Last Semester Blues

Posted September 11, 2013 by Julie Steenson

I started the GSLIS program in January 2012, and with the completion of my three courses this semester, I will have finished my degree program.  Woohoo!  Well, mostly woohoo.

I think I have the last semester blues.  I know that sounds totally ridiculous.  I will be done with homework, done with long class commutes, done with tuition, and I will have my MLIS, which will hopefully be my ticket to the job of my dreams.  What in the world am I sad about?!

I think I am more afraid than anything. Will it be too easy not to learn new things?  Will I get tired, complacent and frumpy?  Will I turn into deadwood? Will I stay committed to knowing what I need to know to be the best librarian I can be?

I know these fears are unfounded.  I will never stop learning with so many opportunities for continuing education through Simmons and ALA, and other LIS universities like Syracuse (where I am taking a WISE course this semester). I even have my eye on a second Master’s degree program.  I have to believe that if I continue to surround myself with inspiring colleagues, I will not get tired in a bad way.  Tired from hard work is fine, but not too tired for new ideas, and I hope never to tire of change.  Already, I have networked with other librarians in my state and fostered professional relationships so opportunities for connections and sharing of ideas and resources outside of grad school are well underway. So, why am I still worried?

My latest concerns remind me of my list of fears when I started the program.  Would I develop the technology skills I needed? Would I be able to balance work, school, and family, etc.? Those fears were unnecessary and symptomatic of a big step outside my comfort zone.  Every chapter of our lives brings new challenges.  My comfort zone is so much wider than it was just two years ago, which is just amazing to me, and yet, finishing my degree and moving on to the real world is another big step. 

I bought a new coffee mug to help me out. It reads, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” It is okay to be afraid of that next big step, so long as we take it anyway.