cpd23 things: Thing 10 Routes into Librarianship

Phew, this is a biggie! I've never been one for planning or thinking about what I've done, life's been mostly accidental for me. After studying to be an exhibition and display designer for four years at college, my first job was designing window displays for a travel agency and I thought my career/life was on track. Then I got a job at an advertising agency which also did exhibition design and I was very happy. My next job was as a graphic artist at another advertising agency and although I had a brilliant time (the laughs were non-stop) there was less design involved and no investment in new technology - strictly knife and glue. So when I was made redundant, I was far behind many of my contemporaries in the skills I had, which made it difficult in a recession to find further employment.
After a few changes in tack and a spell travelling, I met my husband in Majorca, moved to Nuneaton, got married, had a baby before I knew what was going on. I don't regret any of it, but now realise I wasn't thinking about any of it.
After working a Somerfield for a year, I found my present post with great relief - yes it was part time but no more sitting at a draughty till being scared in case the next customer was going to be the awkward one. I soon found my niche - the one who wasn't scared of messing about with computers - being largely self-taught, I didn't see any limitations to what I could do.
After being made full-time, I soon realised that Learning Resources Assistants didn't go far. I made the most of what I was given, expanding and developing the AV and Off-Air provision, going on Word and Excel courses, but progression was virtually non-existent. Routes into teaching were blocked, I'd have been more successful quitting the library, getting a job as a teacher, then doing the qualification.
Then things started to look up, and it came out of tragedy for my poor boss. When she retired, the assistant librarian took over and to be honest, for me, it was like a breath of fresh air. No more rigidity, I was asked to help out with Heritage management, sent to Heritage for training and to user groups, sent to technology forums, given a new toy - Clickview, all library staff now do inductions and contribute to the library blog.
I gained a promotion to Senior LRA to promote information literacy throughout the college and hence the chance to study for a library qualification. Incidentally, I firmly believe that my involvement in the 23 Things aided my application for a place at university.
Oh dear, this post was supposed to be about reflective practice but turned into my life story by mistake! I'll rename it Routes into Librarianship and there's another Thing done!

I'm excited... can you tell? I found out yesterday that I have been accepted at Glyndwr University to study for a foundation degree in Library and Information Practice. I'm also very nervous - I haven't studied for a long time.

 Everybody, snaps for me!!!!!!

cpd23 things: Thing 4

OMG! I'm so far behind! I'll still be at it this time next year if I don't get a move on... So, here goes... I've been dipping in and out of Twitter these past few weeks and found interesting bits (so much good stuff and ideas to follow up on), but also confusing bits, all those @'s and #'s! I've been getting RSS feeds from my daughter's school for ages now, but I need to be more aware and actually start looking for the subscribe buttons. I just signed up to Pushnote today and really like it, it's a really useful way of sharing good info with others you know. Only trouble is, I can't find anyone I know in the 'find friends' section, don't know if I'm doing it properly...

Yes I know it's blurred...

...but I'd had a couple and everything was blurred.
Any road up (yes I'm a Yorkshire lass) I signed up to Twitter today and I think it will take me a while to get to grips, it just seems like random slices of conversations and I feel like a butterfly flitting from one thing to the next. There's so much interesting stuff out there and I've already seen things that have given me some ideas. Thank you cpd23!

She's back

Yes I'm back, it's been four weeks since my last confession, er post. It's not that I haven't been thinking about you, I've just been too busy to get on here and formulate my thinking. I've spent 'moments' musing on my brand and looking at other peoples' blogs and I agree with most of the ones I've read in that I want to keep my professional life separate from my personal. Having said that, I do want my personality to come through in my blog. I do want readers (ha) to see that I have a sense of humour and life's not all about work. What a dilemma! 
And what about a photo? I don't have a photo of me on my Facebook profile, I must admit I don't use it very much anyway, I never know what to say, I find many Facebook posts banal (I don't need to know that you've set your alarm) everyone seems to be posting the minutiae of their lives, but not actually saying anything. That's why I think this 23 Things is so good, it gives us a framework within which to start blogging and subjects to consider so that we won't be reduced to saying 'I set my alarm for 6'.
I will try to find a photo for my blog, it's just that I don't like having my photo taken and my hair always looks a mess, but I appreciate being able to see the person who's blog I am reading and I think I should afford them the same courtesy. I just wish blogging had been around when I was younger, had better hair and was more interesting. But I wasn't in libraries then...

CPD23: Thing 2

So, I've checked out some other blogs, some people new, like me, some expert and I must say I'm really enjoying it so far. There's some great posts and a lot of support and encouragement. Just waiting for the 'flow' to kick in.
Thanks to all who commented on my last post, so kind

CPD23: Week 1

Why diarrhoea of a madwoman? Well, it's a play on Ozzy Osbourne's Diary of a Madman - hopefully the words and ideas will start to flow like... you get the picture.
Well, here I am... blogging. What to say? Will anyone be interested anyway? So, I'll just do it as if no one will ever read it.
What am I hope to get out of blogging? Well maybe it will help me to organise my thoughts better and be able to reflect on where my life (professional and personal) is going - or maybe it will confuse me more, but I'll give it a go. Looking forward to the challenge...