Daniel E. Feinberg, MLIS, M.Ed
Online Learning Librarian
University of North Florida
d.feinberg@unf.edu

For those who go to university and are told to try to choose a major at 18 years old, they all make decisions that affect their future career paths. Some people are unsure if their initial chosen major is the right choice, or even if it is feasible. Depending on the major, many students will choose a major in a timely manner so they can graduate in four years. I remember thinking that I would become a CDC biologist/chemist or a Broadway actor. However, the real question became what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Recalling my parents’ advice, “choose a major in which you are going to come out of college with a job” truly meant nothing to me because I did not know what they really meant by saying a job, rather than saying a career. What is the similarity or the difference here? What my father did was become a teacher, and then he became a lawyer while he taught. My mother wanted to be a librarian in the 1960s. However, her parents felt it would be better if she worked as a teacher. And so, when I went to university, I bounced around from major to major not knowing what I was doing; I was aimlessly hoping that I would fall into a discipline that would somehow land me into a career.

For 5 years, I worked as a middle school student teacher assisting my mentor teachers at assigned schools while attending Cleveland State University (CSU).  My days were marked by the clanging of lockers, the hum of restless energy, and the careful balance of enthusiasm and patience that teaching adolescents required. I was good at it, so I was told by my advisor—my lesson plans were solid, and my management of the classroom was also dependable—but over time, I felt that I wanted to do some different kind of teaching. What I realized though, was that I really wanted to teach in a higher education system. I imagined deeper conversations and students who chose to be there rather than teaching children looking to get through each class because they had to. Yet leaving K–12 education felt like a risk.

Upon graduating from CSU, I was lost, and I did not have the teaching experience needed to walk into a middle school teaching position. I went to Kent State University (KSU) in Ohio, where nearly everyone I spoke with had the same advice: With your background, you should become a school library media specialist. It made sense on paper. I understood curricula, had experience collaborating with teachers, and enjoyed helping students find information. Still, something about that recommended path felt like a lateral move rather than a step toward the world I was envisioning. After much thought, my goal truly was to find a way to move into an academic environment where research, teaching, and service intersected.

After graduating from CSU, I had a long conversation with my parents who encouraged me to enroll in a single course: an introductory library and information science class at KSU to see if the idea of becoming a librarian was the next step in my life.  The course surprised me almost immediately. Instead of training me to manage collections mechanically, the readings explored the role of libraries in higher education as learning spaces, research partners, and all of the types of librarians there were out in the world. I learned the beginnings of information literacy frameworks, research databases, government documents, and the ways librarians collaborated with faculty to shape curriculum. Discussions centered on inquiry, access, and teaching at scale—concepts that resonated deeply with my own values as an educator.

Homework assignments were of genuine interest to me. Still, doubts lingered. Some advisors politely reminded me that my background “naturally aligned” with school libraries. A colleague cautioned that academic jobs were competitive and uncertain without a second master’s degree. I listened to their advice, but I was set on academic librarianship anyway because other academic librarians said that I would still be considered for instruction librarian jobs or other academic jobs, especially if I was to eventually get additional advanced degrees.

By the end of the semester, the answer had become clear, and my academic librarianship course provided the answer. The course didn’t just confirm that academic librarianship was viable—it made me feel that I was meant to work in an academic library. I quickly started building my resume. My strategy was to get much more experience working in libraries, since I had not had a job in libraries before. I worked at KSU’s periodicals department, then interlibrary loan, and later the reference desk. These positions offered a good combination of mentorship and intellectual engagement from the librarians that I was working with. Somehow, I knew that this was not enough. As I approached graduation, I needed to explore new ways of gathering experience so I could be competitive on my resume.

At KSU, many MLIS students choose to complete either a master’s thesis or a practicum. After working in multiple departments, I decided to do a practicum in which I could work with many different students, faculty, staff, and patrons. In the reference department, there was an Education Librarian whom I befriended. This seemed like kismet. I began shadowing her in her role. I worked on projects under her voluntarily in order to create a mentor-mentee relationship. I felt lucky when she agreed to my proposal to hire me as a practicum student. Considering that she and I both had education degrees, she allowed me to shadow her information literacy instruction for the College of Education at KSU. This changed the trajectory of my practicum. I was able to teach significant portions of one-shot sessions and to do more when it was warranted. She changed the sequence of my life in the library.

The education librarian gave me advice, critiques on my teaching, and collaborated with me as a beginning librarian rather than just being a student. As the two years ended, my resume grew as much as I did in libraries. When it came to interviews, I had so many things to discuss from my brief time at KSU. While I was there, the Education Librarian worked with me on my interviewing skills, presentations for interviews, and cover letters. After countless interviews I landed my first position as a library lecturer at the University of Toledo (UT) where I spent the first 5 years of my career. From there I moved into a multitude of positions throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Finally, I became an Online Learning Librarian at The University of North Florida. Here I have worked and plan to continue my career.

As I reflect on my career, I have been thinking about how I progressed from being a school teacher to how I ended up in academia. While I do not regret being in a university to become a school teacher, I have greatly enjoyed working in academic libraries, and that has been the better decision in my life. Many people say that making a career change can be risky, but it could make a great long-term positive difference for your life.