Work placement – the life of a menopausal change of career student….

Ah as I wrote the title, I wondered how I would fit in with a marketing survey, as I don’t really fit any of the usual roles that someone my age would be experiencing.

It’s day one, of my work placement at the Ballarat Gold Museum. I loved it! The museum is a small one, but it’s filled with a dedicated group of volunteers and professional staff. The folks were all super friendly, and the collections were very interesting…..

I spent the afternoon in the stacks, sorting out the library collection – which has been moved twice and is need of some tender care…or at least some sorting.

I’ll be back again on Friday for my next session, and hope to enjoy it even more – as they’ll be giving me training on using their information systems…….

The only drawback? The fast paced walk between the Museum and my child’s school to make sure I’m there in time for school pick up….

I am so grateful that I took a chance and emailed them about a possible work placement. I think I’ll add this to my list of things I’m grateful for. Enjoy the rest of your day!

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What is old is new again – or My soon to be adventures in pursuing a dream……

Sitting here, typing this, it still seems quite unreal. I’ve made a decision to go back to study, after a gap of a few years, and in the case of my undergraduate degree, nearly two decades. You see, last year, when I was recovering from the operation I had, and was experiencing a rather extreme reaction to the anaesthetic, I had a lightbulb moment.

Laying there, while nurses hovered, medicated, got Doctors on the phone and kept asking each other what else they could try, I thought when I get through this, for in my mind I would, then I was going to invest some time in me. So as we surfed through that time, me and the nurses, and the doctors, I held onto this dream.

And now, here I am, making that dream happen.

Back when I was in high school, at the age of sixteen, I did work experience in the local library. And loved it. Absolutely adored it. And then things changed, my Mother spoke to me about finding a good solid job, and so off I went and studied Accountancy. At the end of my Accountancy degree I did do some work in an Archives too, temporary work filling in for the Assistant Archivist, piecemeal work to make the ends meet while I looked for a full-time job, and I loved that too. There’s something about collections, that just makes my heart sing that little bit louder. But I still ignored this little voice.

Now don’t get me wrong, Accountancy is a fine area of study, but for me, it just wasn’t stretching me. And though I love Supply Chains and Logistics, where I eventually landed, leaping away from the true Accountancy world and into all the excitement of getting equipment shipped around the world under unbelievable time frames. I still harboured deep within me, the love of books, and also the love of collections.

And so this year, I applied and have been accepted, into a distance education course. So I get to walk my son to and from school, but also have the flexibility to study in the between times, to fulfil that small urge within myself.

So twenty-four years later, I’m listening to what I want to do, and actually going to pursue something, not for how stable the income will be, or what chances of employment I will have, but something purely for my intellectual curiosity. If I’m fortunate enough to find a role afterwards then so be it, if I can’t I always fall back on my standbys Accountancy, Supply Chain Management, or even procurement.

So come along for this marvellous ride, and we’ll see where I end up.

Tales from the Library

One of the joys of living a simpler life, is the rediscovery of the library. In my previous incarnation as an avid book collector, I bought books, and more books and more books. And then on top of that I would buy Video Cassettes and then DVDs when they came out.

And so my book collection grew and grew, and I met my partner, and we consolidated our holdings, and they were immense. The CD collections  became meshed, and the DVDs and the Books….and when we moved, well the collections took boxes upon boxes to move. And the removalists would comment on the size of the collections.

Well that’s all changed, nowadays I am downsizing, and the opportunity shops in Ballarat have benefited. The collection is smaller, and I believe a better collection for it. I am keeping only the books I adore, and all the other books, are going on to find other homes. My niece has received the movies and television series we no longer want, and all in all everyone is much happier.

Which brings me to the love affair I’m having with the library service.  I love it. It’s like book shopping only better as my money stays in my pocket, and I get to surf the library website in search of the finds…..and what finds there are…..

Right now, I’m enjoying the first season of Blakes Seven. And loving it. I have found other gems, like Andromeda, a series I had completely missed the first time, and then there are the movies I’ve missed thanks to becoming a parent. 

And all of it free.

I love going in, and chatting with the librarians, who are amused by my interest in Marvel and DC Comics, trashy science fiction movies (I won’t tell you the reaction I got when I came in to collect The Blob……), fabulous knitting books, and all the paranormal romances I’ve indulged in.  

I’m lucky to have such a great library close by, a true community hub from the bubs in prams who come for story time, to the older residents who come for a chat and a good book. And I wouldn’t go back now my eyes have been opened by the amazing breadth and range of material available. My days of buying books have indeed changed.