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Rank: Member
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Joined: 2/27/2009
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Location: New York, NY
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This may not be the right board to post to, so let me know if there is a better place to post.
I have a part-time job. I live in New York City and I can no longer afford to live here without a full-time job. My lease is up here in June. I am thinking of moving in with my parents in another state and quitting my part-time job. I am an archivist at a small college. The job is not likely to ever become a full-time job. I have been looking for a full-time job since September. I am looking all over the country.
My question is this a bad idea? I know you are not supposed to leave a job without another job, but it seems impractical to stay and become deeper in debt. I would get some kind of part-time job where my parents live.
Any thoughts would be welcome!
Thanks!
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Rank: Newbie
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Location: ohio
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Tiffany, I too have been looking for a full time library (paraprofessional) job for over a year now and willing to relocate. As someone (probably much older than you), my advice is to move back home. Find a job, pay rent to your parents, reduce your debts and save as much money as you can. The current economic situation is likely to get much worse and you are fortunate to have these options. You can continue library job searches or even go back to school. From personal experience, relocating to a new community without a job in place is not a good idea unless one has a lot of money in the bank. You already have contacts in your hometown so job hunting should be easier. I know from personal experience that it is MUCH harder to find employment if one is currently unemployed! Second, when you leave your current job, make sure you maintain a good relationship with co-workers and managers if only for their professional references (try to get a letter of reference). Good luck!
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Rank: Advanced Member
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I would agree that a move home can save money. However, you might want to explore online work, such as indexing, etc. If you are happy with your job, I would seriously consider expanding your income where you are, even if it means working in a bookstore (okay--none of them are probably hiring), but there are ways to continue doing what you want, paying the bills, and continue looking for full time work. You don't say whether it would be possible to pick up more hours in a different area of the current library. That might be worth exploring, also.
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Rank: Member
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Location: New York, NY
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Thank you both for answering. I do have a second job. It is still not enough. I have not seen anything for online work. Maybe you have a website you use for that? I will keep that in mind. My current library is so small there is no option of adding hours, plus it means they would have to give me benefits. I am going to keep looking at keep my fingers crossed. By the way, I don't mind moving home.
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If financially you cannot stay where you are currently, you may have little choice but to move home. One of the hardest things to overcome is gaps of unemployment in a resume. It will be easier to locate a job when still employed or very recently unemployed. Longer you are not working, people assume your skills have gone stale. I would try to find work before moving home if possible. Or keep looking for options in your current location.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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I lived at home for years after finishing grad school (I really had no other choice), and it was the best thing for me. The only thing I regret is not saving more money.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Here is the website for the American Society of Indexing. http://www.asindexing.org/site/index.html It is a good place to start for this. It should also have information about abstracting.
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Rank: Member
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Location: New York, NY
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Thank you Hollis. I will look into this.
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Rank: Newbie
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Location: USA
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Hi Tiffany, I would only say that unless you are 100% sure of getting a job upon your relocation, you should not move. Remember the proverb: "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush". Your current job may never become full time but it IS still enough to keep you alive. I cannot forget the mistake my friend did by moving into a small town in the hope of making things better for herself, however, she is still struggling hard to make ends meet! :( All the best :)
About Me
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Rank: Newbie
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Location: Utah
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could you find another part time job in the same city even if it is not in a library? Library jobs are so difficult to find right now that I'm not sure leaving a good one although part time would be a good idea.
Learn how to use social networking in your library. http://www.socialnetworkinglibrarian.com
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Rank: Member
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Location: New York, NY
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I wanted to give you all an update on what happened to me in case it will help others in similar positions. I did end up leaving my job in NYC in August. I wrote a proposal to make my job full-time, but I was told it would be at least two years or more before they considered it because budgets had already been made. I had several interviews for full-time jobs, but none of them panned out. Then I went to the SAA annual conference. There I met the director of a caribbean museum. He was looking for a volunteer to come and work on their archives. Since I had already quit my job, I went for it. This was a great experience. I would not have been able to go if I had rent to pay and some savings, so leaving NY was good for me. They paid for housing and food. I have now been back for about three months and have continued to interview. I received a job offer yesterday. I am not saying everyone shoud quit their jobs and move home, but if you do have a volunteer position lined up or get one as soon as you get home. The volunteering made it look like I was unemployed for less ime and that I was willing to take on a challenge and don't mind moving to a new area. Good Luck!
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