So u wanna be a librarian? Thoughts from librarians in the city.

I was typing the results of our survey for Research, on career personality types and job satisfaction among librarians in Iloilo City. Actually, there are only around 60 professional, licensed librarians in the city and most are working in universities. It is not a popular course, and few people are aware it exists except those already working in libraries. Thanks to the librarians who have taken the time to answer, and most of their answers are eloquent and well-written. It is good to know that the majority enjoy their jobs, it makes me think I made the right choice. Here are my top 5 favorite answers:

1. This was the longest. I liked it, the respondent even typed and printed it! Such a generous and nice answer. (Also, I can relate, I shifted from another course and this person shifted to another career.)

"YES, I am very satisfied with my current job and I am pretty sure that I made the right career choice. Shifting from Research Assistant in the field of Fisheries to a College Librarian of a prestigious university was one of the major decisions I made in my life. Before jumping in the field of Librarianship, I was in a great dilemma on whether to disregard all the time, effort, and energy I spent in building a career in the field of fisheries and start again from scratch with a new career. However, after a few years of working in the field of fisheries, I have learned and realized that the career was not really meant for me. I was no longer happy with what I’m doing and I could not imagine myself working outdoor my whole life, so I decided to look for something that would suit my personality and lifestyle. Timely enough, I was hired by UPV Library to organize their fisheries materials that came from Diliman Library. This opportunity helped me finally decide to change my career path.
          What I like most about being a Librarian is the nature of the work itself. Unlike fisheries where I have to spend most of my time working outdoor, in library science I have to work mostly indoor. I am able to interact with different kinds of clients – from students, faculty, administrators, and researchers both outside and inside the university campus. I could act as a teacher to them or a friend that could help them in their information needs, but at the same time making this opportunity in enhancing my skills in librarianship.
          For every questions answered or needs addressed, a different sense of fulfilment is felt. Self satisfaction is achieved every time I see the smiling faces and hear the gratefulness of the clients I served. This also serves as a measure of my work performance and an assurance to me that I’m doing my work well and that I’m on the right track on becoming an effective and efficient librarian of the organization where I belong." (UPV)

2. Librarianship can be a health hazard...
"Yes, I enjoy my work. However, my health has been affected because of the environment and stress in the technical section. We have been provided with a small air conditioned working area where books are being processed, including re-cataloging of our DDC to LC classification. So dust is accumulated and circulating in the office. I acquired allergy, asthma, and pneumonia." (USA)

3. It is fun!
"Yes! Absolutely satisfied. Being a librarian means I have the freedom to be interested in anything and everything. For me, being a librarian is never boring. It’s a social profession. I realized that the work of a librarian is a very interesting one, but every now and then I have to remind myself that librarianship is a noble profession and a lot of fun." (JBLU)

4. Everyday is a learning experience when we deal with knowledge and information
"I may have accidentally discovered librarianship as a profession, for it has not reached popularity the time I studied it. But at this point, in my more than ten years in the profession, I can say that I am satisfied with my current job and choice of career. This profession/career may not bring you a flowing material wealth, but as a librarian/information specialist, who wouldn't grow professionally and intellectually when you constantly deal with knowledge, information, research, etc.?" (USA)

5. Challenging!
"Yes, I am happy with my career choice. There are many challenges but if you face these challenges and look at it positively, you will be able to handle them and eventually give the best solutions. I experienced difficulties especially when we are under-staffed, but because I love my profession and enjoyed serving my students, the faculty, etc., you don’t count the extra hours. What is important is at the end of the day, you are happy and contented because you have made your customers happy, too. It is also one way of encouraging them to visit the library more often and use the resources independently." (USA)

That's it! I enjoyed working on this. For the first time, I look forward to writing the rest of the paper.