MSLIS choose your adventure

We’re getting to that point in the semester when you select which classes you want to take in the spring and perhaps even into next year. I think we need a guide for what impact these decisions will have upon your future in the job market. Especially after this http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/10/placements-and-salaries/2013-survey/explore-all-the-data-2013/#_ recent article published in Library Journal about the employment rate for new graduates.

This is pretty terrifying for someone like myself who just began the program as a way to secure a career, considering I’ve done that previously. So how can you stand out amongst all the candidates with the “same” degree in a hiring climate like we currently have? Where libraries and librarians are not valued as highly as they should be in a society that espouses their value of education?

One thing which I am working on is putting myself out there more in terms of networking and socializing with my peers and professionals in the field. This is something that is a bit of a challenge to me, and I know to many others, as an introvert. I’m looking forward to conferences and workshops this year as both a way to learn more about the field of librarianship and as a way to meet more people.

Select courses that offer marketable skills. Hmmm… back to the original challenge. So many electives are being offered that give you a glimpse down the rabbit hole, so to speak. Each one seems to show you a new opportunity to explore. For example: “New Directions in Academic Libraries”, “Distributed Learning Librarianship”, “Creating, Managing, and Preserving Digital Assets”. I was hoping for a Youth Services elective but sadly that isn’t being offered next semester. However maybe taking a class in a different program is a possibility…”Instructional Design and Development II” could be really useful especially if I consider Academic Libraries as a good fit or even in the public setting.

Luckily, I have a few more weeks to ponder my decision and maybe get some more info so I can make an informed choice.