Critical Theory and some decisions

So, a couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about genres and how the academy pretty much dismisses genre fiction out of hand. In it, I mentioned that I have Issues with Critical Theory, but that that was a whole nother post. Well. Here it is.

( Why I Hate Critical Theory )

So, what does this mean? It means that after I finish my MA thesis, I'm done. No applying to PhD programs. No retaking the GRE lit exam. It's taken me 3 years to realize it, but it's not for me. Maybe it could have been. I don't know. When I started thinking of doing an MA in English, it felt very right. Maybe that was because of the lessons I needed to learn, not because of the career path. But I've met with nothing but uncertainty, failure, and panic attacks since starting grad school, and I don't think it's a good idea to keep going.

So what am I going to do instead? I'm going to get my MLS. I want to be a Youth Services librarian in a public library. Librarians are semi-in-demand here in Utah, because there are no MLS programs in the state. It will mean two more years of school and a bucketload of student loans, because I'll have to pay out-of-state tuition. But it feels right. My front-runner program is an online one at the University of Arizona. You see I've done my research.

And it's amazing. I made this decision a few weeks ago. And since then, I've felt the most amazing sense of peace. And drive. I've been doing meaningful research on my thesis. I should be able to write again soon (although I haven't tried it, but I have high hopes). It's like this enormous weight of personal expectations has been lifted off my shoulders. To paraphrase Lois McMaster Bujold, maybe I just needed to free my brain.

Critical Theory and some decisions

So, a couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about genres and how the academy pretty much dismisses genre fiction out of hand. In it, I mentioned that I have Issues with Critical Theory, but that that was a whole nother post. Well. Here it is.

( Why I Hate Critical Theory )

So, what does this mean? It means that after I finish my MA thesis, I'm done. No applying to PhD programs. No retaking the GRE lit exam. It's taken me 3 years to realize it, but it's not for me. Maybe it could have been. I don't know. When I started thinking of doing an MA in English, it felt very right. Maybe that was because of the lessons I needed to learn, not because of the career path. But I've met with nothing but uncertainty, failure, and panic attacks since starting grad school, and I don't think it's a good idea to keep going.

So what am I going to do instead? I'm going to get my MLS. I want to be a Youth Services librarian in a public library. Librarians are semi-in-demand here in Utah, because there are no MLS programs in the state. It will mean two more years of school and a bucketload of student loans, because I'll have to pay out-of-state tuition. But it feels right. My front-runner program is an online one at the University of Arizona. You see I've done my research.

And it's amazing. I made this decision a few weeks ago. And since then, I've felt the most amazing sense of peace. And drive. I've been doing meaningful research on my thesis. I should be able to write again soon (although I haven't tried it, but I have high hopes). It's like this enormous weight of personal expectations has been lifted off my shoulders. To paraphrase Lois McMaster Bujold, maybe I just needed to free my brain.