Have you thought about taking the NIGS methodology courses? I thought they were great. The mentoring and analysis classes will give you camaraderie in the chat sessions and one on one with your instructors. Also, how about ProGen? There is a waiting list but get on it. Have you gone to NGS or other conferences? Just a few suggestions. Diane On 10/20/2012 5:52 PM, transitional-genealogists-forum-request@rootsweb.com wrote: > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > > Today's Topics: > > 1. next steps? (Eva Goodwin) > 2. Re: next steps? (Nicole La Rue) > 3. Re: next steps? (Dave Liesse) > 4. Re: next steps? (Harold Henderson) > 5. Names (Steve Dahlstrom) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 13:48:00 -0700 > From: Eva Goodwin <edwgoodwin@gmail.com> > Subject: [TGF] next steps? > To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: > <CAAMR3zcTJgjgAe-dOO3jRxg262kjCiRfPPmP4TFsGXU8RLHpAQ@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Hi all, > > I'm feeling a little stuck in a rut in my genealogy path and could use some > suggestions to get me going! > > I'm currently completing the American Records certificate from the NIGS, so > I'm always working on the coursework for that. But of course the program > itself is online and pretty self-guided. It also is great for getting me > familiar and comfortable with all the various kinds of sources and records > available but I think I also need to be doing other things concurrently, or > working towards other things, in order to really feel like I'm moving > forward. > > My eventual goal is to be CG. Eventual. And in that light, I know that what > I really need to do a lot of is methodology work. And I also need social > support - people around me who also are excited about this work who can > help motivate me so it's not just me and my computer and my filing cabinet! > > Here are some things I feel like I might be looking for: > - intensive in-person institutes or programs where I can meet people and > also immerse myself in method work > - ongoing study groups, whether in-person or interactive online > - one-on-one mentorship with (a) more experienced genealogist(s) > - a home learning course that is more methodology centered rather than > records centered > > I am 26 years old, extremely motivated, I have an undergraduate degree from > a prestigious liberal arts college and I am an excellent researcher. I know > I have what it takes to be a good professional. I have already self-taught > my genealogy research until now using books, internet, whatever I could get > my hands on. But it's also hard to just do it all by myself in a vacuum. I > went to the NGS conference in Cincinnati in the spring and it was a taste > of how exciting it could be to be a part of this bigger thing! And I'm > seeking people who also want to push themselves as hard as possible to > connect with and have in my community, and seeking also learning > opportunities that are directed towards an advanced hobbyist looking for > the next level of learning. > > Any suggestions? Thanks so much :) > > Eva > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 14:30:31 -0700 (PDT) > From: Nicole La Rue <nikkisbc@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [TGF] next steps? > To: Eva Goodwin <edwgoodwin@gmail.com>, TGF > <TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: > <1350768631.60570.YahooMailNeo@web120103.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Eva, > > I was very attracted to your post, partially because I know the feeling. I've been feeling like I've hit a wall in my career path for some time now and I just haven't been able to figure out what to do about it. So it was nice to know that misery has company, lol. > > Also, I can pass along what advice others have given me, which did serve me well along the way. First, I can suggest the ProGen program. If you've not heard of it yet, check out their website and ask around a bit. If you're looking for other like-minded individuals with the motivation and dedication to continue towards their goals, you'll find it in spades within a ProGen group. ?The website is?http://progenstudy.org. ?Another great opportunity for in-person methodological experience is to take the one week summer classes offered at IGHR. I can't recommend that one enough. There are other one week intensive classes around that are equally wonderful (like SLIG and the one offered at the National Archives) so look into those as well. ?A final recommendation that has been made to me in the past was to join rootsweb message board lists in the areas of your expertise and offer to take on work there. ?You get the experience and others get help with their > research. Of course, this only works when the participants are willing to order the records necessary to progress, etc. and therein lies much of my troubles. But you may have better luck in your locale.? > > I hope this has helped you a bit. Let's both hope we can succeed and "eventually" achieve our goal of obtaining that CG! Please drop me a message if you ever need a soundboard or anything along the way. I'd love to commiserate with someone in the same boat! > > Nikki LaRue > > > ________________________________ > From: Eva Goodwin <edwgoodwin@gmail.com> > To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com > Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2012 3:48 PM > Subject: [TGF] next steps? > > Hi all, > > I'm feeling a little stuck in a rut in my genealogy path and could use some > suggestions to get me going! > > I'm currently completing the American Records certificate from the NIGS, so > I'm always working on the coursework for that. But of course the program > itself is online and pretty self-guided. It also is great for getting me > familiar and comfortable with all the various kinds of sources and records > available but I think I also need to be doing other things concurrently, or > working towards other things, in order to really feel like I'm moving > forward. > > My eventual goal is to be CG. Eventual. And in that light, I know that what > I really need to do a lot of is methodology work. And I also need social > support - people around me who also are excited about this work who can > help motivate me so it's not just me and my computer and my filing cabinet! > > Here are some things I feel like I might be looking for: > - intensive in-person institutes or programs where I can meet people and > also immerse myself in method work > - ongoing study groups, whether in-person or interactive online > - one-on-one mentorship with (a) more experienced genealogist(s) > - a home learning course that is more methodology centered rather than > records centered > > I am 26 years old, extremely motivated, I have an undergraduate degree from > a prestigious liberal arts college and I am an excellent researcher. I know > I have what it takes to be a good professional. I have already self-taught > my genealogy research until now using books, internet, whatever I could get > my hands on. But it's also hard to just do it all by myself in a vacuum. I > went to the NGS conference in Cincinnati in the spring and it was a taste > of how exciting it could be to be a part of this bigger thing! And I'm > seeking people who also want to push themselves as hard as possible to > connect with and have in my community, and seeking also learning > opportunities that are directed towards an advanced hobbyist looking for > the next level of learning. > > Any suggestions? Thanks so much :) > > Eva > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:46:58 -0700 > From: Dave Liesse <Dave@skingcoservicesllc.com> > Subject: Re: [TGF] next steps? > To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <508329E2.1050105@skingcoservicesllc.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Eva, > > I don't remember from earlier posts where you are, but for the > one-on-one fellowship/mentorship/mutual support I suggest the following: > > 1. Join APG, if you're not already a member (again, I don't remember). > Then... > > 2. Attend local chapter meetings, if convenient (times and locations > may not work for you). > > 3. If not convenient, attend the virtual chapter meetings in Second > Life (the online world). > > 4. Get involved with a local genealogical society, if there is one and > it meets at a time that fits your schedule. The key words, though, > are "get involved." I've found that when one takes an active role > in an organization, the benefits multiply -- in this case, you'd get > to know other members that much better and once again get the mutual > support you're looking for. > > I'll leave the specific course recommendations to others who are better > familiar with them. > > Dave Liesse > > On 10/20/2012 13:48, Eva Goodwin wrote: >> Hi all, >> >> I'm feeling a little stuck in a rut in my genealogy path and could use some >> suggestions to get me going! >> >> I'm currently completing the American Records certificate from the NIGS, so >> I'm always working on the coursework for that. But of course the program >> itself is online and pretty self-guided. It also is great for getting me >> familiar and comfortable with all the various kinds of sources and records >> available but I think I also need to be doing other things concurrently, or >> working towards other things, in order to really feel like I'm moving >> forward. >> >> My eventual goal is to be CG. Eventual. And in that light, I know that what >> I really need to do a lot of is methodology work. And I also need social >> support - people around me who also are excited about this work who can >> help motivate me so it's not just me and my computer and my filing cabinet! >> >> Here are some things I feel like I might be looking for: >> - intensive in-person institutes or programs where I can meet people and >> also immerse myself in method work >> - ongoing study groups, whether in-person or interactive online >> - one-on-one mentorship with (a) more experienced genealogist(s) >> - a home learning course that is more methodology centered rather than >> records centered >> >> I am 26 years old, extremely motivated, I have an undergraduate degree from >> a prestigious liberal arts college and I am an excellent researcher. I know >> I have what it takes to be a good professional. I have already self-taught >> my genealogy research until now using books, internet, whatever I could get >> my hands on. But it's also hard to just do it all by myself in a vacuum. I >> went to the NGS conference in Cincinnati in the spring and it was a taste >> of how exciting it could be to be a part of this bigger thing! And I'm >> seeking people who also want to push themselves as hard as possible to >> connect with and have in my community, and seeking also learning >> opportunities that are directed towards an advanced hobbyist looking for >> the next level of learning. >> >> Any suggestions? Thanks so much :) >> >> Eva >> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2012 18:29:43 -0500 > From: Harold Henderson <librarytraveler@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [TGF] next steps? > To: Eva Goodwin <edwgoodwin@gmail.com> > Cc: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: > <CABPpKTiBcfczzQAs=ebkhJ+rhe2e9Qqt0cD=rwVFysQNgf0zWQ@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > Eva -- > > I echo everything Nikki and Dave said but with a little different emphasis. > > Your situation sounds a good deal like mine about five years ago -- knowing > what I wanted to do, being pretty sure I could do it (a little *too* sure > as it turned out the first time), but not being quite sure how. Actually I > think you have a better idea of what you need now than I did then. > > Where you live makes a difference. I wound up doing three things that > helped a lot: (1) joining a ProGen group (actually, the first one); (2) > attending SLIG and Samford institutes in spite of the cost and time and > inconvenience; and (3) getting involved in my local society in a particular > way -- transcribing and abstracting projects that confronted me weekly with > original records that I could get acquainted with (outside a high-pressure > course or client context). > > NGS and other conferences are great, but they can be a lonely experience > for newbies. Everyone else seems to know each other, and the group around > you changes every hour. > > Having a mentor or mentors helps show us ways of being a genealogist. What > also made a major difference for me was finding friends in my "generation" > of new genealogists (measured by when we got serious, not actual age). And > that has happened for me almost entirely through institutes, where we spent > several days together in the same class wrestling with the same problems, > and learning from the best in the field and from each other. > > That's where you're most likely to find people who are as serious as you > are. It didn't occur to me until it happened either (a) that that was what > I needed or (b) that it would be as rewarding as the genealogy itself. > > APG can also be a place to find those people, again depending on where you > are and the nature of your local chapter, if any. We (I'm on the board) are > doing more discussion/mentoring sessions than before, so if you considered > and rejected joining in the past, you may want to look again. > > Good luck and keep posting (especially if we have missed the point to any > extent)! > > Harold > > > > On Sat, Oct 20, 2012 at 3:48 PM, Eva Goodwin <edwgoodwin@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I'm feeling a little stuck in a rut in my genealogy path and could use some >> suggestions to get me going! >> >> I'm currently completing the American Records certificate from the NIGS, so >> I'm always working on the coursework for that. But of course the program >> itself is online and pretty self-guided. It also is great for getting me >> familiar and comfortable with all the various kinds of sources and records >> available but I think I also need to be doing other things concurrently, or >> working towards other things, in order to really feel like I'm moving >> forward. >> >> My eventual goal is to be CG. Eventual. And in that light, I know that what >> I really need to do a lot of is methodology work. And I also need social >> support - people around me who also are excited about this work who can >> help motivate me so it's not just me and my computer and my filing cabinet! >> >> Here are some things I feel like I might be looking for: >> - intensive in-person institutes or programs where I can meet people and >> also immerse myself in method work >> - ongoing study groups, whether in-person or interactive online >> - one-on-one mentorship with (a) more experienced genealogist(s) >> - a home learning course that is more methodology centered rather than >> records centered >> >> I am 26 years old, extremely motivated, I have an undergraduate degree from >> a prestigious liberal arts college and I am an excellent researcher. I know >> I have what it takes to be a good professional. I have already self-taught >> my genealogy research until now using books, internet, whatever I could get >> my hands on. But it's also hard to just do it all by myself in a vacuum. I >> went to the NGS conference in Cincinnati in the spring and it was a taste >> of how exciting it could be to be a part of this bigger thing! And I'm >> seeking people who also want to push themselves as hard as possible to >> connect with and have in my community, and seeking also learning >> opportunities that are directed towards an advanced hobbyist looking for >> the next level of learning. >> >> Any suggestions? Thanks so much :) >> >> Eva >> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive >> environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to >> professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word >> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > >