While very busy re-opening the Littleton Public Library, “softly and with major limits”, Meagan Carr found the time to talk about the education of a librarian. Or, more accurately, the education she got before she knew what it was for: “It was not until after college that I turned toward librarianship…” It was hard to keep her options open: “I wish I’d learned that there is no rush to pick a profession and that you can change your path…there was so much pressure to determine my aptitudes and turn that into a career.”

Finding the right profession takes time and effort. “Volunteer or shadow in the fields you are interested in to see if something might be a good fit. I wish I had.” We all make mistakes: “…I ended up scrapping my minor in my senior year when I realized it was a career path I had absolutely no desire to pursue.” We Americans are lucky; our colleges can cater for delayed decisions. (In many countries the tertiary, or even the secondary, institution you choose narrowly defines your options. And it’s hard to shift gears.) There are lots of Bachelor’s degrees in General Studies. Lots of the course credits that seemed to aim you in one direction will transfer to another program. As other contributors to this column have said, English majors become pre-meds, and vice-versa. Second careers can be really interesting: re-enrolling at thirty or forty or whenever is possible.

Being a librarian needn’t narrow your thinking. By the time you’ve been a medical librarian, a college librarian, and a public library director, all sorts of knowledge have come in handy. “…the most important courses varied in subject matter – and it wasn’t the topics…but rather the habits they encouraged. Any course that allows for curiosity, critical thinking, and evaluating information sources and differing voices will help prepare someone for the wider world.

With few exceptions, a career, a vocation means working with people in one way or another. Whatever else they need to know, successful professionals need to communicate well, orally and in writing. Meagan emphasizes that. Her conclusion demonstrates it.

“Know that changing your mind and trying something new can happen at any point. Not just when you are young.”

David R. Jones likes that conclusion!

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