Back in April, I posted an update on Facebook that I’ll quickly replicate here:
I’ve been trying to come up with a fake name for a project I’m working on that (for reasons that will hopefully become clear) I don’t want to name in public just yet. Today while driving from the gym to the office, NPR played a clip from the hysterical movie Best in Show. So in honor of that, I hereby name it Operation: Parker Posey.
That was about 90% true. The name did come to me when they played that audio clip from Best in Show. But what I didn’t mention at the time was that it made me think of another film starring Posey; namely, the film Party Girl in which Parker Posey’s character shifts from a young woman throwing illegal raves to make a living, to someone who wants to enter library school.
Which is a roundabout way of saying that ever since the start of the year, I’ve been working on applying to graduate school. (Researching schools, studying for the GRE, taking practice GRE tests as well as the real thing, lining up recommendation letters, filling out forms, writing essays, figuring out financing, that sort of thing.) And while I’m still waiting on hearing from a couple of other schools, barring a surprise scholarship materializing for a different college, I’ll take my first class from Wayne State University this fall as I work on a Master of Library and Information Science degree.
And now, the answers to the questions that I know I will otherwise get:
- I’m not quitting my job, so this will be part time.
- I’m not moving to Detroit; I’m taking classes via distance learning.
- I’ve developed distance learning classes for the Federal Government for the past 15 years, so I’m not afraid of the idea.
- If all goes well and in the spring I can start taking two classes at a time while still working, I’ll graduate in December 2015.
- No, this is not a midlife crisis. But it probably will cost more than a sports car would by the time it’s all done.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to beginning graduate school in a few months, and I’m especially excited by taking some classes in digital content management. So, anyway, while there’s still a chance that the school itself might change, the fact that I’ll be starting grad school won’t be. Ta da!
Hurrah!
GG! (Go Greg)
Proud of you Greg!
Most spookily, this link has just appeared from a UK friend immediately above yours… 🙂 http://librarianavengers.org/worship-2/
Adding to the link-chain as it were….an appropriately-named song from one of my all-time favorite artists: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkxWerEejaM
Sarah: Ha! I love when posts line up just like that…
Andy: I remember the movie but not the song! A new piece of ’80s pop culture for me…
Welcome to the ranks of full-time working professional/part time graduate student. Don’t get freaked out by how young some of your classmates will be.
Congratulations Greg!
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Congratulations, and best of luck!
Greg McElhatton: Operation: Parker Posey http://t.co/4nW8KaC1eG
Well done!
Awesome! Good for you Greg!
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Congrats! And if you ever want to go in person, I know this little school in a great location…http://si.usf.edu/graduate/programs/
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excellent
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Congratulations! If I could make a suggestion, check out the Library Society of the World. http://thelsw.org/about/ We mostly hang out at Friendfeed http://friendfeed.com/lsw
As someone who got her Masters degree via online courses (and still hasn’t been to my Alma Mater), I say “You Go Guy!” Good luck! 🙂
Whoa! Big move and congrats!
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That is wonderful!!!!!!!
Oh, AWESOME! Bummer about not moving to Detroit, though. Maybe you can visit it, for graduation? This is super exciting!
I love Parker Posey. Great Operation name!
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Congratulations and good luck on this adventure!
Very cool, librarians are awesome! What kind of library are you interested in working at? One in a primary/middle/high school, public library, university/college/research institution, private corporation, technical library, medical library etc?
Toby: Thanks! It won’t be at primary/middle/high school (it’s actually a slightly different degree in that case), but beyond that still figuring that out. I’m leaning right now towards either Fed govt agency or private corporation, but I’m not ruling out any of the others. There’s a lot of great possibilities.
Congrats, Greg! somehow I missed the official notice before.
Jeez and I though I worked in secret…;)
Yet another MLS enters my life. Crazy.
When you’re done, your options really aren’t limited to being a librarian, per se*. My company has MLS holders all over the place.
http://www.cengage.com/careers/
*Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
That’s great! It’s so fun to keep learning. I bet you’ll really enjoy grad school!!