I'm already doing some of it. Teaching computer courses through Community Education, private tutoring. But it's just a small supplement to my income. I don't know if I can solely do freelance. I need a secure source of income to feel comfortable.
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Early on in my library career I was naive and thought that if I just worked there long enough, eventually I would get to take on the responsibilities and challenges. Eventually I would be 'asked' to do things and to be shown the ropes. And of course I expected to get a full-time job after working on-call for a year or two. But it never happened.
It took me a few years to realize that I have to make things happen myself rather than waiting for them to happen to me. So I have been explicit about telling the manager of the library the types of experiences I want to gain more of. The gaps in my skillset that I need to fill. While the managers are usually understanding of my situation, there still isn't much they can do themselves to make it a reality. My work situation is unique in that I don't have just one work location or manager I work under. It's hard to take on some larger projects when I keep going from library to library.



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