[image1-right]With a background in history and initially inspired by an interest in archives and special collections, Christina John decided to pursue a master’s degree at GSLIS. She now plans to apply her research and LIS skills to a career in the corporate or nonprofit sector.
Why did you decide to pursue an LIS degree?
I decided to pursue an LIS degree when I was an undergrad at DePaul University double majoring in English and history. For most of my assignments, I had to do some pretty intensive research using library resources, and I realized I enjoyed the research process so much that I wanted to see if I could make a career of it. At first I had an obsession with archives and wanted to focus my career on special collections. I initially wanted to be like the archivist lady in the movie National Treasure and fancied myself preserving precious historical documents and making them more accessible via digitization. As I explored additional career paths and took courses at GSLIS, I discovered the world of business research. I took courses such as Business Information, Introduction to Databases, and Competitive Intelligence and found that I both enjoyed and excelled at the investigative type of work they required.
Why did you choose GSLIS?
GSLIS was always my number one choice. I knew I wanted to base my career in Chicago and going to an Illinois school would help me get a head start on developing connections in the city. I applied to Dominican University and Illinois and was fortunate enough to get into both. Based on GSLIS’s renowned reputation and the fact that I was lucky enough to get a graduate assistantship at the International & Area Studies Library, coming to Champaign was an easy decision. The chance to get experience and grow professionally in Champaign has been fantastic, and I am thankful for the opportunities it gave me.
What particular LIS topics interest you most?
The whole world of LIS interests me, but I’m currently most interested in nontraditional LIS ideas and how the LIS skill set can be applied in nontraditional settings. I think issues pertaining to information access and privacy are going to become more important in today’s increasingly digital world. Librarians have the opportunity to go outside of the library and help mitigate information issues being faced by businesses and nonprofits in regards to issues like privacy, big data, and competitive intelligence.
What surprises you about the field of LIS?
I’m surprised by how versatile the skills are and am always interested in listening to informational interviews with LIS degree holders who have applied their skills in settings outside the library. The challenge is convincing employers who are not familiar with the LIS skill set that a lot of the jobs they advertise for actually utilize skills that [librarians and information professionals] excel at.
What do you do outside of class?
For my last semester, I had the brilliant idea to take four classes and work at my internship, so outside of class my time has been consumed by work and homework. After graduation, however, I plan to take back my time and am looking forward to going back to my favorite pursuits, which include reading for pleasure, playing the piano, and taking a dance class.
What career plans or goals do you have?
I currently work at Grant Thornton, an international accounting firm, and am utilizing my business information and research skills there. I am enjoying the experience and am taking advantage of the professional development opportunities provided by their environment. I am also interested in becoming a prospect researcher, which is a field I discovered while in school that looks to find relevant information about potential major donors to an organization so it may better target its appeals. Ultimately I plan to focus my career in the corporate or nonprofit sector in a business research and analysis capacity.