Parenthood and Career Opportunities
NMRT’s Assistant Treasurer Easter DiGangi shares her experiences balancing life as a new parent with her professional duties and aspirations. Discussions on the NMRT list-serv and ALA Think Tank Facebook group show that this topic is one of interest to many new librarians, so feel free to continue the conversation on our Facebook group.
In August of this year, someone posted a question on the ALA Think Tank Facebook page about how to stay in the field after starting a family early in his/her career. He/she wasn’t sure if he/she should work part time or stay at home for a few years. The responses were amazing and marked in their sincerity. I was impressed with the open discussion on the subject- bringing an important and infrequently addressed issue to light. As a mom of a toddler, I personally have struggled with similar questions. Most recently my family relocated due to a position that my spouse obtained. I was unable to find another job before our move and thus I became an accidental stay-at-home parent for seven months while I continued my job search. Don’t get me wrong, I loved spending time with my little one but I definitely missed my job.
For me, this Facebook discussion illustrates how supportive our colleagues can be even when it comes to the intersection of our personal and professional lives. While initially we may feel alone, through networking we discover many others who have gone through the same familial struggles and have succeeded professionally. These people can share great insight that can help you navigate how to retain and grow a career in the library and information science field even when you have a young family.
Parents with young families have a lot of issues to contend with including whether to stay home for a time or to continue working (whether it be part time or full time). Some people don’t have a choice on the issue of whether to work or not depending on their personal or financial situation. The decision to work or stay at home for a time may have to do with your personality. However, new parents may be surprised by how they feel once a child arrives. Those who are totally career-minded might suddenly crave time with their new family. Others who thought they’d want to stay at home for a time might discover they truly need the grown-up time at work. Either decision is totally fine.
For me, there wasn’t a question of whether to work. The challenge was finding a position that had the right fit for me and my family given the constraints I was under. That situation certainly played into how long it took to find and accept a position. One issue I encountered was the inevitable gap on my resume due to these constraints. I discovered that a gap is not necessarily a bad thing. Just make sure to account for wide gaps in your resume within your cover letter. It is your choice whether to point out that you were being a stay-at-home parent or doing some other professional activity.
Days and hours of work may be a constraint depending on your family situation. Perhaps you can’t work evenings or weekends. Maybe you need flexible hours. In this case, taking on a volunteer or substitute position may work for you. I volunteered my time with NMRT committee work and with the local Friends of the Library while I looked for a job. Both fit my family’s schedule well. Either being a volunteer or a substitute can be invaluable because lots of places prefer to hire from within for jobs– if and when your availability changes.
A particular job which may require you to take work home can factor into whether you accept or remain in a position. For example, this situation may prompt you to keep two part time jobs instead of accepting a full time job.
You may be limited by geography in your search. This has certainly been the case with me and it is true with many families. In this situation, broaden your search to include more library types and/or position titles. If necessary, work in a related field outside the library or accept a paraprofessional position. Having some current experience is better than having no experience. In the end, you have to do what is best for you and your family.
There are many ways to stay current in the field that will accommodate any schedule regardless of your family situation. Here are some ideas:
* Keep up with professional listservs, journals, and social media.
* Get involved with one or more professional associations.
* Network online or in person.
* Take classes and/or get certified.
While librarian parents do have some challenges in retaining and growing in their careers, I think people need to know (if they don’t already) that librarian parents develop incredible skills from their personal lives that definitely benefit their professional lives. Just a few of these skills include the following: problem-solving, multi-tasking, time management, organization, communication, delegation, and negotiation. There is even a WikiHow article on “How to use your parenting skills at work”. Bottom line, being a parent doesn’t mean you can’t have a very successful career if you want it. In fact, it may help you to build great leadership skills.
