Long-Term Prospects

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Job Satisfaction

General quality of life statement

Any business site is going to tell you one thing: library science is the worst kind of graduate degree you can get. They come to this stark opinion by looking at the earning potential of it in comparison to other graduate degrees. Let's be honest: they're not wrong. As a librarian with a Master's, you're probably only making what someone with a Bachelor's is getting.

Also, half of all people with library science degrees are happy. Or half are unhappy, depending on where you fall on the half-full, half-empty scale. While we can't say for certain why this is, it might be because they undergo a lot of training to get a job that doesn't have the respect that other professions that require Master's Degrees get. A lack of money and respect can wear on anybody.

Not everything is gloom and doom, though. You're not going to be rolling in cash, but you'll have a little bit—certainly enough to buy those books you insist on reading. Maybe you'll be part of that happy 50% who goes into work every day, surrounded by knowledge, and thinks to themselves, ''This is the life, man.''

Library science sounds like an easy degree, but it's really not. This is not a major for the faint of heart. If you truly love not only knowledge, but also how it's organized, searched for, and found, then go for it. Otherwise, get a library card and show your local librarian some respect.

25th Percentile Salary

Median Salary

75th Percentile Salary

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