What does a historian do on an average day at work?

Hi Tom,

As someone also has a Bachelor's degree in history and is currently working in the field while getting her Master's, I can think of many career paths you can take with history!

Historians are some of the best writers I know, they are taught to think critically, document and analyze research, and adhere to some of the strictest writing standards in the business (the Chicago Manual of Style). The skills one learns in history can easily be applied to other fields too, such as journalism, law, advocacy, teaching, political science, and grant writing (to name a few). There are also great career options within the field of history.

Since you are interested in American History, not only can you teach, you can work in the Public History sector doing a variety of jobs related to sharing history with public audiences. Public history jobs include working as an archivist, librarian, curator, archaeologist, digital historian, researcher, writer, preservation officer, and National Parks interpreter. Public history is a growing field and is much more diverse than the traditional routes one can take as an academic historian (PhD).

The more traditional route for historians is to get a PhD. Many of the professionals I work with do not recommend this, as the doctoral path can be long and expensive. Often times, a Master's Degree is all that is required for most careers in history. If you do decide to go down the PhD path, I would recommend you know exactly what you want to study and try to get out of the program as fast as possible. I remember my adviser telling me that the average PhD in history takes 9 years, even though many programs only provide funding for the first couple years.

If you are really invested in a career in history, a graduate degree or baccalaureate certificate is usually required, though there are always exceptions. The best advice I can give you is to volunteer at local historical institutions (library research room, museum, historical society, etc.) and seek out as many internships in the history field as possible. This way you can figure out what path you want to take when it comes to a career in history. Another perk about interning is the amount of networking and mentoring you get from professionals in that field.

As others have suggested, having other skills in digital media, graphic design, computer programming, and so on, can also be really useful in the history field. Digital skills in particular are in high demand in the public history field. Having a digital presence and knowing the basics is definitely beneficial in building a career in history.

If you are really interested in careers in history, check out the American Historical Association and the National Council on Public History for more info.

I hope this information helps! Please feel free to follow up if you are curious about anything I have said, or want to know more.

Good Luck!

Hi Tom,

I checked with some of my friends who studied history of all sorts. Here's what they're doing now:
- Firefighter
- Entrepreneur
- High school teacher
- Professor
- Director at a news channel
- Librarian
- Writer for an alternative weekly newspaper

Historians do all sorts of things. That's what's so cool about the humanities. When you study humanities like history or philosophy or economics, you don't learn a specific skill, like you do with a nursing or business degree. Instead, you learn to think critically, to identify problems and design solutions for them, to recognize patterns, and to refine your ideas and communicate them clearly. Those are broader skills, but they're always useful.

However, there are very few places you can work by just saying you have a history degree. You'll need to be able to market yourself by explaining how studying history makes you an important addition, whether you're trying to get a job, or whether you're starting a business, or if you're going on to grad school (or pretty much anything else).

I definitely recommend minoring (or just taking classes) in specific skills like computer programming, graphic design, general marketing, Business 101, public speaking, and languages, to give yourself a better toolset for both marketing your skills and for getting things done.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask follow up questions!

Dear Tom,
My sincere apology for the slang in the q and a I posted from a website from students whom are looking at historians as a career too and what the day would be like. These students voted on the answers. Sorry, So here I have posted some new much more helpful information to your query.
Someone who continually studies and writes about history is known as a historian. It is a professional occupation, and generally only those with graduate degrees are given the title. Historians spend their careers researching history and the significance of various events. Often, they aim to make a cohesive narrative of given parts of history. They usually specialize in a specific time period, but command widespread knowledge in all time periods.

A professional historian generally must have a doctorate (PhD) degree in his chosen field of study. To be successful, this person must regularly publish works based on his research, and a history student's doctoral thesis often develops into his first book. Many students get an undergraduate education in history as preparation for a different field, such as law or philosophy. Historians can become teachers, or curators at any preservation societies. A professional historian generally must have a doctorate (PhD) degree in his chosen field of study. To be successful, this person must regularly publish works based on his research, and a history student's doctoral thesis often develops into his first book.
Many students get an undergraduate education in history as preparation for a different field, such as law or philosophy. Historians can become teachers, or curators at any preservation societies. There are many types of Historians from Roman Historian, to Greek Historian, British Historian, Afro American Historian, British Historian, Medical Historian; we all have history in all subjects. Every subject has a history. A librarian or a university are both fitting jobs for Historians,

Have you thought about what type of a historian that you would like to follow in your career path? You can be a freelance historian, that travels, a historian in courts that has testimonies for lawyers or prosecuting cases or defending cases, Some historians publish books, Most historians require an advanced degree, A common career path for art historians are interested in teaching educators, you can actually travel and go out to historical sites for review and to see what ancient history is all about This would be great to travel for history. History is always in the making. Tomorrow will be one day from today’s history. So you are working always with history in the making. When you witness great events that are going into text books that you can write as a historian becomes text book history.
Preservation work is another common avenue for art. The job in the day consist of artworks and painting are original’s. Appraisal is important for many people so you can appraise many antiques or artwork that have made history and are in historical societies. An auction house need a historian, many colleges use history for publish and appraising articles like I should have done in the one I sent before this one. I did not read it thoroughly resulting in slang I did not know was there. So historians can protect the consumer as well as the seller in both cases. So once you figure out what type of historian you want to be you can then see what your day will be more like. I would think every day would be different as you will be doing many different things and looking at different pieces of work. I do hope this has been more helpful than article one. I admire the observance. Thank you.

Historian.org is a refrence that I used.
Historian Job Description, Career as a Historian, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job
HIstorian Entry Level Median or Ave. pay
Education and Training: Doctoral degree A doctoral degree is many years and this is not much pay for a doctoral. However teaching would pay more I would think and not nearly as much schooling is involved. Good luck and great choice. More information to follow.
Salary: Median—$44,490 per year

Employment Outlook: Fair

Definition and Nature of the Work

Historians study events, ideas, institutions, and individuals of the past. They may research and interpret events that occurred in the earliest periods of recorded time or ones that people can remember. Unlike archaeologists, who work chiefly with physical objects, historians rely mostly on written records for evidence to support their claims. However, historians sometimes use physical objects, such as photographs, costumes, and tools, to shed light on past lifestyles. Historians often try to relate knowledge of the past to present-day situations or problems.

History is a very broad field, and historians usually specialize in a particular time period, country, or region. For example, a historian may specialize in U.S. history with a more specific focus on the Great Depression. Another historian may focus on medieval history and concentrate on the German-speaking areas of Europe. Historians also specialize in certain kinds of history, such as the history of ideas, the history of immigration, the history of women, or the history of science. Sometimes historians specialize in a particular field, such as economic, social, or political history. Although historians are encouraged to specialize, they also need general knowledge to relate their findings to the broad patterns of change and continuity traced throughout the past.

About 70 percent of all historians are employed by colleges and universities. Although some have administrative duties, they generally teach, write, and do research. Some historians, known as archivists, collect historical documents and other objects for museums, special libraries, historical societies, and other organizations. Archivists prepare exhibits and organize historical materials for people who do historical research. Archivists work in places called archives where records, historic documents, and other materials are collected and preserved. Some historians working for government agencies or historical societies are involved in the preservation of historic buildings. Other historians work for publishing firms where they edit history textbooks, magazines, and other materials. Some historians serve as consultants for radio, television, and film producers,

A historian examines a weathered volume. (© SETBOUN/Corbis.)
checking for the accurate depiction of past events, styles, and portrayals of people. A few historians are self-employed researchers who write about historic events or people of the past.

Although their jobs may differ, almost all historians do some historical research. This research involves reading a great deal about a subject. For example, to study the history of a particular city, historians use original resource materials, such as old maps, pictures and photographs, election returns, tax lists, census records, and city directories that list the businesses and residents of a given period. They may read many issues of old newspapers and interview people who lived in the city during the period they are studying. They may listen to tape-recorded interviews of visitors and city residents or view films of city events. They may read letters or diaries of individuals who wrote in or about the city. Their research may involve looking at the records of the city's churches and temples. Historians are trained to analyze this mass of information and sometimes make use of statistical methods and computerized data. Historians piece the information together into a picture of what the city was like during an event or an era of the past. They usually compile their findings in books or articles. They may also present them to students, groups of historians, or other people in the form of lectures.

Education and Training Requirements

You need an advanced degree to become a historian. If you have a bachelor's degree in history, you may find a job in historical research, but advancement opportunities will be limited. Most graduates with bachelor's degrees in history have jobs that are not directly related to history. Many find that their training in history is a good background for graduate study in journalism, law, business administration, and other fields. If you continue your education for one or two years after receiving a bachelor's degree and earn a master's degree in history, you will be qualified for jobs as a teacher, researcher, or archivist. In some cases you will be expected to continue studying for a doctoral degree. As early as possible, you should take courses in the language and literature of the area and period in which you plan to specialize. You may also want to take courses in statistics.

Most positions in administration and many teaching jobs in universities require a doctoral degree. It usually takes an additional two or three years of study after receiving a master's degree to obtain a doctoral degree. Historians must continue reading and studying throughout their careers so that they can keep up with new scholarship.

Getting the Job

Your professors and the placement office at your college or university can give you information about getting a job in the field of history. Openings are sometimes listed in professional journals. You can also apply directly to colleges and universities, archives, government agencies, publishing firms, and other employers that are likely to employ historians. To obtain a government job, you may have to apply through a civil service office.

Advancement Possibilities and Employment Outlook

Historians who have a doctoral degree can become full professors in colleges or universities. They can also move into jobs as administrators in colleges, universities, archives, or government agencies. Most historians advance by increasing their skills and publishing books and articles to win the recognition of other scholars. Some historians write books that have broad appeal to those outside their profession. The authors of such books are often in demand as lecturers.

Historians are social scientists, and employment opportunities for social scientists are expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2014. Many qualified graduates who have a doctoral degree in history are expected to be seeking jobs. Most openings will be to replace historians who leave the field. Historians will likely face competition for academic positions, but find opportunities with historic preservation societies as public interest in preserving and restoring historical sites increases.

Working Conditions

Historians spend most of their time in pleasant offices, classrooms, and libraries. While their hours are flexible, they often total more than forty hours per week. At times historians may visit archives or historic sites or buildings as they do research. They sometimes travel to distant cities or countries to examine evidence. They need the patience to work long hours tracking down elusive facts. They must have the ability to arrange many details into a convincing and coherent picture of the past. Historians must be able to work independently and be willing to spend long hours reading and studying. They must also be able to work well with other historians, students, and the public. Historians must have excellent communication skills.

Where to Go for More Information

American Historical Association
400 A St. SE
Washington, DC 20003-3889
(202) 544-2422
http://www.historians.org
Organization of American Historians
112 North Bryan Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47408-5457
(812) 855-7311
http://www.oah.org
Society of American Archivists
527 South Wells St., 5th Fl.
Chicago, IL 60607-3922
(312) 922-0140
http://www.archivists.org

Earnings and Benefits

Earnings depend on the education and experience of the historian and the kind of job. In May 2004 the annual median income of historians was $44,490. Those employed by private companies generally earn higher salaries. Many historians add to their income through writing, lecturing, or consulting projects. Benefits include paid holidays and vacations, insurance, and retirement plans.

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Citing this material is a good idea to read over not just skim in our case. Thanks again for allowing me to correct the fault.