I still don't have any professional qualifications, but that has remained true since I dropped out of school and decided to skip university, and the judgement of authority figures, and just live as a self-employed, self-taught person.
OK, when I gave up show business, and got my first 'steady job' at the age of 51, I half relinquished my self-employed status (although it never entirely goes away), but the job I got as a library assistant soon mutated into working as the computer whisperer for Cardiff Libraries (liaising between the staff and public and the IT department. The internet was a newish thing, so qualifications were irrelevant.
Well, I just finished a year working on an Archive of the circus I feel part of, and of whom I am ridiculously proud, as they complete a life-span of 30 years.
We got Heritage Lottery Funding for a year, to create an archive - collecting paperwork up to give to the Glamorgan Archives - building a website that you can find here - and putting on an exhibition.
The year is nearly complete, and I will be returning to self-employed (not sure I like the word 'retirement') - or self-unemployed (we'll see).
But I can add the title Project Archivist to my cv - for the NoFit State Archive. Cool, huh?
And by some kind of coincidence, old friends in Madrid have a fund-raiser going, to create an archive of theri collection. In the next ten days, to complete their target. Got (say) 20 Euros?
