Re-examining your library and information career while on a career break

Up until now there has been an expectation that library professionals taking a career break will want to return to information work after that break ends. After all, it is likely that before the break, they will have made quite an investment in the profession in terms of experience, qualifications, and the wide range of expertise and skills they gained. Few may go back to exactly the same job they had before.

Many more will look to turn an aspect of their previous career into a different but similar paid role. They do this for a number of reasons. We know that some returners find it hard to get back into library work after stepping out for even a short while. In the time they’ve been away, many jobs have disappeared or have been de-professionalised. When they return, their values and expectations might have changed too, they might not want to work the same hours or travel as far or as much or they might find a lack of opportunity in the type of flexible work they desire. It may take much longer to get back into work at the same level they were before, if they do at all. Their personal transition is mirrored by the upheaval affecting the library and information profession in general.

Or they might be undergoing a bit more of a radical rethink, upskilling, retraining or starting afresh in a completely new career direction.

Taking time out to reflect whether returning is right for you

When you’ve stepped out off the workplace for a period of time even though you’ve been largely occupied with whatever reason you took the break for, there will inevitably be some reflection, some moment where you wonder whether to return to the same career that you left behind. Certainly being on a career break leads to further consideration of whether you are on the right journey.

It may be the first real moment of reflection you’ve had since embarking on (or accidentally falling into) librarianship. All manner of thoughts can enter your head:

• Do I feel sure about returning to library and information work?
• Was I on the right path to begin with?
• When you think about it, didn’t I stumble into librarianship?
• Is librarianship the right career path for me now?
• Has the profession taken a few more knocks since I went on career break?
• Do I want to do something completely different before I get too old?
• Do I want to go back to where I left off or do I take-off in an entirely different direction?

Indeed, for some returners, it may not be practical to return to the same career.

I relocated during my second period of maternity leave so I knew wouldn’t be returning to exactly the same role. I had worked in a library education role that was as much grounded in learning and teaching technology as in librarianship. So I took on flexible work at a distance, such as marking and writing modules, to keep my hand in. When I decided the time was right to return to paid work following my complete career break, I wanted to return to librarianship.

However as we have seen from the different articles here and comments posted  on Twitter, it can be difficult for returners to find part-time, flexible work at a professional level following their responsibilities elsewhere.

Before you can decide upon a route…

…it may be wise to perform a career assessment

The time to do this type of soul searching is while you are still on your career break, but if you have returned to work, haven’t done this and are unhappy, then do it now before wasting any more time.  (Because really, what’s holding you back from finding out what it is that you really want out of life?)

Consider what you want to do with the working life you have left and how you want to contribute. Bekki Clark in The Mum’s Guide to Returning to Work takes the reader through six questions which can help shape an answer.

1. What can I offer?
2. What do I want from work?
3. What are my values?
4. What does work offer?
5. What does work demand?
6. Am I being realistic?

The chapter in Back On the Career Track has a similar tool and if you prefer listening to a podcast you should access “Podcast: 3, 2, 1, iRelaunch” Episode 4: The Key Step You Cannot Skip to Relaunch Your Career Successfully where Chair and Co-Founder of iRelaunch, Carol Fishman Cohen, speaks with iRelaunch coach, Carroll Welch, about what they consider to be the most important step you can take when you’re thinking about returning to work.

[Note: the whole series of “Podcast: 3, 2, 1, iRelaunch” is a great listen for any returner, no matter what the job role or career. A really fantastic source of career-break, career-return advice wherever you are based in the world.]

Where next?

In your time away from work your interests may have changed completely. You may have no idea what to do next, but know that you can’t or don’t want to return to what you did. But is that a total career change or a shift in emphasis? You might want to shift the direction of your career, take a more flexible role, redefine your ambitions.  It’s interesting to note that while it’s not all about the money, money, money (you took a career break after all) this is where you will be once again thinking about how much risk can you afford and how much money you can count on as part of your consideration (so more thinking about your values). Undertaking a personal career assessment should enable you to discover the right path for your return.

 

Works Cited

Clark, Bekki. The Mum’s Guide to Returning to Work. Beamington Publishing, 2010.

Cohen, Carol Fishman and Vivian Steir Rabin. Back On the Career Track: a Guide for Stay-at-Home-Moms Who Want to Return to Work. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform , 2008.