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November 28, 2007
Career Paths: How do I get there from here?
Some people are lucky enough to know exactly what they want to do and how to do it. For the rest of us, there's Career Services.
But what about those who aren't already halfway there? Those, for example, who have a vague, if any, idea of what they'd like to do, but no real idea how to begin such a career?
Think of it as a question closely related to "What can I do with a (blank) degree?" which is a question that many students ask directly before applying to certain academic programs, declaring an undergraduate major, etc. In some circumstances, there will be a helpful resource, a chart or booklet, that notes career options. In my experience, only the most thoughtful counselors think to procure such a document for their students. (To SI's credit, all of the individual specialization web pages have this information) And I, having been in both of these boats, have decided to address this question for the benefit of my dear, dear readers.
If you have your eyes on the field of Information Science, there are a number of resources available to you through the School of Information.
First, there is the always helpful "MSI Pathways to Success." This tool lists a number of environments (corporate, non-profit/cultural/educational, or government) and a number of potential SI careers within each field. It's simple, just click an environment, then a career, and *poof*! You will be presented with a list of useful SI courses, cognates, internship opportunities, related research, and even a list of jobs that SI grads have found in these areas.
Now, as helpful as the Pathways to Success can be, they fall short in their breadth of career listings. I, for example, am interested in special collections libraries (particularly the historical variety), which is not listed. Now, I KNOW SI has prepared a number of people just like me for such careers...so where can I find out how they did it?
This is where that magical, wonderful thing called "networking" comes in. If you, like I, do not find a published recipe for finding the job of your dreams, it's time to start talking to people.
SI has published Alumni Profiles. This list of graduates can be quite useful. Just find someone who is doing something you'd like to do, and read up on how they got there!
Next, there are faculty and current students. If you're already in SI, just start asking around. Go to a student group meeting and ask people there. Bug the second year students in your classes. Talk to faculty in that area. And don't just talk to one person, talk to many. There is no one way to do things, so get a wide range of perspectives, and it will prove valuable every step of the way.
And last but not least (and this is applicable far beyond the reaches of SI), talk to people who HAVE the job you want. This is especially easy if they are public servants of some sort (professors, librarians, administrators, etc.) but even if you cannot just walk up to a desk and ask for five minutes of there time, the Internet is a wonderful thing. Sometimes they will have a web site with their qualifications or bio listed, or an email address. Although I'm sure this varies by industry, but many people are happy to talk about their successes. Sometimes they'll even slip in a few secrets on what their company usually looks for when they're hiring.
I hope you'll all find this to be helpful. And if not, there's always career services, right?
-Megan
Posted by messelti at 05:57 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2007
There Are Some Things You Can't Learn on the Internet...
I've received a lot of questions lately on distance learning and its place in our program. For many people, life can't stop for graduate school, and so moving or quitting your job aren't options. Unfortunately, the School of Information has not yet created any official opportunities for distance learners.
Although I can't give any official University of Michigan reasons for this, I can think of a few reasons myself. Perhaps its just the way this program is set up, with such an emphasis on networking, discussion, group work and other interactive, but now that I'm knee-deep in the program, I'm happy to be spending my time on campus. So my advice to any prospective SI student is this if you think that this is the school for you, make campus your second home.
Here are a few things you don't want to miss out on:
1) Interacting with your peers.
If you are going to build the social network that will serve as an invaluable resource throughout your career, you need to meet people. And what better way than by spending 12-25 hours of your week in the trenches with them? In particular, you'll find that though you might not have class with some people, you always end up in the student lounge at the same time. One of these days, you'll end up talking and realize that your program is rich with interesting people. Anyone here will tell you, your peers are one of your greatest resources here at SI.
2) Student Groups
On top of offering a professional network and a heads up on certain scholarship, internship, and job opportunities, student groups are an excellent way to get involved, learn more about topics that interest you, and most importantly, to get practical advice from older students. Also, student groups often set up field trips, community service opportunities, or other ways to get some interesting experience under your belt.
3) Happy Hours (i.e. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy)
At the beginning of the year many groups (often consisting of benevolent second-year students) will organize unofficial SI outings so that they (and shy first-year students) can relax, get to know each other, and have a good time. They become more scarce as we become more familiar with each other and work begins to pile up, but my recommendation to anyone who'll listen is to attend at least one of these events.
The MSI program just isn't the type of place where you can find the answers on your own. You need to learn from the people around you. It's just too social, too fun, too dynamic to be completed from anywhere but right here. So if you think SI is the right place for you, then take the leap.
-Megan
Posted by messelti at 02:45 AM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2007
When One Degree Just Isn't Enough...
Lately I've been fielding a lot of questions from students who don't quite know how they should go about pursuing multiple interests. Sometimes the best way to go is to gear all of your electives toward a certain area, other times a dual-degree might be the best bet. For some students a Tailored-MSI or a dual specialization is the way to go. The circumstances are different for every student, but it's important to understand just what each option entails. Specifically, there are significant differences not only in the cost and workload associated with each option, but also the scope of each program. This is specifically important when deciding whether or not enter a dual-degree program.
In general, any student who is admitted into both the School of Information and another University of Michigan graduate program can work with advisors in both schools to develop a dual-degree program. Currently, there are established program with the School of Business, the Medical School, the School of Public Policy, the School of Nursing, the Law School, and the School of Social Work. Areas of interest for dual-degree students in these programs include E-commerce (MBA/MSI), Intellectual Property law (JD/MSI), Clinical and Information Management (MSN/MSI).
The most useful question to ask yourself when considering whether to work with one school or two is: Is the non-SI subject I am interested in a skill or a topic? Are you interested in acquiring skills that SI can teach, but want to focus those skills on a specific, non-SI area, like music or art librarianship? Or do you want to apply SI concepts and skills to a career that requires training other than what SI offers, such as practicing copyright law.
A dual-degree program can be very valuable to students who want to incorporate the study of communication systems, recordskeeping, or information processing into another career, and do so by examining these fields from a number of perspectives. However, it not necessary for every student who has a secondary interest. Although it is faster than pursuing two separate degrees, you might find that all of the skills you need will be covered by one MSI.
-Megan
Posted by messelti at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)