The second major part of my internship this term was working on the career exploration project, in which we researched/analyzed a potential future job, took the Strong test, and interview a professional. Even though I was relatively certain about the type of work I want to pursue after college, consisting of a career in digital curation, I was able to learn more about the real-life opportunities that fit my interests. For the interview section of my project, I interviewed the Director of Arts and Special Collections of Harvard College Library Houghton Library, allowing me to learn what it would be like to work at an academic institution later in my career. During our conversation, we talked about his educational background and how he got to this point in his career. We also talked about the benefits and challenges of working at an institution like Harvard. There are numerous financial and health benefits that come from working there, but we talked about some of the challenges with inclusion and diversity at an institution that originated from a place of privilege. The director is working towards making changes within the library that started with a focus on expanding the collections that are associated with African American writers and literature. The conversation with him honestly surprised me, inspiring me to continue perusing this career!
