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Go Back to Campus

Whether you're returning to school to earn another degree or not, your college campus—and library (virtual or actual)—is always a place of learning. Don't discount the value of mining its resources and staying in touch with the people who work there. Colleges and universities are mandated to explore what is new in the world. Your job is to learn what's new in your field. See the connection? Ask for guidance from the school's librarians. I've found them to be enormously useful in helping me find what I'm looking for—and what I wasn't looking for but very much need to know.

But there's more you can do at your school. Look at you alma mater as a place to network. Someone once said that home is the place where they have to take you in. The same goes for your school. You'll always be an alum, and where you went to school will always be your “home.” Get active in your alumni association. This is an affinity group—they have to talk to you. It's a perfect place to meet staff, faculty, and other alumni who may well be on the cutting edge of discoveries in the very field you're in or getting into. Apart from any learning you might do, who knows what relationships you may forge—relationships that could lead to all kinds of opportunities? Network all over campus, volunteer to participate in events, and join committees. Volunteering will raise your profile—and can sometimes lead to paid work. Boola boola!