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More from the Dark Side was Re: Another Archive recruiters/Job hunting



On Fri, 21 Dec 2001 14:09:34 -0600, Mark Lambert <mlambert@STCL.EDU> wrote:

>Paul:
>I appreciate your comments, and feel there is some validity in them.
>
>For instance, for the next 11 days, I will be on a vacation, without
>having to use any of my own vacation days.  Thats valuable!

that's not too bad

>Also, my present employer really does encourage me to research and
>publish in the field.  How do I know?  Because he doesn't mind while I
>stand in front of the photocopier for an hour every now and then,
>copying things that have nothing to do with my job duties, but have to
>do with my own research and writing!  Also, all that research is right
>here, in my reach easily, and can be photocopied for free.  If I worked
>for a government or corporation, I would not have the amount of sources
>around me I do here.

whoa there boy! Everyone of my past employers has encouraged me in my
research when it comes to records and information management. They have also
provided me with ample time to develop presentation that in some ways do not
have anything to do with the company. they have also supported my
participation within my local ARMA chapter. Most corporations pick up the
cost of professional association dues (at least one association). Past
employers have paid for my attendance at the annual ARMA conferences
(airfare, ground transportation, conference registration, meals, hotel
accommodations and books purchased at the conference) (no begging for
roommates), they also have paid for various software training classes if
they are not offered in house (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, QuattroPro, R-base
and many more). I have worked for companies that have corporate libraries
and they have been a godsend when needing material available only from ILL.
They have provided in-house medical care, an in-house gym (at not additional
cost to the employee), subsidize meals, transportation etc.
They have supported my efforts in learning new skills even if the skills
acquired make me more desirable to another employer.

Sorry but I think I have received much more support career-wise from being
in the corporate sector than not. Is it risky working in the corporate
world, you betcha it is, but so is crossing the street.

>
>Also, I have found it personally less stressful to work in an
>environment where I don't have to continually go around justifying my
>job to everyone else I work with, since in the academic world, the
>preservation of primary sources of history is widely accepted, and seen
>as part of academia's mission.

I have never had to go around justifying my job to everyone else I work with
and I think that many Records managers would agree with that. for example at
one company both the Legal and Tax departments were thoroughly shocked when
they found out that I had been laid off (but it was too late). They did
inform the VP of Admin of his errors. As to the preservation of primary
sources of history, most of what I see (and here comes the heretical part)
is nothing more than materials that have been collected over time by someone
else who has decided to donate them to an organization. Do the donated
materials if from an organization truly reflect the operations of that
organization? I doubt it.

I think an archivist has to do much more justification than does a records
manager


>There is also the intellectual stimulation of working around others who
>value, love, and crave information and knowledge like I do, which can
>sometimes include knowledge for knowledge's own sake, and not just to
>produce some product or service.  I personally think work is more fun
>and less drudgery when I am constantly learning from others-I did not
>get that stimulation in past jobs with government or corporate entities.

Sorry to disappoint you, but same intellectual stimulation occurs within the
private sector. the stimulation comes from bringing diverse occupations
together to develop a solution for the organization. Who would have thought
over twenty years ago that I would be involved in project
planning/management, business process re-engineering, disaster
planning/business continuity planning, space planning, budgeting and much
much more.

>
>I'm sure I could think of more reasons why, if someone were to offer me
>a job at a government or coporate archives, I would require around a 25%
>increase in my present pay. ;-)

Well every move I have made in my career has involved at least a 20%
increase in pay. 8-)

so once again if interested the dark side is not really that dark. or to put
it another way RM is at the head of the dog. ;-)

Peter Kurilecz

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