› Are you a member of the LGBTQIA+ community? Listen to the voices of these professionals as they share their career experiences:

My work involves creativity and problem-solving, and that keeps me engaged and excited. I am proud of my accomplishments every time I finish a website that has stretched my abilities.

Unfortunately, I have experienced some work-related discrimination based upon my gender. One instance occurred when I was working for a major retailer as a salesperson several years ago. Knowing my rights was a major asset in this instance.

I find that my job offers a kind of stress that is actually enjoyable.

Many times, I use my experiences in the healthcare field to give me passion for my writing. Many fail to understand that I actually do have a job working as a writer, and I’ve heard nearly everyone I know tell me that writing isn’t a real career, but I get to make my own schedule.

Outside of school and the working world, I learned one of the most important lessons in my life: never dwell on the past because it should stay in the past.

If a friend of mine were to ask me about my thoughts for getting into a writing career, I would recommend getting started immediately and enroll in a few courses, even if the courses are online.

Professional Writer

I worked on a project for a women's historical museum archiving their entire collection of audiovisual materials and it taught me a lot about the strength women have to overcome a great deal of obstacles in life, which was very inspiring to me.

I believe that people make the assumption that working in a library means that you get to sit around a read all day. The truth is that you don't have time to read, and you could possibly get fired for doing so.

If a friend were considering this line of work, I would recommend shadowing someone in this position to decide if that is what they really would like to do. There are a lot of misconceptions about libraries and archives because there is an illusion that is maintained for the outside world that it isn't hard work.