I don’t love my job. I work for a big corporation, and sometimes the decisions of the upper management here seem opaque. They prioritize profits over the needs of the workers, or of the students we serve, and admittedly some of our recruitment tactics seem like they take advantage of our students’ lack of sophistication.
On the other hand, I don’t hate my job. I have my little library world carved out here. I feel necessary, I get to do basically whatever I want, I get a nice paycheck relative to the norm in my profession, and even though I have seen it a hundred times, I still get a little verklempt at graduation. Those are my kids walking across that stage, every one of them.
I am certainly open to other career paths. I have days I worry about my long-term stability with this company, and days I shake my fist and think, “Those dirty double-crossers!” I know there is no moving up here unless I leave the library and go for a deanship–and I am rock solid on not wanting that headache! But I still see no reason to take a big pay cut to go somewhere else, like the place I interviewed last week. If the interview had been stellar, and the organization had seemed like a perfect fit, maybe I would be working harder on realigning my budget, or selling a car, or pushing my husband to get a day job, like Mom thinks I should be. But it wasn’t. There weren’t enough plusses to the new place to make up for the big minus.
And can I just take a minute here to rant about the practice of not putting an accurate starting salary in the freakin’ job announcement? If I had known from the get-go that the job would be a 25% cut from what I make now, I never would have applied at all. I and they would have both been saved time. Post it, so I can know if I can afford to apply. Sometimes in library world, people act like we should be willing to do this work for free because it is a calling. I am passionate about libraries, but this is my job. I have to make money at it to live, and acting like salary discussions are dirty and cheapen the hiring process is just ludicrous.
I know I complain about my workplace, and so to a large degree, it’s my own fault that I am getting such a push to take any new position at all. Mom means well, and I know she is somewhat informed by her own recent retirement from a similar company. She got out of a place she decided was dirty, and so wants me to, as well. Others that have suggested I just jump and get a second job or something to make up the difference also think they are looking out for me. But none of them have to pay my bills, or determine what are acceptable compromises in my life.
So in short, if offered, I probably won’t take the job. And I know I need to tone down the complaining and maybe accentuate the positive a little. That doesn’t mean I won’t keep looking at opportunities, but it’s okay that I am comfortable here for now.
Librarienne's Den 