By Ellen Mehling, Career Development Consultant, METRO
Usually I am the one answering job search and career-related questions; this time I’m the one posing a question to some recent graduates in the first few years of their information professional careers. Here are their responses to “What is the best career advice you’ve received?” Some answers are brief, others are longer, all are excellent.
The best career advice I received was from Pam Rollo, my Pratt [Institute] instructor and SLA-NY Board President at the time. She said, “Your education in this profession does not end at with a graduate diploma from Library School. Technology and the field of Information are continuously evolving. Stay in step of what is happening and aware of what is to come in the future.”
– Clara Cabrera, Research & Reference Specialist – Team Lead, WilmerHale
The best career advice I received was the importance of gaining hands-on experience in a library, even if that means doing volunteer work. This was mentioned to me by several people, but I was helped the most by Dr. Westermann, a former professor of mine from [LIU] Post, who pointed me in the right direction when I reached out to her for advice on where to volunteer. The summer before graduation, I was concerned that, since I was in the Archives and Records Management program and my internship would be taking place in an archive as opposed to a library, I would be missing out on the hands-on experience in a public library that many of my fellow graduates would be getting.
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