Posted by Mr Beev on January 25, 2003, at 14:13:33
In reply to Re: Midlife Career Change » Mr Beev, posted by Tabitha on January 24, 2003, at 2:25:19
Hello - I have some further items that may be of interest, based on some of your postings.
As it so happens, I know several people who are or have been enrolled in MLS programs at various places. They unanimously stated three things: (1) a MLS is a laughable degree, but quite necessary to get one's foot in the door; the ideal candidate has a MLS plus a PhD in a different field, or PhD in Library Science with a masters in a different field; (2) computer experience of any kind is a huge benefit; they tell me library science types are slap-happy over computing; (3) in spite of the relative minuteness of the field, supply still overstrips demand, and the salaries can be puny indeed. Many librarians at my local university work two jobs just to get by, according to the local paper.
I detect some trepidation - quite understandable - from your postings concerning certain substantial undertakings, e.g. medical school. But if you desire it fervently, why not give it a go? Three anecdotes:
1) An old friend of mine gave up a lucrative computer programming career at 40 to enroll as a doctoral student in linguistics. She had to sell her house. It took her eight years with much hard work. Now she has a new house and a secure job she loves (acquired after another year of struggle), and hopes never to program a computer ever again.
2) Another friend, a divorced grandmother of 63, applied to the Oxford (UK) undergraduate program in history, which, she informs me, is rather hard to get into. Given her age, no prior liberal arts background, and being an American who had never even been to Europe, she was not sanguine. But much to her surprise, she passed the interviews and other sundry hurdles, and is soon to be off to study Mediaeval History. How will she afford it all? Loans. What are her career prospects? Nil. But she's living her dream.
3) My own father, with a BA in English from a mediocre university, a drop out from a master's Economics program at 19, decides he want to be a doctor, to help people one-on-one. He applies to the best schools (in the USA); they laugh him out the door: he's too young, he hasn't the background. So then he applies to the best medical schools in Europe, and one, the Université Libre de Bruxelles accepts him, mainly because all they care about is their entrance exam which, if one passes it, one is in (but that's the "easy" part). So he takes the boat over not able speak a word of French, with no help from the faculty (this was 50 years ago). Worse, one must write a thesis. But five years later he got the degree ("avec distinction") and pursued a successful and varied career back home.
My point is: none of these folks are geniuses, but they had the will power. If you're certain (and I admit that's a big 'if' for all of us) that e.g., you'd like to help others by being a doctor, then ten years hard work is not too much to ask, so long as your eye is steady in the goal.
> Thanks Mr Beev. Hmm, how does one make even a modest living in philosophy? Do you teach?
I have taught, from elementary to graduate level, but I secure a modest living primarily by living modestly. When that's not enough, I do part-time computer work when I can get it.
With apologies for the gargantuan post length,
Mr Beev
poster:Mr Beev
thread:35659
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030120/msgs/35784.html