.plan

One of the important things I left out of the career test is that I want to work part-time for the forseeable future. Yeah, that's a pretty big omission, because there are entire fields of work which do not have part-time positions. Like software development.

My main idea at the moment is library work, or more generally information management. It makes sense for several reasons: I love books and reading and information, I like to look things up, I love and understand data and metadata, it's nerdy and quiet and air-conditioned, while still being Part of the Solution rather than Part of the Problem. (At least, potentially, depending what position I ultimately take.)

To that end, I am looking at two options, the first being a one-year Library and Information Technology Technician diploma at Seneca College, the second being a Masters of Library Something-or-other at U of T. The intellectual snob in me wants to go for the Master of Information Studies, but the pragmatist says the diploma is the way to go - it's cheaper, it's shorter and it won't leave me overqualified for part-time positions. Maybe people at cocktail parties (or housewarming parties) won't be bowled over by my credentials, but that's so superficial. Impressing people at parties is not the main thing. (It's something I really want to do, but it's not the main thing!)

And of course I don't have the resources to pursue a university degree at the moment. I wouldn't feel comfortable spending so much of my family's time and money at this stage. Once I have been working for a while, and the children are older, I can think about pursuing whatever university education seems relevant at the time. Maybe the girls and I will go to university at the same time!

The one thing that's still missing is something that occurred to me today. I'm reading the wonderful Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn, and he was talking about trying to see things from children's perspective, and treating them with respect. Maybe because I was treated with respect myself, or maybe because I remember what it was like to be a kid more clearly than it seems a lot of people do, but I'm good with kids. I'm good with them and I love them. I really enjoying spending time with the children at Delphine's school, and I will miss it when they are older and I no longer have an excuse to volunteer at the elementary school.

I don't (at the moment) see a path to working with children through the LIT diploma - I can't work at the Toronto Public Library with that diploma (apparently they are intellectual snobs too), and I can't work at a public school in Toronto because they insist that you be qualified as a teacher to be a school librarian. So how can I get my grubby little hands on the youth of today? I don't know. I will have to look into it further.