Current Job Position Title: Head Librarian
Company Name: Environmental Protection Agency
Contact Information: grimes.joshua@epa.gov
Special skills:
Excellent writer, speaker, and listener, high observant skills, competent with computer hardware/software , and awesome break dancer
Describe your job story:
Contrary to popular opinion, gaining a job as a librarian is an incredibly difficult venture, thanks to older librarians who are firmly rooted in their position, and won’t give it up until they die, or are forced out of their position. Probably both. In the fall of 2008, I graduated from LSU with my Masters in Library and Information Science, and set forth to be hired, somewhere, anywhere. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well. I spent all of 2009 being interviewed countless times, by the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, DeKalb County Libraries (probably for the best), the CDC (Center for Disease Control), and other part-time positions.
I didn’t get lucky till the beginning of 2010, when I received a call from a government-staffing organization who interviewed me for a postion “within a government body”. It turns out that the interviewer knew someone from Fulton County, who passed my name along. As luck would have it, they liked me, and suddenly, I’m on the 9th floor downtown, getting stuck in traffic every morning. And I couldn’t be more thankful.
What did you want to be when you were a child/ teenager?
In this order:
1. Astronaut
2. Cartoonist
3. Radio Personality
4. Librarian
Are doing your dream job?
Not exactly. Being a librarian wasn’t my first, second, or third choice as a career. I originally wanted to be an astronaut, but my…shall we say sucky math skills weren’t up to par. I also wanted to be in radio, but majored in English in college, instead of majoring in Communications or Journalism. Add to that, I wanted to be a cartoonist. That didn’t pan out when I received rejection letters from Syndication outlets. I didn’t get into libraries until college, when I begged the librarians (whom I loved to flirt with) to give me a part-time, non-paying position in the Gov’t library. The finally relented and it turns out that I enjoyed the work. One of them recommended that I look into library school (which I didn’t even know existed), and as they say, the rest is fried history.
What do you like MOST about what you do?
Power. Unrelenting power.
Not really, but it is nice. I like helping people find whatever it is they are looking for. I like meeting new folks, and being a librarian is an awesome way to do so. Finally, I like the freedom to do whatever I wish, largely without control. Being autonomic is a boon of the librarian, and it pays in spades.
What do you like the LEAST?
When people ask “why are you a librarian? Isn’t everything on the internet?”
Well If it was, WHY ARE YOU HERE?
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
More than likely, still working in Libraries. I’d like to climb the ladder, and be an assistant manager, or even a Manager of a branch. If not, I’ll stand on the side of the road, and hope someone hears my deep, melodic voice.
Are you happy with where you are in life?
Immensely. I couldn’t ask for better. I hate to use the term “successful”, (because it’s so subjective), but I am close to that. Guess I’ll go with “satisfied”.
What more do you want to do with your life?
Defiantly, learn more extracurricular skills. Like, maybe a cooking class, or a kung-fu class, or a world-domination class.
What drives/motivates you?
Above all, knowing that I’m doing what my parents spent thousands of dollars to send me to school to do. Also, knowing that every day, someway, I’m spreading knowledge in some way.
What else do you do?
Only one job at the moment.
What is your advice to those who are seeking employment and have no hope?
Keep trying. Rather than going in guns blazing, try a different approach. Try to meet people that know people, that know their pets, that know their people. In other words, MAKE CONNECTIONS. You’d be surprised how small this world is, and how people know other people. Also, don’t burn bridges, EVER. You never know when you’d need them again. Additionally, try working for free. It’s crazy, but it gets you noticed. I did three different internships before I got my first paying job in libraries. It’s a wild proposition, but it works! Above all, don’t fall into cynicism. It doesn’t help, and makes your life more miserable.
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