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I would think a librarian would be a job that pays fairly well, is not too stressful, nor does it require much work or education.
This is the typical stereotype of librarians but most of it is decidedly untrue. I work in a library so I know first hand.
--If you want the title "Librarian" you have to have a master's degree in Library Science.
--Many people who work in libraries are bilingual. Our library has pretty high demand for people who speak/write Spanish, Chinese, & Vietnamese, as well as other languages.
--The pay where I live is the best in the country, but in lower cost areas it's only half of what I make.
--Even non-librarian staff often have bachelor's degrees even though they're often not required (in theory, but in practice the BA person will beat out the HS Diploma person, all else being equal).
--A lot of library staff work part time with no benefits and are competing for a limited pool of full time, benefited jobs.
--Chances are you will be working at least some nights and weekends, although the hours are generally less odd/punishing than in retail (i.e. full time staff normally get one weekend day off where I work and we have to have 2 days off in a row).
--You are mostly correct about the stress level, but it varies quite a bit. Some locations are low stress. But I work at a main library in a large city that attracts everyone from PhDs to homeless people. I wouldn't consider it stressful, but it definitely has its moments with customers and sometimes general work demands (varies depending on staffing levels, budget issues). Also, I've worked in this environment for many years, and experience helps to lower the stress because I often know the answer off the top of my head or know who to contact quickly. The IT related jobs in the library tend to be more stressful than the non IT jobs.
--The "no work" stereotype I find particularly annoying. At our library, we are busy almost all the time. And some of the work is more physical/dirty than people think (shelving materials, crawling low to the floor to find stuff that's shelved low). There are other branch locations in our library system where there really isn't much work to do, but they are the exception IMO.
--The other issue with trying to work in a library is a lot of the jobs are being automated away, so I really don't advocate it unless you 1. like libraries AND 2. like computers/IT stuff....as that's where the field is going. However, IT people tend to be not like helping customers...and I think there will always be a customer service component, although the nature of it changes to helping people do things on the computer instead of finding books on shelves and collecting fines.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 09-23-2014 at 11:29 PM..
Unless something has drastically changed in the last few years, librarians need degrees in library sciences & the jobs are very sought after, if/when one can find an opening. The $ is decent, the stress is low & I know 2 people with master's degrees in library sciences, who can't find jobs in their field, even though they're looking into other states for employment. They've said the field is so competitive, one needs a master's minimum to be a viable candidate. You normally need to wait for someone to retire out of their job or pass away... no joke. Both of the people I know had to find work in other fields, whilst they wait for an opening that may not come anytime soon.
Yep, this is true for the most part. It's very competitive to get a library job, especially full time with benefits. Most people start out working part time with no benefits. That's what I did. I had to move to a new area to get a full time library job. Otherwise, I would've been working part time for years in my old city before a full time position became available.
I do concede the stress is relatively low overall but like I said in my post, it varies a lot by job type and location. The general environment and the people I work with are very nice; although I did have a boss and a coworker from hell for my first 4 years...so no place is perfect.
I do concede the stress is relatively low overall but like I said in my post, it varies a lot by job type and location. The general environment and the people I work with are very nice; although I did have a boss and a coworker from hell for my first 4 years...so no place is perfect.
Sure. But, the same could be said of any job. One can have nightmare co-workers/bosses in any industry/workplace.
My mum had a librarian friend who worked at a very small, satellite, crowded, inner-city library built on the ground floor of the projects. The crowd it drew, particularly with the horrendous level of noise once all the students came in to do hours of homework after school, made her despise her job. She was absolutely miserable & plagued with headaches for years before she found an opening in the main library downtown & was able to transfer. I know she had to be very persistent, because filling the project library vacancy was tough as it was only entry level librarians who would take it & the neighborhood was so dicey, many refused. The only benefit is that library had daily short hours (10am-4pm only) & was closed on weekends.
But, I did want to ask you something, Tyger, if you don't mind. Are libraries city or state funded or does it differ state by state? And, are librarians considered gov't workers? I'm stunned to hear funds are being cut. If anything, don't kids today more than ever need to be introduced to books? I used to borrow TONS of foreign/indie DVDs from the Boston Public Library. It was wonderful... I'd order them online & pick them up when they emailed me they were in. Aside from the books & CDs I also borrowed, what could be better? Do most people know those things are available & that they can in most cases, be ordered from other libraries if they're not shelved at one's local library?
I don't know why I didn't become a librarian. I wanted to be one as a kid (like Parker Posey in the movie Party Girl).
Anyway, yes i also thought about being a carpenter and a landscaper, but that is alot of stress on the body and wrist ( digging holes). I also thought about being a self employed massage therapist. I enjoy giving massages and people, including ex girlfriends say i have good hands. And like i mentioned a self employed house painter or a security guard.
I am thinking of moving to Denver since it is doing good, especially the construction industry. I would love to hike. I enjoy boxing. Basically i am more of an outdoor and sports guy. I also enjoy cycling like you.
I'm chained to a desk and many times I've wanted to walk away and work outside painting homes or doing pressure washing (I'm a grandma). Fresh air, sunshine, no phone calls.
I don't think you should stay in retail. What about getting a city, state or federal job - good benefits - huge variety of work. Maybe work in the Parks system as a ranger so you can be outside?
All the people I know who do massage therapy had to go to school (need to learn anatomy, etc).
Interesting thread..
I am almost retired and deciding between PT work in the field I have been in or just a fun job..
I am trying to think of jobs that involve things I enjoy, like dog walking because I like dogs..
I would enjoy being a Walmart greeter because I love people...
OP- help us with ideas of things you enjoy in your free time ...
I know what trivial means. What I meant was it's often stuff that you could probably look up online the way to do yourself.
If you know what it means you purposefully misused the term. There are plenty of things people could teach themselves how to do online. Doesn't mean it would be done to code or even be done well.
Nothing wrong with menial work.. Someone has to do it.
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