Worst Master’s Degrees For Jobs

Worst Master’s Degrees For Jobs
No. 25: Library and Information Science
Mid-career median pay: $57,200
Projected employment increase: 16%
Job growth, including replacement needs: 41%
Common jobs: Reference librarian, library director, law librarian

May 27, 2010 by Uncategorized 15

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15 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:
    May 27, 2010 at 9:07 pm

    Where the heck do they get
    Where the heck do they get that median pay? I don’t get anywhere close to that, and I have been in the line of work for a while. Unless it is pay due to some obscene cost of living place, I don’t see that as realistic. Comments?

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      May 28, 2010 at 3:28 pm

      You have to remember any
      You have to remember any salary figure used in an article like this would include all types of organizations, locations, and levels of expertise. I would actually think the median would be higher.

      Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    May 27, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    I’m ~3 years out of library
    I’m ~3 years out of library school, and have been working as a librarian for 2.5 years, and I make almost exactly that much. Not a really high cost of living area, either — median house prices here are about the average for the country. I work in a public library; are you academic? Public libraries seem to pay better.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    May 28, 2010 at 12:42 am

    I guess it depends….
    I’ve been working as a librarian for 17 years (moved due to husband’s relocation twice) and have only topped out at 44,000. Each time I had to restart over in the pay scale because they refused to pay for experience when they could have hired someone right out of school instead…I wasn’t the only one, many of my reference coworkers were also affected. Trying to find a job yet again, right now…

    Would probably be making close to 55,000 had I been able to stay at my first academic library job, which would have been a lot of money for that particular area of the country 🙁

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    May 28, 2010 at 11:34 am

    It really does depend…
    I mean, when you think about it, different venues are going to pay different salaries. In the past I have earned more, but right now when I get frustrated in my job-hunting I feel like my degree is a stone around my neck more than any kind of asset.

    What it eventually boils down to (it seems to me) is paying your dues, getting your name out, doing things that you can put down on your resume in big attention-getting fashion in a way that makes employers compete to get you.

    That’s how I’d like it to work anyway…

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    May 28, 2010 at 1:12 pm

    Money
    Ummm… I make over $70,000, and I’ve only been in the profession less than 10 years. I’m in an academic library (higher pay), in Canada, (WAY higher pay). (BTW, I’m also getting my full salary right now – I’ve been on maternity leave since last October). Even my first job out of library school in 2002 (public library) paid over $50,000. If you aren’t getting close to that, negotiate! Use your mad research skillz to prove that they are lowballing you.

    I noticed that all their poor pay jobs have pictures of women in them, with 2 exceptions (counselling and divinity). Ya think that has something to do with it???

    Reply
  6. StephenK says:
    May 28, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    Not surprising
    A lot of the low-end jobs are all in helping fields. Ministry is the interesting one, too. In many cases, the MDiv is the basic credential to be a minister. US Army Chaplains are required to have that if they are not part of a denominational structure that can give otherwise endorsement.

    Their top ten jobs are hardly surprising either. Finance and direct physical health care continue to dominate.
    ________________________
    Stephen Michael Kellat, MSLS
    PGP KeyID: DC5A625B

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    May 30, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    Different countries, different pay
    Cost of living is higher in Canada than the U.S., and the Cdn $$ is worth less, hence the difference in salary. That said, I’m surprised that any public library was paying over $50,000 to a new librarian in 2002.

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      June 1, 2010 at 7:57 pm

      The Canadian and US dollars
      The Canadian and US dollars are no longer so divergent in their values and haven’t been for a while now.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says:
        June 1, 2010 at 8:13 pm

        Exchange rate
        Current exchange rate is 1.00 USD = 1.05391 CAD

        The $70K Canadian mentioned above would be worth around $66k American dollars. I remember in the 80’s when I was in Canada and the exchange rate was 1.00 USD = 1.25 CAD. At that time 70K Canadian was equal to 56k USD.

        Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    June 1, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    Questionable
    Physician’s Assistants do make good many — but they would not hold any of the NURSING jobs listed in the article. Two very different positions, so much for the credibility of the article.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    June 1, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    My starting salary (the day
    My starting salary (the day after I graduated) was 52,000. For the next 2 years I receive a $10,000 pay increase, ending at $72,000. Not bad for 3 years out of school with a library science degree.

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      June 24, 2010 at 6:36 pm

      where, please.
      This question was asked in an earlier reply. Would someone please let the rest of us know at least what city and state you are in to make such an incredible amount of money?
      I’m at an academic library in Cincinnati and make only 38,000.

      Reply

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