A Smarter Way to Make Early and Mid-Career Decisions

Libraries set themselves apart as safe spaces for people of all ages to learn, explore, and share new ideas. That being said, how comfortable are you talking to your colleagues about making a career move? Do you have reliable information to help you make decisions?In the summer of 2018, a group of law librarians escaped a conference at lunchtime. They braved the hot weather and an unfamiliar city to find a lunch spot where they openly compared notes on career satisfaction, work/life balance, the role of librarians at different institutions (including management responsibilities), and how to navigate a career move. The people sitting around the table were in their mid-30s to mid-40s and they represented a variety of academic institutions. Each of them had at least seven years of librarianship experience. For some at the table, it was their first honest conversation about their career development since becoming a law librarian. Following that lunch, the conversation kept going.In March 2019, some of the same librarians presented a program at the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries (SEAALL) Institute on Leadership and Career Development. Their goal with that program—along with this article—is to formalize information sharing about early and mid-career decisions in a safe and productive space