Philcon and Job Searching
Philcon is over for another year. It was a nice con, but small, as it has been every year I've been there. I appreciate the invitation - it's the only con I do all year due to monetary constraints (more on that later), but it's been getting smaller and smaller, and I think it will be in danger of disappearing if things don't change. Having it in Cherry Hill instead of downtown Philly doesn't personally bother ME; in fact I like that it's more convenient and doesn't require me to either navigate city streets or pay for parking. Hey, Balticon isn't IN Baltimore, either.
But, I have a few humble suggestions for the Philcon organizers:
1) You want younger attendees to start showing up, giving you a new crop of people to come over and over. Which means you need something to draw them in. MORE YA panels. Slowly but surely they have been increasing, but maybe a YA lit track would be a good idea, and don't stick them in with "Kids" programming, where no one comes. So many adults are reading YA too, so this might not be a terrible idea. If you need help figuring out what's hot in YA spec fic, I would be glad to give you a hand.
2) You want more people to come? Invite a few bigger names that people recognize. I'm not talking Meyer or Collins (though those would be nice), but if you had that YA Lit track, there's a bunch of YA spec fic writers in the area I'm sure would love to come. Again, if you need some help, give a holler and I'll put you in touch with some of them. YA fantasy and SF is HOT now, in case you missed it. More Steampunk panels, maybe a SP track too.
3) I KNOW this is a lit con, not a media con like Dragoncon, but maybe you might consider getting a bigger name for your GoH. This year, Peter S. Beagle was a total boon (HE is a brilliant, lovely man. Softspoken, polite, and very sweet. I got a signed copy of THE LAST UNICORN, and had to give a fangirl squee!), and you need more like that. I KNOW that those kinds of people charge more money, but if you get them, you'll get the attendance at the con and GET MORE MONEY. See how that works?
I make these suggestions in the interest of the con, because I want to see it succeed and continue. My son came for the first time this weekend, just for a few hours, wearing his Slytherin costume. He had a GREAT time :).
Okay, enough of that.
I have been looking for a full time job for about a month. I love working in my local district, and teaching, but I need more money. I want to be working in a library. So I've applied to several places, hearing nothing. Mostly I guess this is because I'm still in grad school and not yet fully qualified, and jobs are scarce. If I can work full time for a decent salary, I can go to more cons (see how I made that work?)
Except...I've found a school district where there isn't ONE, but MANY librarian positions open. What??? Of course, there's a catch: it's Camden City public school system. If you don't live here, Camden has been demoted from the most dangerous city in the country to #2. It's a poor, inner-city city. Lots of troubles, which is probably why they have so many open positions. I don't mind it. The district has worked really hard to give these kids, who have next to nothing and come from broken places, a safe place to learn. They all wear uniforms. They've worked hard to make the schools safe. I have a friend who has a friend, who works in the district and has for 12 years, and loves it, because the kids just love having someone care. I looked over the websites for several of their schools, and found at least 3 elementary schools and two middle schools with no librarian listed on staff. Which is VERY sad.
I called up the human resource dept, to ask if the position was still open, and the answer was "oh definitely". I said I was a grad student, eligible for an Emergency cert, and they said, "please, send in your application, we're definitely considering those candidates." Doesn't sound like they get a lot of applicants.
So while it might not be my dream job (and who knows, it may be), it may turn out to be an opportunity. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and from places you don't expect.
But, I have a few humble suggestions for the Philcon organizers:
1) You want younger attendees to start showing up, giving you a new crop of people to come over and over. Which means you need something to draw them in. MORE YA panels. Slowly but surely they have been increasing, but maybe a YA lit track would be a good idea, and don't stick them in with "Kids" programming, where no one comes. So many adults are reading YA too, so this might not be a terrible idea. If you need help figuring out what's hot in YA spec fic, I would be glad to give you a hand.
2) You want more people to come? Invite a few bigger names that people recognize. I'm not talking Meyer or Collins (though those would be nice), but if you had that YA Lit track, there's a bunch of YA spec fic writers in the area I'm sure would love to come. Again, if you need some help, give a holler and I'll put you in touch with some of them. YA fantasy and SF is HOT now, in case you missed it. More Steampunk panels, maybe a SP track too.
3) I KNOW this is a lit con, not a media con like Dragoncon, but maybe you might consider getting a bigger name for your GoH. This year, Peter S. Beagle was a total boon (HE is a brilliant, lovely man. Softspoken, polite, and very sweet. I got a signed copy of THE LAST UNICORN, and had to give a fangirl squee!), and you need more like that. I KNOW that those kinds of people charge more money, but if you get them, you'll get the attendance at the con and GET MORE MONEY. See how that works?
I make these suggestions in the interest of the con, because I want to see it succeed and continue. My son came for the first time this weekend, just for a few hours, wearing his Slytherin costume. He had a GREAT time :).
Okay, enough of that.
I have been looking for a full time job for about a month. I love working in my local district, and teaching, but I need more money. I want to be working in a library. So I've applied to several places, hearing nothing. Mostly I guess this is because I'm still in grad school and not yet fully qualified, and jobs are scarce. If I can work full time for a decent salary, I can go to more cons (see how I made that work?)
Except...I've found a school district where there isn't ONE, but MANY librarian positions open. What??? Of course, there's a catch: it's Camden City public school system. If you don't live here, Camden has been demoted from the most dangerous city in the country to #2. It's a poor, inner-city city. Lots of troubles, which is probably why they have so many open positions. I don't mind it. The district has worked really hard to give these kids, who have next to nothing and come from broken places, a safe place to learn. They all wear uniforms. They've worked hard to make the schools safe. I have a friend who has a friend, who works in the district and has for 12 years, and loves it, because the kids just love having someone care. I looked over the websites for several of their schools, and found at least 3 elementary schools and two middle schools with no librarian listed on staff. Which is VERY sad.
I called up the human resource dept, to ask if the position was still open, and the answer was "oh definitely". I said I was a grad student, eligible for an Emergency cert, and they said, "please, send in your application, we're definitely considering those candidates." Doesn't sound like they get a lot of applicants.
So while it might not be my dream job (and who knows, it may be), it may turn out to be an opportunity. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and from places you don't expect.