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I’ve decided to apply to 2 more library schools (at the behest of fellow librarians, who tell me I’ll have a horrible time getting to class at Queens College). I am currently in the middle of filling out applications for Queens College, St. John’s University, and Rutgers University. The application fees are going to make me bankrupt. Why must they be so expensive? And on top of that, I just registered for the GRE. That cost me $140!

The exam is in two weeks, on Friday, January 25. I’m hoping this will give me enough time to prepare for it, considering I don’t even know what the GRE looks like. From what I understand, there are three parts to it — much like the current version of the SAT. There’s a verbal section, a math section, and an analytical writing section. That’s pretty much all I know. I took the SAT four years ago and did OK. (Out of a possible 1600 points, I got 1280. It’s not the best but it’s average.) I’m hoping I retained some of the knowledge and that I’ll have an easier time preparing for the GRE. I’ve also read that 2 weeks is about all a person needs to review for the exam, provided that at least 1 hour out of each day is devoted to studying.

Either way, application deadlines are quickly approaching. I need to take this test as soon as possible to make sure that the schools get them on time. Next on my list: personal statement. I have no idea what to write for my essay. I’ve only just begun my foray into librarianship. I don’t even know why I’m going into librarianship. So until I figure that out for myself, there’s no way in hell I can put it down into words for the admissions panel. There are some LiveJournal communities on graduate & library schools that I’ve been checking out. Some users post their statements of purpose for review and such. Maybe I’ll get some ideas from these people because, honestly, I don’t even know where to start.

I should also be looking into scholarships. I’ve had it easy the last four years, having my tuition paid-for by the school. (I actually get money from my school every semester. My scholarship pays for the tuition, my financial aid pays for textbooks — whatever is left over is given to me in the form of a check. It’s pretty sweet.) I don’t even know what it’s like to pay for school. I’ve never had to worry. Why can’t that continue into graduate school? That would be nice. Anyone want to give me, like, $30,000 for library school tuition? ‘Cause librarians don’t get paid very well… so, y’know, I’ll need all the help I can get.

Life’s getting hard.

I have decided to pursue a Master’s of Library & Information Science. I am currently in the middle of gathering data for my graduate school application to Queens College. I am not yet sure whether I will be applying to any other library schools in my region (such as St. John’s, Pratt Institute, or LIU). Queens College is, by far, the most affordable ALA-accreditted library school in the NYC area. There are other schools that I can attend in New Jersey or even Canada (oh, how I would like to live in Canada one day…) but the cost of schooling and living would be astronomical, especially for someone who has $0 in savings.

Besides, I have just secured an “internship” at my school’s library. I will be volunteering there for 10-20 hours per week next semester. One day, it may actually turn into a paying gig… which would be really, really nice. (Currently, I have to continue working at my current place of work because I need the income… Even though my heart’s no longer in it. I find this to be incredibly sad.) That way, I can go to library school while simultaneously working in a library. I would then have a much better chance of getting hired for a full-time position right out of grad school, since many library listings — such as this one — require “3-5 years Library experience.”

Another nice thing about volunteering in the library will be finding out in which departments/units I really enjoy working. As one of the three librarians with whom I met yesterday said, “You might find out, for example, that you absolutely hate working in Reference. You’ll say to yourself, ‘I never want to see another patron ever again.’ At least this way, you’ll know which areas of librarianship to avoid.” With this experience, I will be able to take appropriate classes in grad school that will assist me in getting the job that I really want. I will also have an easier time looking through job listings once I know the exact position I want to attain.

That’s something else that one of the other librarians pointed out yesterday. She said that with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, I should not have problems getting hired right out of library school. “So many librarians have degrees in English, History, or even Anthropology,” she said. “Not many of them have degrees in Computer Science. The stronger your background in computers and technology, the more valuable you become to a prospective employer.” So that was nice, as she assuaged my fears of being unemployed and homeless with a Master’s degree. (I also passed this information on to my mother, who seemed to be somewhat pacified.)

In the meantime, I will be volunteering at my school’s library, working on various projects (e.g., sprucing up the library’s FAQ page, making it searchable by implementing a database) and shadowing several librarians. I will also get to work closely with the school’s AIT crew, improving the library’s website and creating a student-friendly web presence. I am very excited about this opportunity to gain valuable library experience.

The one thing that I am not excited about concerning the upcoming semester is my workload. I will be taking 6 classes (18 credits) while continuing part-time work at my current programming job, with the added workload of volunteering at my college’s library. I hope to graduate in May 2008 so that I can enter library school in September 2008. That means that I have to pass all of my classes this semester… and I am seriously in jeopardy of failing one class. If I fail this single class, my May graduation goes out the window. I will need to re-take that class in a different semester, which will be either next fall or even spring. What I may have to do is email this professor and beg him to give me a D in his class, which is actually a much more detrimental move since I cannot get rid of a D. (If I get an F in this class, my college allows me to take the class again another semester and replace the F grade. A grade of D, however, is not replaceable.)

I’m too close to the end to be failing now. Wah.

At dinner tonight, I told my mom’s friend, Sveta, that I am considering going to library school to obtain a Master of Library & Information Science degree. She looked at me like I was insane. “What was wrong with Computer Science?” she kept asking me. However, she refused to hear the answer. I kept trying to tell her that I had lost interest in programming about a year ago, when I noticed that I was doing well in all of the classes that had nothing to do with my major. I was having much more fun in Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, and Psychology classes. “But Computer Science pays well! How much do librarians make?”

That’s when I hesitated. With a B.S. degree in Computer Science, my starting salary would be around $50,000. With a Master’s degree in Library & Information Science, I would only start at $30,000. (That is pretty insane, I have to admit.) When I told Sveta the average salary, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “No… No, no. We can’t have you going into librarianship. How about Speech Pathology?” Huh. That’s funny. I don’t remember asking you for career advice. (And, really? Speech Pathology? That’s your suggestion?)

The difference in the salaries had me worried, of course. I can’t live on a $30K salary in New York City. A one-bedroom apartment would cost me $1,500 - 2,000 per month. Rent alone would cost approximately $21K a year. I would only be making enough to pay my bills… and that’s not a life I want to live. However, I am not planning on earning such a paltry salary for too long. Worse comes to worst, I can live with my parents until I get a raise or find a new position. (Hey, I have my own apartment down here in my parents’ 2-family home. And it’s completely free. I could definitely do worse.) The only problem would be transportation to my workplace, since Staten Island is so damn far away from everything.

Option B would be to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood closer to my place of work and rent out a room. Of course, this has its own drawbacks, like strange roommates. Living with a stranger seems like a very unnerving and rather taxing situation. You never know what you’re going to get: Neo-Nazis, tree-hugging hippies, evangelical Christians, convicted sex felons, nudists, or otherwise mentally imbalanced individuals. And, with a roommate, you can’t know when you’re going to see the other half of the rent.

Whatever I have to do, I am willing to do it. I have looked into public librarianship and it really seems like the right choice for me. I would get to provide knowledge to the masses! I would be surrounded by books and other information all day. I will get to meet new people everyday. (And although that scares me, I think it’s more exciting than sitting alone in a cubicle, writing and testing code. There is interaction, of course, but it’s nowhere near as diverse as in a public library.) But, best of all, I’d be making a difference: helping kids with their reports, assisting immigrants in English lessons and other relevant information, and teaching people how to read. What could possibly be more rewarding than that?

Back in February, I purchased a book on learning C#. At the time, I bought it because… well, just because. After all, a girl can’t have too many programming books. However, it turns out that it’s actually going to come in handy, as I recently landed a programming position. This is my first job in the field! I am quite excited. However, I am also afraid.

My internship last semester taught me a lot. However, the project on which I worked was a side project. No one really cared whether it got done or not. At my new job, everything I do matters. There are budgets, there are deadlines, there are customers. (I’m working for a consulting firm specializing in mobile technology.) This is why I am so afraid: I am terrified of disappointing my superiors. I don’t want to let anyone down. This probably stems from my low self-esteem. I never have any faith in myself. So instead of attempting to learn C# 2005 and public-key cryptography, I am procrastinating. I’m already convinced that I’m doomed to fail. So instead of trying and failing, I’m just not trying.

Of course, I’m going to sit down with my book(s) & my laptop and learn the material that needs to be learned. In fact, it’s probably going to be very easy for me. However, it’s in my nature to put things off until they just can’t be put off any longer. I am going to try to change that, though. Tomorrow, I will study the code that I was sent and try to understand the concept behind asymmetric cryptography.

Tomorrow morning — bright and early at 5:45 AM — Alex and his father will be picking me up. Together, we will drive into Manhattan where we will find Penn Station. From there, Alex and I will board a 7:45 AM train headed to Montréal. Approximately ten hours later, we will arrive at our hotel. If we’re not too tired from our train ride, we’ll hit the town and see what Montréal has to offer on a Saturday evening.

Alex and I will be celebrating our second anniversary on Monday, August 6th. Weather permitting, we will climb Mont Royal in the afternoon. We might pack a lunch and have a picnic atop the mountain. Hopefully, by the time we decide to come down, it’ll be late enough so that we can catch the sun set on Montréal. Later in the evening, we’ll go to a fancy restaurant and drink wine with our souper.

We will be back in New York City the following Saturday, August 11th. Probably with lots and lots of photos.