I am also a librarian, and at the risk of hijacking this thread, I will be brief. The ALA is erroneously stating there is a librarian shortage, and consequently, their growth projections, along with the distance education MLS, have resulted in a glut of librarians. As someone who frequently interacts with newly minted librarians via my state's organization, most of them are shocked to find it could take almost a year to land a position. It is also becoming more competitive in academic libraries because many require a second masters degree. This requirement is either explicitly stated in the qualifications posted on various employment sites or implicitly stated by who gets the job. Public library work is antithetical to the sanguine academic enviroment the LW hopes to find. Media specialists (school librarians) uniquely combine librarianship and teaching--and there is a documented critical need of media specialists in many states.

While I do agree it is far easier to become a librarian and secure employment than the PhD/professor route, librarianship is certainly not the answer for a frustrated, wannabe academic. If you are a tenure-track librarian at a university, then you will be required to work 40 hours a week and publish, etc.; the latter is often during your free time. Don't even get me started about librarian salaries!

For intelligent musings on the state of librarianship, please check out this blog: http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.com/

To the LW I'd say this: Just imagine that someday you're running for president, and this video pops up. Even without nudity, it's not exactly going to be an image-polisher. Remember that anything on film or video is forever.

So just don't do something that's going to embarrass you mightily in years to come. And no doubt, this would embarrass you.

If you are really concerned about making lots of money right now, I would suggest looking into possible construction jobs. There's a dire need for construction-trade workers right now, and the pay is excellent. There are many short-term training programs available, with immediate job placement at the end. Being a woman should not be a problem; construction companies are happy to hire women.

You could also consider some other kind of non-traditional work, such as (if you don't have a tendency toward seasickness) a stint on a fish-processing vessel off Alaska or the Pacific Northwest. The seafood companies will pay for your travel to and from the job site and for any necessary training. The job is hard and involves lots and lots of overtime, but the pay is good and it's honorable, respectable work -- and exactly the kind of work that people do to finance their educations.

Save the video for after you've completed your degree when you're highly educated but unemployed! In agreement with an earlier post, the job market for PhDs is very discouraging and having an advanced degree is far from a guaranteed "in" at a university. Maybe you should go to Law School instead. That way, if anyone harasses you about fetishism, underwear, or anything else, you can sue them.

All joking aside, I applaud your love of teaching and your desire to educate others. Going to grad school means making a lot of sacrifices, so you have to be absolutely sure it's the way you want to go. I finished my PhD in Biomedical Sciences four years ago and in retrospect I wish I had stopped with a Master's Degree. The additional training has meant a lot more work without a compensatory increase in salary. Whatever you decide, be sure to do your research first. Talk to people in your field of interest beforehand. They'll probably be your most valuable resource.

One final comment: if it weren't for the fact that I'm short, pudgy, and average-looking, I would have gladly worked as an exotic dancer to help finance grad school. At least I wouldn't be repaying student loans until I'm 50.

Good Luck!

...doing whatever desperate thing it takes to achieve your goal. So, how about looking at it this way...for example, there are many ways to teach. Beause of baby boomers retiring at record rates in the teaching profession (K-12) for the next 5 to 10 years, teaching is opening up again as a profession. In California and Arizona, for example, a Masters degree in Single Subject Math or Science is a great asset. The teacjomg credential takes another year after your MA. Sounds like the letter writer already has an MA. No Child Left Behind made it difficult to be a teacher for a few years, but now the states are facing the shortages and have found a way to make it easier.

You want to teach at the community college level? A Masters degree in the field you are teaching will do the trick. I have friends with MS and MA degrees in Psychology who make a solid wage at community colleges teaching human development, sexual development and society, etc. Just as an example.

Having your Ph.D. in a specific field is doable but takes more time. Find a field where there are many PIs (Principle Investiagators) doing well funded work and apply to the colleges where they have their labs and/or research. Often times your tuition and expenses are covered--especially in the sciences.

Again, my thought here is that your life long dream to teach sounds diffuse--teach what and at what level? However, doing specifically what it takes to get the education is a bit different than doing *anything* for the money. Narrow down exactly what you want to do and then find the resources from there.

Curmudgeon was right on about being 25 with a MORTGAGE. If your priorities are truly to get that PhD, then you need to downsize and live like a college student! I earned a pittance as an undergrad and a grad student. I rented a studio apartment in a very, um....interesting...part of town and I drove a very old car with a very bad transmission for 6 years while I attended school. I worked as a maid, I flipped burgers, I worked at an answering service, and I worked on campus in my library and as a note-taker for disabled students, all while attending college full-time. I kept my undies on when I did it!

Lovely Librarian is also spot-on in her enthusiasm for the noble career of librarianship. My undergrad degree was English Literature, so it wasn't completely worthless, but as it turned out what I wanted to be when I grew up was...a librarian. I received my MLIS in 1992 and have been happily employed in the legal field, with a steady increase in salary, steady growth in a profession I enjoy, and best of all, job security in a very volatile marketplace. My skills as a researcher, analyst, and yes, a teacher, along with a strong customer service ethic can easily be applied to various industries and businesses. Librarians are nice people too.