I’m just finishing an MLIS program in school librarianship this summer that I have sloooowly completed while teaching full time. Because I already have my teaching certificate I only had to take 32 hours worth of credits—for those without an education background the program is 38 credits. A 60 credit program sounds like a PhD.
To answer the question asked, my husband’s GI Bill is paying for this degree. My first master’s is in English Literature, and we paid for that one in cash. We took no vacations and only necessary home improvements while I was working on it, and I also was fortunate enough to live near a very cheap state school (UTEP) that had a solid program. I would not have taken out student loans for my MA because it was more a passion degree than one I wanted for specific professional advancement (it has more than paid for itself in unexpected ways, though) but would have taken some out if I’d needed to for my MLIS because I can’t become a school librarian without it.
An additional six credits for the teaching certificate isn’t bad! I would ultimately love to work in a public library, with school library as a close second, so it seems it would be worth it to take the time to get the teaching certificate too.
I ask the following question with sincerity, not snark: why library sciences (esp. from an HR background)? If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend volunteering at a library (school, public, whatever) to get a feel for the inner-workings of the environment.
I absolutely love it. It's the best job in the whole school.
I have always wanted to be a librarian, but was so burned out on school once I finally finished my undergrad at 25 that I took a couple years to work, and then life just happened. I really don’t like HR and need to make some kind of change. I worked at a library for a few years in high school and college, and now volunteer on the board of my local very small suburban library, so I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the environment.
GO FOR IT! I wish I had done it earlier, but I guess one ends up where they are supposed to in the time frame that it does. I certainly wouldn't have the amazing job I have now if I had gone about it any other way or at any other time.
I also have an MLS. I paid for it by getting a graduate assistantship that’s included a tuition waiver plus a 20 hour a week job at fifteen dollars an hour. The waiver was only supposed to be for 9 credits a semester, but I asked and they bumped it up to 12. Because of this I finished the degree in one calendar year which also saved money.
This only works if you live near the school you attend. There are a lot of good online programs, but I don’t think anyone does remote assistantships.
Honestly, although I love my job I would be hesitant to start a library program right now. I work for a university and we have a year long freeze on faculty hiring, and an indeterminate freeze on staff hiring. We probably won’t employ my students at least through the summer, maybe longer. I was in grad school through the Great Recession and the job market in libraries was BRUTAL. I got lucky and found a great job, but it required moving to another continent. I don’t know as much about school or public librarians, but if you want to work in higher ed it helps to have geographic flexibility. And a second masters honestly.
Thank you, this is really good insight to have. I live near a large state university with an MLIS program, but it also means the local job market seems to be fairly saturated. I’m not open to moving, so this has weighed on my decision to go for the degree too.
Post by litebright on Apr 15, 2020 21:33:33 GMT -5
I worked for three years after undergrad before deciding I wanted to go to grad school. But it was related to my field, as opposed to a career change, and I had specific things I was looking for in a program. I was making less than $30K a year as a local newspaper reporter, so I didn't have savings other than a tiny 401K, and I had to move across the country to go to the masters program I wanted (from Ohio to California to go to Berkeley's j-school). No one was ever going to pay for me to get my masters degree in journalism, lol. I got some small scholarships, took out significant loans that covered most of my school-related expenses over the two years, and did work-study so I had some cash to live on. I lived very small and close to the bone, but I was young, single and hadn't really ever done anything else. I had to do summer internships as part of my program and I only applied for paid ones because I couldn't go without income. I could swing it because I had no debt from undergrad and I could rely on my parents in a dire emergency. But it was a lot of financial stress, TBH, and if I hadn't met my DH during that period and we got married right after graduation (so I was always in a two-income household when my loan payments came due), I'm not sure it would have been worth it, dollars and cents-wise. I loved it, and I think it was somewhat helpful to my career, but I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker or necessarily advise it as a practical path for someone looking for a job in my field. I'm 15 years out, and it's only because my DH makes lot more than I do that my loans are paid off.
Thank you all so much, this has really helped me think through everything. If this is something I end up wanting to seriously pursue it sounds like getting a job at a university with tuition remission would be my best bet. Luckily I live close to a school with a good MLIS program!
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
not to dissuade you from your dreams, but you can make more doing pretty much anything else.
This isn’t really true. Some librarians are very underpaid, but I make a good living and have amazing benefits. Honestly I probably make more than a lot of lawyers.
Seriously. It won’t happen right off the bat but you can make a good living. Six-figure salaries are not unheard of in administrative roles so I don’t know where that claim of “making more doing anything else” is coming from.
7costanza, good points above too re: job landscape. We were actually doing a lot of hiring in my urban public library system but now covid-19 will more than likely mean a hiring freeze for some time for us. Probably likely elsewhere too. Geographic flexibility will help. Not to dissuade you of course since I’m happy with my degree and what I do, but you really should aim to keep your studies as cheap as possible so that you can weather a tough recruitment season if things are still lousy in a couple of years. Good luck!
I’m just finishing an MLIS program in school librarianship this summer that I have sloooowly completed while teaching full time. Because I already have my teaching certificate I only had to take 32 hours worth of credits—for those without an education background the program is 38 credits. A 60 credit program sounds like a PhD.
To answer the question asked, my husband’s GI Bill is paying for this degree. My first master’s is in English Literature, and we paid for that one in cash. We took no vacations and only necessary home improvements while I was working on it, and I also was fortunate enough to live near a very cheap state school (UTEP) that had a solid program. I would not have taken out student loans for my MA because it was more a passion degree than one I wanted for specific professional advancement (it has more than paid for itself in unexpected ways, though) but would have taken some out if I’d needed to for my MLIS because I can’t become a school librarian without it.
An additional six credits for the teaching certificate isn’t bad! I would ultimately love to work in a public library, with school library as a close second, so it seems it would be worth it to take the time to get the teaching certificate too.
To clarify, the six extra credits does not net a teaching certificate. It just qualifies you to work in a school setting. A teaching credential is still at least 18 graduate hours plus internship or job placement
Post by Patsy Baloney on Apr 15, 2020 22:29:05 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I left out the other cost saver for me. The most I ever paid was about $200 in taxes because I did a 2-year program in 3-years.
Regular semesters, I did 2 courses, summer semesters I did one, and now in my final semester, I have just my capstone.
It was a bummer to see most of my friends graduate without me, but I was able to work full-time, have my second baby, volunteer, keep my grades up, etc., without incurring a ton of costs and without being fully (just mostly) crazy by the end.
An additional six credits for the teaching certificate isn’t bad! I would ultimately love to work in a public library, with school library as a close second, so it seems it would be worth it to take the time to get the teaching certificate too.
To clarify, the six extra credits does not net a teaching certificate. It just qualifies you to work in a school setting. A teaching credential is still at least 18 graduate hours plus internship or job placement