Back to New Mexico

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Three years ago I graduated from New Mexico State University with a Master of Arts in History. I took what I thought to be the more practical route and specialized in Public History. I did an internship at one museum and volunteered at another. I graduated with no job, and we moved back to Idaho to live with my parents. I interviewed at several museums and historic sites, but nothing materialized. I ended up going back to Target (for the third time in my life) and Marie went back to teaching at Head Start. It felt like we were going backwards. I soon realized my hopes of working in a museum were not going to come to fruition. I decided I needed to pursue another avenue. As an undergraduate I kicked around the idea of going to library school before eventually settling on public history. So, it wasn't a difficult decision to pursue another masters in library science, even though I really, and I mean really, didn't want to go back to school. I was so done with school, but I knew I had to do something. The University of Oklahoma has a very good library school, and they offer the program from the Tulsa campus. Marie's dad and stepmom happen to live in Tulsa and have a 1 bedroom house on their property. Small, but shelter nonetheless. So two years ago we headed to Oklahoma. I'm an Idaho boy. I don't do well in the Midwest. It's hot, it's flat, and I'm a wee bit scared of tornadoes. It was a struggle for me here, especially early on. As time has gone on, I've become a little more used to living here but I still miss the west. I graduated with my library degree and gained some great library experience through three different jobs (all part-time). However, that full time job that would launch my career still evaded me. I was getting interviews, and good ones at that. I even had an on-campus interview at Wichita State University for a very good job that I really thought I was going to get. Turns out they didn't hire any of the three candidates they brought on campus. Apparently they must be looking for a super librarian or something. No hard feelings. Ok, maybe just a little. Then, in June, things started to change. I had the very distinct possibility of being offered a full-time job in Tulsa at Phillips Theological Seminary, where I was working part time. In fact, they did offer me a full-time position. However, in the meantime, I had also been asked to come on campus at New Mexico State University (yes, my alma mater) for a second interview for a Digital Projects Librarian. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to hear back from NMSU. They called me within 3 days of my interview and offered me the job (this is in no way typical of academic library jobs). What's crazy is the position was posted in December. I didn't initially apply for it for various reasons. Marie kept urging me to apply for it, especially after it was reposted. So I did, around the end of April. They called me the first week of June, I did a phone interview a week later, and was in Las Cruces two weeks after that. Then the job offer came (and a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders). I'm still kind of in shock, just because it seemed like it was never going to happen. So back to Las Cruces we go. I'm so excited to be heading back to the mountains and deserts of the west. I can honestly say there isn't much about Oklahoma that I will miss other than Marie's family. The winters here were nice, and there are some cool places that we were able to visit, but I just don't belong in the Midwest. I'm excited (and a little nervous) to start my new position, and to finally start a career instead of just having a job.