Well, there's that...

[mandie_rw]

You know, it's really shaping up to be a tremendously exciting break. Hardly any sewing or costuming, because of the Evil Stomach Bug of Evilness, recovering from that, and now, today, have I been doing anything? No, of course not; I've been lying on the living-room sofa, reading Harry Potter, and popping pills in a fairly unsuccessful effort to keep wicked cramps at bay. *is cranky* And I had to be at the dentist at 9.00 this morning, whereupon it was determined I had two cavities (my first ever; aren't I special?) and had said cavities filled. Not a morning person. Not a needles-in-the-gums sort of person. And not really the sort of person who wants to hear the hygienist tell me that my BA in history is going to be Epically Useless. (Yes, I'm paraphrasing. Work with me here.)

I did dye my hair though. *promptly falls over in surprise* Red. Sort of. (It's that what-do-you-call-it...*searches for box*...L'oreal Natural Match stuff, so out of direct light it's not much darker than my real color. In the light, though...yay, red!) My mother hates it, of course. She came home from work, and there I was, reading Harry Potter with my red hair. It makes me feel absurdly rebellious. I come from a very socially conservative family; can you tell? Like I'd dyed it...I don't know...lime-green or something. (My sister, on the other hand, didn't even notice it, which kind of cracks me up.)

(On a side note, I blame you, drama_wench , for my motivation for doing this. ;) Your recent meme-thingy mentioning red hair was the kick in the ass I needed to actually do it...I've been in love with red hair and wanted it ever since I really got into *mumble*Titanic*mumble* but I still defend myself for liking that movie! Kate Winslet looked gorgeous with red hair, and I will always maintain those costumes are Made of Awesome...a few years back [and I had the Felicity doll when I was young too, hehe!], but never had the figurative balls to actually dye my hair. So, thank you, m'dear; even if everyone thinks my hair sucks now, at least I tried it!)

But I think I actually like it, and may keep it, so...*sticks tongue out at the haters* Nyah!

Also, I really do not think that, every time I come home, I need to be told just how useless a history degree is in any possible career field except teaching (I get that from the dental hygienists, thanks!), and then, when I say, okay, I'll get a teaching certification, am told that I should never and will never be a teacher. Okay. Fine. I guess I should just drop out now, then, and live on the streets?! What do they want me to say?! God.

(And just to spite them, maybe I'll keep the red hair forever. Nyah! Again!)

Comments

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Again, thank you! I hardly know what to ask right now (other than the basic, how much more school and how much more money, heh), but I will definitely remember this, and may well crop up asking random questions on your journal at some point in the future!

[librarianofdoom.livejournal.com]

*resists the temptation to chant, "Join us..."*

To answer your question, a professional-level librarian job requires a Master's in Library science (or Library and Information Science, or some variation thereof.) This is typically a 2-year degree if you're a full-time student. I've heard of 1-year degree programs, but I honestly don't know how you could learn everything you need to know to be a good librarian in just one year. If/when you decide to look into this, the American Library Association web page has a list of accredited programs by state.

How much it costs depends on which school you go to. I went to UCLA, which is not the cheapest of schools, but is considered to be a pretty good program. Tuition these days is about $3,000 per quarter for California residents (so, $9k/year if you take summers off--summer session seems to have a different pricing model), but what really kicked my ass was the cost of living in L.A. There are plenty of less expensive programs though, and several that have distance-learning options.

Just to make sure, I'm not giving you all this information to pressure you or anything. (After all, giving people information is what librarians *do*. I can't help it.) I'm just really happy with my career choice, so I do rather like to recruit people. :)

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Oh, no pressure, I know! :D It's actually really good to hear that you're happy with your career choice and want to recruit people; that's quite a recommendation to me!

(It must be the oh-so-faint chants of "Join us..." working on me! ;) )