Back to School? Or Not Back to School?

by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida

Back to School? Or Not Back to School?

shelleymaconI don’t know about you, but it is back to school time in my house.  The last few weeks have been a flurry of shopping for school supplies, clothes, supplies, shoes, and supplies.  Did I mention supplies?

The back to school frenzy has got me thinking.  Maybe I should go back to school, too.

As the Head Editor of INALJ Florida, I read a lot of job listings.  In the course of these readings, I have noticed that quite a few academic libraries, law libraries, and private/corporate libraries (for example) are looking for subject specialist.  Specifically, a candidate with dual Graduate degrees.  In fact, many universities offer dual or joint degrees with Library Science being a common offering in these programs.

But, that is not the only reason I am contemplating hitting the books again.  Perhaps a second Masters degree would make me more marketable for other information professional jobs as well. In fact, wouldn’t it open a whole new barrel of jobs and career options?

Or…

Is it a waste of time and money?  How much would it impact my job search and my attractiveness to interviewers and to prospective employers?  Would it significantly impact my ”hire-ability”? Yes, there would be loads more job options, but do I want those jobs?  I mean, if I had wanted to have a career in a different field wouldn’t I have pursued a degree in that to begin with?

Who knows though, maybe I would find I loved it.  Maybe not.

With the economy resulting in budgetary concerns for many libraries, we have all seen an increase in paraprofessionals in what used to be considered “professional” positions.  Will the demand for dual degrees also see a similar trend?  Are dual degrees a realistic, sustainable trend?

So I thought I would get the opinion of the experts.  So, how about it readers?  Any of you have dual degrees?  What are the advantages/disadvantages?

Are dual degrees worth it or not?

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