What Can I do With a Major in History?

 I love history, but Mom and Dad say I need to major in something that will get me a job. 

 Don t most of the bums at Soul s Harbor have history degrees? 

History is about the search for truth, not the search for money. This is what separates us from disciplines like business, criminal justice, and cosmetology. But hey, you have to eat.

The good news is that history majors do make money. According to The College Majors Handbook, salaries for history majors average $45,900 per year. This is because as a history major, you will develop a set of skills that will serve you well in almost any profession:

Effective Writing Skills: The ability to effectively communicate through the written word is vital in any profession, and no major better prepares you for this than history.

Critical Thinking and Analysis: Historians make sense out of conflicting evidence and come up with creative interpretations and solutions.

Research: Historians find information, analyze past practices, and assemble it in a fashion that others can understand.

Creativity: Historians learn to think about a problem in many different ways, and come up with original solutions. Historians think outside the box!

Curiosity: Historians keep learning. They look for the reasons behind complex issues and understand that everything is part of a larger whole.

So what do history majors actually do with all these impressive skills?

Historians teach. A major in history can lead to a teaching career in the public schools, private academies, even college. Teaching is a wonderful career, plus you have summers off!

Historians educate the public. The National Park Service, state historic agencies, and museums hire thousands of historians every year to talk to the public, prepare exhibits, manage archives, and do research.

Historians work on television and movies. History documentaries and films are very popular. The History Channel alone employs dozens of historians, as does PBS, the Discovery Channel, A&E, etc. Historians also produce educational films for classrooms and historic sites.

Historians write. The training you receive as a history major will serve you well as a proof reader, technical writer, copy editor, journalist, or virtually any job in publishing.

Historians become lawyers. We don t like to advertise the fact, but a major in history is the best possible preparation for law school. Both professions gather and analyze evidence, develop theories, and present their arguments to the public.

Historians become politicians. Knowledge of the past and the ability to analyze evidence are also excellent preparation for a political career whether as an administrator, policy expert, or elected official.

Historians tell business majors what to do. Historians know how to think. The rigorous analytical training that you receive as a history major will prepare you to succeed in any field whatsoever. History majors who enter the business world typically rise fast and far, outpacing their colleagues who majored in resume writing, interviewing, and wearing a suit.

Historians do Everything. The one secret about college that no administrator will tell you is this: Within ten years of graduation, a majority of college graduates are working in careers that are not directly related to their majors! That s right, most people don t end up working in their majors at all. Business majors become poets, art majors run Fortune 500 companies, and theology majors show up on Jerry Springer. The important thing is to study what you love. If you love history, join us!