Despite the pandemic and existential questions about my future, I purchased a house. I've been too nervous & busy getting things ready to truly appreciate the process. All the same, it makes me glad to have stable employment, except for future pandemics. During this process I realized that by sticking with my original career goals, I'd probably never own a house. The contents of this post may be similar to one where I talked about not wanting to move constantly. Those themes still apply to homeownership.
Many of the traditional archival jobs I've seen were for a limited time, grant funded, or contractor positions. None of these occupations offer stability. One must keep hopping around while searching for good luck in vain. Moreover, these workplaces are so rigid and unintuitive that I struggle in them. Corporate and academic work are not a good fit.
Furthermore, it's tough making friends in new places. When I was in Colorado I struggled to make new connections. Even with volunteering, I never felt like I truly belonged. The hiking group provided support, though we never met that often. Going from place to place very year would have just left me alone and confused.
Perhaps I should have gone into reference work. I enjoyed helping patrons out and answering their questions. On the other hand, those positions were among the first to get cut during the pandemic. I also would have moved around a lot, delaying homeownership indefinitely. While it's difficult to speculate, it seems like I'd leave the profession dissatisfied and without direction. Moving around and hopping from job to job may work for some, but it doesn't work for me.
- Andy Out
