Dream Job--Part 1

Several weeks have gone by since I have started my job at the local public library in Mount Pleasant and I have learned a lot of things about public libraries that I had not previously known.  I still love being here and I don't think my love of a public library's atmosphere will ever change.  However, lately I have been really thinking about whether or not the career path I have in mind will be one I will be satisfied with for the rest of my life.  When I saw that this weeks journal post was about taking a chance to search for our dream, I figured this would be a great opportunity to seriously take a look at the job offers currently out there to see if the job skills, competencies, and working environments out there were ones that piqued my interest. 

After looking through about six pages of job listings on the ALA website, I came across one that I think could really be a job that I would love doing.

University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Salary: Not Specified
Status: Full-time
Posted: 02/05/14
Deadline: 03/09/14
Youth Services Librarian
Rod Library The University of Northern Iowa seeks a tenure-track Youth Services Librarian beginning August 2014. Required: ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science or international equivalent. Ability to develop a compelling vision for the Youth Collection and its services. Second graduate degree. Library experience. Demonstrated knowledge of trends and issues in children’s and young adult literature. Ability to work in a team environment and build positive working relationships with library peers and campus colleagues. Excellent communication skills. Commitment to provide high-quality library services and resources to students and faculty.

This job seems like it could be the best of both worlds to me--I would still be working with Youth Services but it would be in a University setting.  Spending three years at CMU I have come to really love their huge Park Library and have recently been thinking about whether or not an academic library would be a better fit for me as a future career.  With this job I could work with building a Youth Collection (which would be amazing because I love Y.A. lit) and still be working with people at a University level.

When it comes to the second graduate degree I would definitely get one in Children's and Young Adult literature.  That is what I got my BS in and those last two semesters I had were so amazing.  If I wasn't so passionate about working in a library system I would seriously consider becoming a college English professor.  With that second degree, I could not only gain more knowledge when it came to building up my knowledge of trends and issues in said literature, it would just be something I was truly interested in.  Honestly, writing about this actually makes me want to find a job exactly like this in the future.

The requirements are just what I would expect in a job like this and seem quite manageable.  The classes I am currently in now, especially this class in particular, have been teaching me more and more about working with a team, especially when none of us are able to physically meet.  While it can be challenging sometimes, it's rewarding when you are able to come together and accomplish a team project, knowing you are all so far away.  I also believe that my current experience at the library I work at will continue to help me when it comes to building positive working relationships with other coworkers in the library and on the rest of the campus.  It 's easy to see how quickly things can go downhill when not everyone is on the same page.

Overall this journal really got me thinking and made me even more excited for the future.  I know that an exact job like this may not be available when I graduate with my degree, and that it would involve me getting another degree anyway, but it is food for thought.  It is a reminder that there really are jobs out there that fit to your liking and that you don't always need to settle for something you really don't want to do.  Hopefully I can expect this to happen in my very own future.

Cheers.