John Garrison on using internships to find the career you love

John Garrison’s love of libraries can be dated back to his time in high school shelving books at a local library. Though it wasn’t obvious then, the time John spent between dusty library shelves alphabetizing books and memorizing the dewey decimal system would later shape his career. 

A 2011 Master of Science and Information graduate at the University of Michigan, John is currently a professor and librarian at Westminster Library in Pennsylvania. His time at UMSI taking computer science courses and getting on the ground training through internships informs his practice today. 

“I recommend branching out beyond just your specific track in the program.,” he says. “Really take advantage of the variety that is available at UMSI.”

Read John’s advice about taking courses outside of your comfort zone and connecting with peers in his alumni snapshot.