hi, sir
?glad that if you could receive this letter and i would be happier if you could reply me.
?i am an arts and sciences students and i belong to physics and mathmatics programs.
recently i realize that maybe this major does not fit me best because i dream of becoming a librarian in the future. in that way i am thinking about change my program to another, which can help on my futuer job. but i have no idea now. but i truely believe that all science stuffs can alreay kill me. sucks. anyway. hope your reply and give me some suggestions.
in the end, what job does this physics and mathematics programs applies for?
Glad you asked.
I hope I can make you happier, but first…
How happy are you right now; on a scale of one to ten? 1? 8.5? 4ish??
Hopefully it’s low… so my job is easier.
So you think you want to be librarian, huh? Cool.
Askastudent has a friend (and I swear I have ONE), who also wants to become a Librarian. She was recently admitted to the Master of Information studies program here at U of T. So, I deferred to her expertise on this one.
It turns out that “Librarian” is an accredited profession (fancy!). This requires the completion of an accredited degree. This is reinforced by a fun anecdote from said friend,
“I used to work at the reference library and this fact used to make the circulation desk people quite bitter because despite their years of training on the job, they would not be able to apply for librarian positions without the [masters] degree.”
Doesn’t it paint a wonderfully tense imagine of the social dynamic among library staff? Who knew? Are you prepared for this??
Okay. Let’s look at the Master of Information (MI) program in the Faculty of Information. Within this program you would take the Library & Information Science Path. The Admissions Requirements indicate that almost any recognized undergraduate degree will suffice, with the awkward exclusion of theology, education, and “library science” (WTF?!). Anyway, it looks like Math and Physics would be just fine as pre-Library Majors. My friend confirmed this, btw, and suspected that Majors in English, Physics, Math are all the same to the “iSchool” folk. Are they getting sponsorship from Mac? Perhaps, they’re just trying to shed the introverted, thick-lensed, church mouse look for something more hip and now.
Friend-of-Aska also noted that volunteer or work experience in a library setting would really enrich your personal statement, and thereby strengthen your application. It would also be an opportunity if you to see if you really have, “a keen interest in books, how information is organized, disseminated, who gets access to information.”
Moving on… What jobs do Math and Physics prepare you for???
Uhhhhh… Teacher… umm… Mathematician… Physicist…?
Well, for one, the statement, “I have an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto,” will get you farther than those who can’t say that. This is true whether not or not the job has anything to do with numbers.
Also, the mental faculties that these disciplines develop are transferable to many many professions. Think about it. You’ll be good at counting, writing in pencil, pronouncing Greek letters, and using a calculator. You might need some work in the “talking to people” department… juuust kidding. Unless, of course, you prefer to converse with inanimate objects – in which case you will make a swell Librarian. !!!!!
Finally, even if you choose to ignore all of my blabbering, please READ THIS!!! (this link is now defunct; it was a page about choosing your career. i’m sure you can find similar ones around if you have a google – aska 2014)
The Careers Centre is well-equipped to answer questions like yours, and I imagine they are an under-utilized resource. The “Careers by Degree” listing is totally fun (I just blew a good 15 mins on it). Making an appointment sounds like a good option too.
Did you notice the stat that 46% of graduates are not employed in a related field?! That is either depressing or encouraging… I’m not sure (says the architecture kid).