On the Job: Reflection

So, I've been gradually catching up on Bloglines the last few days--primarily the library and tech blogs--and now I have a thousand cool links to post. And it's 5:30pm on Friday and I'd really rather begin my weekend on the couch, not at the desk, so I'm not going to post these treasures now. I'll just give that tantilizing mention to haunt you all weekend.

It's hard to believe that this is my seventh day, and the end of my first full week, of work. I feel like I've done so much--and so little! It's overwhelming and fascinating, and many other pairs of opposites.

And I'm of two minds on the this-is-finally-my-first-full-time-job issue. On the one hand, I feel really embarrassed and inadequate next to the younger librarians; they're near my age, but they have years and years of experience already. This makes me feel really young for my age--a new sensation for me--and it's unsettling. It almost makes me feel like I shouldn't have put my action figures up on my office shelf, because they emphasize my juvenility. Arg.

On the other hand, I'm so relieved and confident because I've already got the second, subject Master's degree. I'm relieved because I won't have to go back to school for it, and feel slightly--only slightly--justified that I took longer to get out of school. And it makes me feel like there's at least one subject in which I'm decently knowledgeable and possibly respected for.

I wonder if I'll feel any more confident and less frustrated about being 27 in my first full-time position after I've done this for a year. Maybe after a year, I won't think about it on a daily basis?