{"id":60279,"date":"2014-02-04T13:55:05","date_gmt":"2014-02-04T18:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=60279"},"modified":"2014-02-04T13:57:41","modified_gmt":"2014-02-04T18:57:41","slug":"navigating-the-bend-in-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=60279","title":{"rendered":"Navigating the Bend in the Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Angela J.A. Kent, Head Editor, INALJ-Virtual Work<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Navigating the Bend in the Road<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\"AngelaJuneAranasKent\"<\/a>The bends in one\u2019s career path can appear with little or no notice or be well-mapped out ahead of time. They are those turning points when you start or leave a job; matriculate or graduate from an academic program; relocate for work or family; take a promotion; restart your career or make a complete career change.<\/p>\n

The bend in my road was a career-making move for my husband whose position would relocate us to a new city. I completed my MLIS in December and was offered an academic librarian position right out of the gates. I was on my way to being an \u201cINALJ Success Story<\/a>.\u201d I could see the road ahead.<\/p>\n

But, with an impending move ahead, I had to turn my first librarian job and face the prospect of a new city with no job, no family or friends, and no professional network. While the former may be true for now, the latter certainly was not. Because of the investment in professional association membership, volunteering in leadership positions, attending conferences, and just remaining \u201cplugged in,\u201d I was able to readily connect with library and information professionals who not only knew the lay of the land, but shared the types of job opportunities that were possible in this new city. Unsurprisingly, one of my contacts advised to join the local library association and plan on attending their annual conference. I\u2019m feeling more plugged in already!<\/p>\n

It is amazing how far your professional network can really stretch. And, while you\u2019ve undoubtedly heard it before, my network really is helping through this unknown time in my career. Signing up for listservs to keep up to date on job trends and movers and shakers<\/a> in your field; taking on volunteer leadership roles; joining professional associations; and attending conferences are all investments in your professional development. It means never being alone when you\u2019re trying to build your career. While changes to your career plan can be scary, having a network that can support and will work for you is worth its weight in gold.<\/p>\n

Things that I know I\u2019ll be using to help navigate through this new career trajectory (and I hope you will too!):<\/p>\n