How's the career outlook appear for a historian?

Let me first say that as a media historian, I love history. My expertise is in the history of broadcasting and mass communication, as well as trends in media, and the study of popular culture. But the truth is that for most historians, their opportunities for employment would mainly be in the realm of education-- being a history teacher (or professor), for example. There are many areas of specialization a historian can have-- I already mentioned that mine is media history, but there's the history of politics, American history, world history, Canadian (or British or wherever) history, the history of a particular region of the country, sports history, etc. The more expertise you develop, the more likely you will be to turn it into full-time employment. It is also worth knowing that if you decide you want to teach, you will probably need at least a master's degree, and to be a professor generally required a PhD.

That said, I do not believe the only reason to study something (in this case, history) is to find a job. Of course, we all need to eat and pay rent. But some subjects are just interesting and worth knowing about. I wanted to be in broadcasting, but I'm still glad I studied history. Years later, it has helped me in my work as a professor, but in college, that wasn't my plan at all; I just found it an interesting subject. As I have recommended to others before, you may find it more practical to major in something you know you can make a living at, and minor in history. The more you know about history, you may find, as I did, that it comes in very handy for work in other professions (journalism, for one, or writing for another-- if you are a historical novelist, for example, a strong knowledge of history will make your books much more believable ). But for the most part, people with a major in history tend to become teachers, and that is certainly a wonderful occupation, if that's something you can see yourself doing.

Hi Calvin,
As a counselor, I passionately believe students should study a subject for which they are most interested. If you are interested in a subject, you tend to work harder which usually translates to higher grades which create more opportunities for employment and graduate school. Students who major in history have strong writing, research, communications skills and have a broad understanding of major events in history and different cultures. Similar to all liberal arts majors, history may not readily translate to a career such as accounting but you will be prepared for many possibly paths including, law, education, politics, etc. If you want to major in history, major in history and be confident your path with present itself.
Good luck!

Natalie

Hi Calvin, I agree with Natalie's list of the skills that you will acquire with a BA in History. However, your question is about jobs with a degree in history. If you want a job as an Historian, you need a PhD. The typical path is long and has no guarantees. You do research and write a thesis on a particular aspect of history while studying for your PhD.. While in school, you apply for a teaching position to teach undergraduate courses. After you complete your PhD coursework and research, you have 7-8 years to write a thesis on your research. You then seek a teaching job at a University that is interested in your thesis topic and that may want you to teach a course on your topic which you are now an expert in. Then, you try to get your thesis published. This is not easy but it is possible. There are not many open professorship positions because once someone is hired, the likely keep their job for a long time. It may seem unfair that a University hires someone from another country as a History Professor, but this happens because the school is interested in that person's expertise. So, what happens when you graduate with a BA in History and look for a job?

1. Realize that you will be hired for the skills you've developed in writing and research, but not for you History degree per say.


2. You will need some additional hard skills to be marketable.


3. You will be viewed as a person with a Liberal Arts degree


4. You can get a job, but you will need to have another interest, skills or something that will relate to the company or nonprofit job you apply for. This is because there are many more college grads now then there were a generation ago.


5. A grad with a history degree who manages to get a job in a museum will make about $10/11 dollars an hour.

I have successfully coached new & recent college grads to find professional jobs with a history degree. There has always been a key to getting job interviews other than their History major. I also have a niece who has been going through this exact process. She has been teaching at Princeton part time with a 5 yr contract and is currently working on publishing a book on her topic, Women Suffragettes in New York City. Pretty specific!