Have I made a horrible mistake?

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Let me give you all a quick summary of whats going on in my head right now.

1. 3 years ago, I did a Master's Degree in Library and Information science, and figured that this was going to be my career of choice.

2. 3 years later, I still haven't found a job. My self-esteem has plummeted, I'm battling pretty severe depression, and at this point, I'm willing to take anything, or do anything to bolster my resume. At the urging of my parents, I decide to look at Certificate courses being offered by a nearby graduate college.

3. I hem and haw for a while, and don't really settle on anything. Then, the last possible day for registration practically sneaks up on me, and in a fit of panic, I pick Human Resources Management, as its the one thing I find lots of jobs for.


Almost a year later, here I am, having just completed a grueling 6-month course in HR Management, and currently in the finals. I should feel elated, but instead, for some reason, I just feel more miserable than ever. I have no idea how much I'll enjoy HR management (I hardly have any burning passion for the field), and have no idea how good I will be at it. A part of me is kicking myself for not taking something that would have complemented my degree better (like Records Management), and a part of me is further wondering if I made the most logical decision at the time, or if I've just made a horrible mistake by setting my life down a career path that won't be a good fit for me.

I just don't know what to think any more. All I know is that I hate feeling as lost, anxious, and confused as I do. Am I worrying over nothing?

I would try to be the best HR Manager that you can be. If this doesn't pan out, go for Records Management.

You will achieve success, one way or another.

Maybe it was intuition under pressure? What was it that attracted you to picking HR Management? What will to job actually entail that may have drawn you to it? Can you organise a mentor relationship arrangement with a supervisor when you just get into the field?
I'm curious what led to the decision, and what's involved in this job.

The main thing that determines if a job is tolerable is if you can stand the people you work with. It wouldn't matter if you work in Records Management or HR, it's a roll of the dice for any job you take. That being said, the HR degree is broader and more employable than a Records Management degree, so if your objective is to get a job, I would say you made the right choice. Most of the people that I know in HR have are fine people, and they don't strike me as a particularly gossipy crowd. Who knows, you might like the job more than the degree.
Just so that you're not in for a rude awakening, many employers start the recruitment process in the final two semesters, and some start even earlier. This could mean that the pickings will be slim after you graduate. It's HR though, so even a small percentage is still a lot of jobs.

I think an MLIS and HR is a good combination. You can become a team leader at a library, or you could go for large companies and work with record managers. I think it's OK to work as a records manager without a records management degree. Librarians can do it, as well as law majors and other types of academics. Simply start applying for any kind of academic job. I can reccomend applying for jobs in large pharmaceutical companies.

My main reason for going into HR was that it seemed to be highly in demand. Also, it seemed at the time like the sort of job that emphasized "soft" skills as opposed to any rigorous technical or legal knowledge. Then again, this is also a case where I didn't research other prospects thoroughly enough...though even now, I don't know what other alternatives I could have picked off the top of my head. That's really one of the major things that's bugging me: I don't know if HR is going to be a right fit for me or not, but I can't think of an alternative. I don't know what I want.



I've already started, and thanks, maybe I'm just being too negative about this.



Out of curiosity, why pharmaceutical companies? I would absolutely love to work in an academic environment, though the problem there is that they almost always hire internally.