6.26.2007

What is good "information" career advice?

Sloppy Bokken Kata-12

This: not so much; while there is some good stuff to be found within the posts the perspective is skewed.

1. Before you got to "library school" accept that libraries are part of the world of data, information, & knowledge. By the time you get out of school, there could be an entirely new ubiquitous field of information wrangling -could you be the one to figure it out? If you only think of working in a library, then probably not. But, maybe you're going to library school to re-invent libraries because you love them -cool. That's information change.

Opening yourself up to interesting, intriguing, and other "library-type" jobs just may help you view the world from a perspective that gets you a j-o-b -unless you want something more. That's information inspiration. Don't just pay lip service to the work of finding work. People work hard at creating & crafting their careers . It doesn't hurt to be on listservs or to have wise librarian mentors. I owe my greatest work/career fortunes to mentoring librarians. Without their years of experience & guidance, I would not be writing these words.

2. quaere: ask. Ask stupid questions.
Ask questions all the time. Ask why it's important. Ask for whatever to be explained. Ask in a way that makes people open up to you & build upon your ideas. Ask someone to give you the alternative view of the idea they just put forth -because if they say your question is stupid, then they are not listening. Ask why people are think they are above answering basic questions like where the restrooms are. Ask
why not. Above all else: never let anyone intimidate you into not asking your question and never let anyone convince you you're stupid because your thought process works completely different from theirs. That's information strategy.

Most people use a
decision-making process that factors 1, and at most 2 variables, as they quickly move past any question you put forth. Additionally, there are hidden traps in decision-making. You can learn to make better decisions & asking questions (whether someone else artificially determines that your question holds a depth of stupidity is irrelevant to you) begins the process . Law enforcement individuals would tell you asking questions of all types is at the heart of learning about anything & that any question matters. Maybe it's not that there are dumb questions, but maybe there better people to address such questions. quid bovi.

I remember once solving a problem as Airman Basic in the USAF by asking what happened if this little piece of metal fell off. "Nothing" was the answer and it ended up saving thousands of dollars and tremendous labor hours. Oh, to change the part that lost a tiny piece of metal gearing required large sections of a turbofan engine to be removed to get at it: in the military, time is money and often lives. All because I asked a stupid question about a piece of metal falling off.


3. Read about new ways to work.
Surround yourself with people who rely fascinating ideas to you. That's information compression.
Michael & Jenny make you consider ideas in ways you wouldn't normally and ask you continually to apply those ideas to your work/life. Ben and Penelope talk about work as if it's part of your life. Imagine seeing work as something that was removed from your "life." Generations before us used to live this way. Now, how can you possibly separate 40-60-80 hours of your life out & believe your job doesn't affect who you are? Welcome to our time. Your job/work/occupation/ affects who you are; should it define you -maybe, maybe not? But, the old whimsical line about being on your death bed and wishing you hadn't spent more time in the office: is a trifling point that does not matter. Your final act as you die should be to look back upon your life and enjoy it a second time. Work & all.

4. And as the super-smart Rachel says: network.

No comments: