Will Work for Books

Nov 20, 2009 by Shelby    4 Comments    Posted under: Paying it Forward

When I graduated from college, I thought one of best things about it was the evenings. Instead of watching trashy teen television shows and feeling guilty about all the studying I should be doing, I could watch trashy teen television shows and revel in the trashiness without being burdened by any of that pesky guilt (aside from the guilt of being an adult who religiously watches teen shows, of course). It was unbelievably liberating. What can I say, I’m easily pleased.

About a year ago, my job started seeming a little less secure and a lot more unbearable, so I started hunting for alternatives. I’ve never been exactly head over heels in love with my career and thought maybe the time had come to make a switch. Among the many yearning career desires I’ve had over the years (marine biologist, young adult novelist, lady of leisure, etc.,), I’d often come back to the idea of being a librarian. But that meant grad school. Was I really prepared to give up my hedonistic evenings of television and chick-lit reading for more studying? Wasn’t a bachelor’s degree enough? Before I could make up my mind, I found a job posting that fell directly into my already-established wheelhouse, got the job and continued casually sauntering down my original career path.

My brief foray into grad school research proved that volunteering made applications stand out. I applied to volunteer at a few local libraries, and when I never heard back and got busy with the new day job, I promptly forgot about volunteering. Then a few months into that new day job, I got a call that a volunteer position had opened up at one of the libraries and were inquiring if I was still interested. As the reigning queen of indecision, I’m not one to close the door on options so I set a date for an interview to become a volunteer one evening a week.

I’ve been a library volunteer for a few months now. Aside from the sappy I’m-sort-of-maybe-obliquely-helping-my-community warm fuzzies, I’m getting a behind-the-scenes look at an entirely different career for free. Every time I’m at the library, I’m learning, whether I’m shelving books, learning about the cataloging system, helping answer questions, picking new books to feature on displays or assisting with special programs. Sure, doing something that vaguely resembles work for free kind of sucks sometimes, especially in this economy, but it’s much cheaper than taking out a student loan and returning to the days of “Gossip Girl” guilt only to discover that a career so isn’t me.

So whether you have secret career fantasies of graphic design, computer networking, photography or Excel spreadsheet making, consider checking out volunteer opportunities that might give you the inside scoop on that job. You’ll learn more than any school brochure can tell you and hopefully find out if it’s a good fit for you. For a whole host of volunteer opportunities that you never knew existed, check out idealist.org, volunteermatch.org and even craigslist.org. Or if there is a company or organization you’ve always dreamed of working for, ask them directly about volunteering. Be sure to mention that you’re considering a career switch, and chances are you’ll stand out among other volunteers and maybe even get some extra special training.

As for me, I still don’t know if I want to be a librarian, but I’m enjoying my time at the library and learning more during each shift. And when my many career daydreams compete for my attention, I put a Jacque Cousteau book on display, browse the new young adult titles and sneak a glance at the poster of Edward Cullen imploring me to read and keep learning.

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