For the latest in my series of alumni career profiles, I talked with Katie O’Brian, who graduated from U of I in 2011 with a double major in English and Creative Writing and a minor in Spanish. Katie currently works as a children’s librarian at a public library in Colorado. Here’s what she had to say about life after graduation:
VO: What did you do after you graduated from U of I?
Katie: When I graduated, I was pretty sure I wanted to go into libraries. I had been volunteering at the Champaign Public Library and really liked it, so I decided to take some time off to try working in a library. You need a Master’s degree to be a librarian, so I wanted to be sure I really liked it before I committed to grad school. I took a year off from school and worked as a circulation clerk in a public library. It was a lot of fun.
VO: And after that you decided to go to grad school?
Katie: Yeah. I applied to the master’s program in Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at U of I the fall after I graduated from undergrad. So really only after 4 months of working in the library, but I had also been volunteering for maybe 6 months before that.
VO: Can you tell me a little about what you do now?
Katie: I’m a children’s librarian at a public library in Colorado. That means that I work the reference desk in the children’s department at my library. I do programs for children, including storytime and various other programs. Most recently, I organized a Star Wars Party for all ages (so basically 0-12), which was a lot of fun. We have a small staffing model, so I also do things that librarians wouldn’t necessarily do in a larger library system. For instance, I do a little bit of marketing in that I make posters for my department’s programs. I also am responsible for maintaining half the children’s collection (that’s books, CDs, movies, magazines, etc.).
VO: Wow! That sounds great. So does your day-to-day schedule tend to vary quite a bit? Continue reading “Alumni Profile: Katie O’Brian, Children’s Librarian”
The good news: you don’t need a business degree to run your own business successfully. In fact, as we learned yesterday, Tony Pomonis (English ’02), former owner and manager of the local chain of Merry-Ann’s Diners, failed out of the business school before reviving his college career with courses at Parkland and re-enrolling at UIUC. Not only is a business degree unnecessary for small-business success, argues Pomonis–a humanities degree equips you more directly with the skills that lead to success: curiosity, a willingness to take risks, the ability to interact with people and learn from them, first-rate communication and problem-solving skills.
my a** off” with alarming regularity in the hour that he spoke about his experiences. He recounted months of trading 12-hour shifts with his business partner, years of working without a vacation day. Hard work for Pomonis hasn’t just meant flipping pancakes with as much speed and finesse as the line cooks he hires (though that is key!), it has also involved
But: You might not want to. Small-business success comes at the cost of family life. Pomonis frankly owned up to the trade-offs: he made a lot more money running Merry-Ann’s than he does in his current position with LAS advancement at the University of Illinois, but his new job gives him time and energy to be with family. In his view, there is no contest: “I am infinitely richer” he says, for being able to spend his evenings and weekends at home with his wife and children, without the constant stress of a 24-hour business requiring his attention.
Pomonis maintains a stake in the business, however, and continues to cook at one of his diners the three busiest weekends of the year–one of which is coming up. You’ll find him on Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Merry-Ann’s in downtown Champaign from 8 to 2.
career profiles featuring recent English and CW alumni, Eli Chen (Creative Writing, 2011) talked with us about her work as a science reporter for NPR member station WDDE. Our graduate assistant, Valerie O’Brien, chatted with Eli last week about her work as a reporter and her experiences as a UIUC undergrad.