Best & Worst Things About This Career
As reported by people currently doing the job
"The best part of my career would have to be learning about the different types of hazardous materials and how to identify them. In a matter of time, you may realize that you have these hazards in your own home. You also gain the respect of top officials when you know all the rules and regulations and can plan how to handle a job site without ever seeing it. The worst part is when your hard work is not recognized. You can learn everything, prepare all the paperwork necessary, and arrange for materials to be delivered, but you're still seen as a plain old secretary. Nobody acknowledges that if you didn't prepare all the paperwork, the work would never be approved."
School : CUNY Hunter College - No Degree Obtained
Career: Administrator, currently based in New York.;
"I'm a very practical, detail-oriented person so I enjoy being responsible for making sure Archives are organized in such a way that information can be quickly and easily accessed, no matter how many years have passed since a project's end. On the other hand, I'm also able to step back and look at the big picture since Archives are kept, in a way, forever. Because this is technically a "support" position, one must always maintain a friendly "customer service" attitude."
School : Portland State University, Bachelor of Liberal Arts
Career: Archivist, currently based in Oregon.;
Tips for Succeeding in This Career
Helpful Info From Insiders
"I would advise anyone pursuing a career in the environmental field to become certified as a worker, even if you do not intend to actually work on a job site. Try to attend classes where the rules and regulations of hazardous materials are discussed. Always keep in mind that you may be asked to perform tasks outside of your field, but embrace them and learn as much as you can about them. Become familiar with the people in charge at the city and State agencies because if it doesn't work out where you are working, they make great references."
School : CUNY Hunter College - No Degree Obtained
Career: Administrator, currently based in New York.;
"More so than taking a particular course or area of study, the most important asset for an Archivist is the ability to think logically and break problems down into their simplest components. You must know your company and your coworkers well enough to anticipate what they will want before even they know, and interpret what they're telling you in order to find the information they're really looking for. That means being analytical, but also knowing how people work on a day-to-day basis in order to assist them with even small tasks."
School : Portland State University, Bachelor of Liberal Arts
Career: Archivist, currently based in Oregon.;
