Introduction ___
public library.! erefore, when we assign Librarians to the Conventional personality type,
you should keep in mind that Librarians can also fi nd niches within their profession that
are compatible with other personality types. One way to identify the most likely alternative
personality types is to look at the full RIASEC personality code (usually two or three letters)
listed for the job in the Part IV description.! e code for Librarians is CSE, meaning that
Social and Enterprising are secondary personality types for this occupation.
Salary fi gures, which seem so precise, likewise summarize a great amount of variation.! e
yearly earnings information in this book is based on highly reliable data obtained from a
very large U.S. working population sample by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It tells us the
average annual pay received as of May 2007 by people in various job titles (actually, it is the
median annual pay, which means that half earned more and half less).
! is sounds great, except that half of all people in that occupation earned less than that
amount. For example, people who are new to the occupation or with only a few years of
work experience often earn much less than the median amount. People who live in rural
areas or who work for smaller employers typically earn less than those who do similar work
in cities (where the cost of living is higher) or for bigger employers. People in certain areas
of the country earn less than those in others. Other factors also infl uence how much you
are likely to earn in a given job in your area. For example, Aircraft Mechanics and Service
Technicians in the Detroit–Livonia–Dearborn, Michigan, metropolitan division have
median earnings of $56,740, probably because Northwest Airlines has a hub in Detroit
and its mechanics are unionized. By comparison, the Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton,
Pennsylvania, metropolitan area has no major airline hub and only a small aircraft service
facility with nonunionized workers. Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians there earn a
median of only $31,540.Beginning wages vary greatly, too, depending not only on location and size of employer, but
also on what skills and educational credentials a new hire brings to the job.
Also keep in mind that the fi gures for job growth and number of openings are projections
by labor economists—their best guesses about what we can expect between now and2016.! ose projections are not guarantees. A catastrophic economic downturn, war, or
technological breakthrough could change the actual outcome.
Finally, don’t forget that the job market consists of both job openings and job seekers.! e
fi gures on job growth and openings don’t tell you how many people will be competing
with you to be hired.! e Department of Labor does not publish fi gures on the supply of
job candidates, so we are unable to tell you about the level of competition you can expect.
Competition is an important issue that you should research for any tentative career goal.
! e Occupational Outlook Handbook provides informative statements for many occupations.
You should speak to people who educate or train tomorrow’s workers; they probably have a
good idea of how many graduates fi nd rewarding employment and how quickly. People in
the workforce can provide insights into this issue as well. Use your critical thinking skills
to evaluate what people tell you. For example, educators or trainers may be trying to recruit