Go for it.

If you think it will be fulfilling and rewarding, or if you “always wanted to be one” then do it.  But a word of caution.  Don’t quit your day job just yet.

“Employment of librarians is expected to grow by 8 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is as fast as the average for all occupations” (Occupation Outlook, http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm)

As awesome as Librarians are, the economy isn’t right now.  A number of Libraries have cut budgets and laid off many Librarians.  The economic law of supply and demand applies to Librarians now.  That isn’t to say there are not jobs out there, but many of them are part time and many of them may require you to move away from your friends and family.  Hence, why I am in Taiwan.

In spite of that, I’d say do for it.  Think about what type of Librarian you want to be (yes, there are more than one sort of Librarian) and decide.  The American Library Association has a helpful page.  Also, consider what kind of program you want.  Do you want to be on campus or do you want to do a distance learning program?  But make sure you go to an ALA Accredited program.  Many states have requirements for Librarians to be ALA Accredited to receive state funding.  But remember, just because you want to be one type of Librarian, doesn’t mean you should discount others.  To be honest, I wanted to be a Public Librarian but am working as a school Librarian and loving it.  Be willing to be flexible.  A librarian is a librarian.

Do you suggest online programs?

The program I attended was a hybrid of both online and on-campus.  I personally  prefer on-campus courses.  I realize not everyone can drop everything, pack-up and move to a new place to go to Graduate School, but you might seriously consider it.  In my experience, I felt like I was teaching myself in my online classes and it was quite difficult to do projects with people spread across 5 time zones.  You might also see if your program is an independent online program or is a synchronous one.  That could make a big difference in your educational experience.

It is also hard to juggle an online program.  It is easy to put things off, or not schedule your work.  And trust me, if you put things off til last minute or don’t take the time you need to complete your work your classmates will know.

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