When I was 15 years old (eons ago!) I got a job shelving books at the local public library.  Monday through Thursday I would walk 20 minutes to the library after school, eat the snack my mom packed, shelve books from 4-6 pm, walk home for dinner, then do homework from 7:30-9 pm. On Saturdays I would bike to work, shelve books from 9 am – 1 pm, go home for lunch, and then do the stuff teens did in the mid-1970s (I already admitted it was eons ago so now you know!). The fact is, although I revel in variety, I relished this routine. The library was a safe haven where my co-workers valued me, there was a revolving door of interesting people who used the library, and I loved seeing all the new books as soon as they arrived.

I became a librarian because of that experience and have enjoyed my chosen profession ever since – but I sometimes wonder – what about all those young adults who don’t happen to luck into a first job that becomes their lifelong career choice? How does one decide what to work at for perhaps 30 or 40 years? How does one even know what all the career possibilities are? Help is available online of course!  From April 12-17, to celebrate National Library Week, a database vendor (H.B. Wilson) is offering free access for everyone to a new

Careers database:  www.hwwilson.com/libraryweek.htm.

It contains information on diverse careers, with articles selected from reliable magazines and journals. From jeweler to journalist, fashion designer to florist, librarian to lawyer, articles includes qualifications, duties and responsibilities, pay scales, application processes and future prospects. It also features a “Job-Finder’s Toolbox” with annotated links to more than 50 career-related websites, including many popular job-search and industry specific sites.

The IU East Library also provides you with a helpful resource about careers (available anytime, not just this week!), called the “CollegeGo” library guide:

http://iue.libguides.com/CollegeGo

Are you about to graduate and looking for a job?  Are you just starting and looking for a field you’d like to major and eventually work in?  Then this library guide is for you!

If you’d like to explore possible career fields, choose Selecting a Career.

If you want help on constructing your resume, choose Resume Building.

If you’d like to apply for a job, choose Employment Listings.

If you’d like to learn tips for a successful interview, choose Interviewing.

For information on nonstandard careers, choose Worldwide and Alternative Careers.

For information on management, business planning and entrepreneurship, choose When You’re the Boss.

For information beyond the scope of this guide, choose Further Research.