very viable if you're single, and have those creditors that Colin talks about nipping at your heels.
Jess's point of being able to move around is also really valid, and relevant. You have a much better chance of landing a “real” librarian job if you don't have geographic limitations. If you do, then most definitely – take what you can get until something better comes along.
It wasn't our conversation that prompted this post (well, in an indirect way since we had talked about it a long time ago) but instead, hearing about another FIMS alum who, when they first graduated, was applying for $9/hr positions that were lower on the org chart than library clerk and maybe one step above page!)
That sort of frightened me – again, I'm not trying to judge anyone's choices but what the hell is wrong in the world when somebody even sees this as an option after getting a Masters degree?
(Oh, and Shea said I should've sent you a message before I posted this because she knew about our conversation and thought I should warn you in case you thought I was writing about you specifically!
I wonder how much of a role geography plays in people's decision-making process as well? From what I remember, you're looking pretty much exclusively in southern Ontario (correct me if I'm wrong) and with two library schools there (including one that shall remained unnamed but which will be begin pumping out the grads of a triple-sized cohort in a year's time), then yeah, the market is definitely saturated and probably especially so in Ontario. (I was always surprised to hear about FIMS grads from “away” who decided to stay in London for the start of their job search rather than go to another part of the country. I mean, you can apply to anywhere from anywhere but I just thought that being in London after graduating would be sort of depressing because your chance of being exposed to other unemployed grads and aware of those coming up behind you would be at the highest level.)
Another factor here is that libraries themselves to blame for this situation. I had one interviewer tell me flat out that they don't do a good job of having positions for new grads to acclimatize to the profession. Co-op and/or previous work experience can help bridge the gap but the reality is that lots of libraries don't give these two factors the recognition I think they deserve.
I'm working through these comments from the top down so realise that I echoed your “geography” observation in my earlier comment – sorry about that. Thought I was being an original!
The creditor thing is huge. I think the modern day Tommy Douglas will be the leader with the grapefruits (er, or whatever the female equivalent is – perhaps we shall just say “metaphorical grapefruits” before this discussion devolves further) to bring European-style, universal free post-secondary education to this country.
It is friggin' ridiculous that so many people have to start their careers in a $20-50 000 hole rather than starting on a level playing field. Wouldn't it be better for the economy if that extra money went to buying physical goods and services instead of bank's bottom lines.
(Cue some long distance memory from economics, possibly even in high school, that interest is the only way that money is created in any economy. You have $100, you pay back $10, that $100 is now $110. Is that true? Where does the $10 come from then? Somebody with a bigger brain – help!)
Although I don't really specify it, I guess I was lumping the non-library-related jobs in with the second option. But yeah, following the path you want to follow versus taking whatever's available is probably a better capture of what we're talking about here.
Good points too about not knowing what you're going to get – you may take a “first thing to come along” job and have a really supportive boss. Or great perks. Or it may change your whole view of what you want to do with your life. But you may take what looks like a dream job and realise that your co-workers are a bunch of gossips. Or that you didn't realise public libraries meant dealing with the public so much (ewww!)
You hint at another factor too – we live in an instant gratification society and I believe a lot of people of our generation expect to find that dream job immediately and if it takes us 3 or 6 months (or more), we're liable to get more frustrated than perhaps our parents or grandparents might have.
For most of us, this is going to be a 30 year or so commitment (although very few of us will likely stay at the same organization for all of those thirty years.) So if we have to spend a year or three in contract positions and in areas we didn't expect to find ourselves, it's probably not the worst thing in the world.
I've talked to a lot of working librarians, before, during and after FIMS and one recurring theme was how many said “I never thought I'd end up here” (or a popular variation: “I wanted to be a children's librarian and ended up working for CSIS” with some librarians almost competing to show how far they ended up from where they thought they'd be.)