Tapping into the network

[resonant]

Or: Who wants to help the Res decide what she wants to be when/if she grows up? (Not cutting because I want maximum input, but I'll try to keep it brief.)

I've been doing the exercises in What Color Is Your Parachute, and have ended up with a list of transferable skills and a list of interests.

Skills:

Analyze
Solve problems/see patterns
Evaluate
Imagine/invent
Classify/organize
Plan

Interests:

Social sciences
Design of spaces
Communication studies
Folklore
Speculative fiction
Libraries

The next step is to ask everyone I know: Do these suggest any job titles to you? Do they suggest any job fields to you?

The best job I ever had was one that I didn't know such a thing existed until I found myself interviewing for it, so I'm very open to unexpected suggestions from you brainy and extremely diverse people. (Please feel free to share this post; I'm very interested in advice from everyone, whether I know them or not.)

Comments

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

The things you've told me about your work and education have sounded fascinating.

I'm not unwilling to get more education, but as I said to jacquez, I can't have a career plan that doesn't start until I've spent two years and sixty thousand dollars. But on the other hand, I'm very willing (and qualified) to do either technical writing work or admin work if it's in a field closer to where I want to wind up.

What's your sense of how the field would be different in Australia and the U.S.? I mean, I'd love to ask you a bunch of questions about your work, but I'm not sure how much of it would translate to what would be available to me. Unless we moved to Australia, which, depending on how the Presidential election goes, may come to look very appealing.

BTW, The Now Habit was brilliant. I loved it, and have already used some of the techniques fruitfully. (I've also read big chunks of it to the spouse, who's more on the workaholic end of the self-protective spectrum. He likes the humanistic outlook of it, which is very different from most self-help books.)

[livrelibre.livejournal.com]

Yes, those keywords will give you a brilliant start. Also, you might want to take a look at http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/index.cfm (the website's in the middle of redesign so there might be some wonky links).

And eventually I worked for the school where I got my degree in another area (and so only had to pay taxes on courses; this is the way to go), got scholarships and financial aid, and did a lot of part-time and volunteer work in libraries to get experience (essential when looking for your first job). I had no life for two years but my household could eat:)

*runs off to check The Now Habit*