The Information and Knowledge Professional's Career Handbook

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An opaque profession: special challenges

Unlike some professionals holding well-understood occupations – think teachers, dentists, sports coaches – practitioners in information-related fields deal with a unique challenge throughout their careers: their employers and potential beneficiaries may not appreciate why it is worthwhile paying for their services:

Had I only known how much work I’d need to do to justify my job, my department, my staff, and my budget… perhaps I would have chosen a profession everybody understands!

It wasn’t mentioned in the graduate program that selling and advocacy is in fact the key element in the job of an information professional.

It is quite disconcerting to have senior managers – who may have no familiarity at ...