da plan, da plan!

I've been looking for a new job since I moved here last year. There are no jobs in my field. In case you haven't noticed, the economy sucks right now and my field has taken a massive hit. After yet another professional blow and the realization that my misery isn't going to go away on tis own I realized I had two choices: 1) ride out the economy and remain miserable or 2) go back to school for another degree which will give me more flexibility with my options.

Guess which one I picked?? :-)

I am going back to school!!! I am going to get an MBA! I am looking at full-time programs with an anticipated start date of fall 2010. There's a lot to be done - pick schools, attend info sessions, write application essays, take the gmats, interview, etc. There's also a lot to stress about - am I smart enough for business school, what if I blow the gmats, what if no one accepts me, what if I get another degree and I can't get a job, etc. Despite all of these worries I actually feel pretty good about this decision.

I want whatever I do for work to be meaningful. I want to get something out of it. I want to be challenged, I want to feel like what I do matters and I want to go home at night feeling like I accomplished something. I used to feel this way at my last job but I haven't felt an inkling of any of these feelings at my current job. Between the office dynamics and feeling so powerless every single day is a struggle.

I've been thinking about an mba since I moved here last year. If nothing else, a full-time (2 year) mba will buy me a little time. Two years is a long time for the economy to swing back. I can always go back to libraries when I am done, with the added benefit of a higher salary with a second masters. Or I can parlez my new business skills into something new - the embedded librarian concept or management or consulting or start my own business or ???. The mba will provide the credential to add to the experience I already have.

It will be difficult to be a full-time student again. It's been 10 years since library school and I am out of practice for attending classes, writing papers and doing projects. I could go the program at night but that would mean staying at my current job and not getting everything I can out of the program - connections, internships, etc. I've always said that at some point I am going to need to settle down and figure out my life. That time is now (sue me, I've always been a late bloomer). Libraries served their purpose but I don't think that was were I was supposed to ultimately end up. I don't necessarily think an mba is going to lead to a career that I will stay with until retirement; I think the mba will bring me closer to a new path of career options that will hopefully lead me to feeling more fulfilled and less miserable. I like having choices and options and I like knowing I am armed with the tools I need to create my own future.

I'll try to keep y'all posted (vaguely, ever so vaguely) with this new plan. Wish me luck :-)