Careers In History

[Messalina Mommsen]

What kind of advice would my fellow UNRV peoples give to a person that wants to pursue a career in history? Asides from becomming a university lecturer, teacher or historical writer, what other kinds of careers exist? I'd love to sit in the library with coffee reading and writing history in solitude for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I don't think that's an option. Damn being a plebian and needing to earn money. It's a struggle!

Edited November 24, 2005 by Messalina Mommsen

[Primus Pilus]

I'd love to sit in the library with coffee reading and writing history in solitude for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I don't think that's an option.

 

It actually is an option, but its not one that's going to pay the bills until you become an established and recognized author. Though Skarr is an author of historical fiction, I'm sure he could share some of the trials and tribulations of getting started in the industry. I suppose though, its fairly difficult to become respected in the industry as an author of scholarly historical works, if you haven't held a position as a professor, archaeologist or related. I suppose that's the catch-22.

 

As an alternative, I'd imagine people who work as 'historical advisors' for production studios (feature films, television and documentary) could make a decent living, but again, I don't know how one would get the job without having the experience already mentioned.

[Virgil61]

...a university lecturer, teacher or historical writer...

 

When it comes to classical history you've pretty much covered it with the exception of museums perhaps. With a graduate history degree you can get-- here in the U.S.-- a government job depending on your area of specialization. I worked with a several Phds in the Army who were civilians and who's degree concentrations ranged from Balkan and Russian to Middle Eastern history. They spent a lot of time doing nothing but reading as far as I could see. I also know both the State and Defense departments as well as the CIA have hired history MAs and Phds. Perhaps Australia has something equivalent in its civil service.

 

There's always a law degree, here in the U.S. a law degree is a three-year graduate program that leads to a Juris Doctor. I think in Australia lawyers practice with a bachelor's degree (horror!), but some schools offer JDs as well though I think they're only two years. When I received my JD something like 20% of law students I knew, including me, were undergraduate history degree holders. Trust me, lots of coffee and time in the library.

 

On the other hand a good friend of mine's husband has a Master's in history from a city college in the Northwest. He sells insurance. When you find that job that allows you to drink coffee in the library, read and write in solitude--without a Phd in history or the classics-- and it pays well, let me know.

[TOPHalanx]

don't worry about careers in history. my ultra-top-scret plan to create "history factories" will employ all of us history scholars; even those of us who finished with undergraduate studies!

 

seriously, I can't help you. I graduated 0T2 from University of Toronto, and I'm currently doing data entry and also studying toward my MCSE certification in networking technology.

 

history factories...it's nice to dream, eh?

[Messalina Mommsen]

...a university lecturer, teacher or historical writer...

 

When it comes to classical history you've pretty much covered it with the exception of museums perhaps...When you find that job that allows you to drink coffee in the library, read and write in solitude--without a Phd in history or the classics-- and it pays well, let me know.

 

Virgil, I'm actually working voluntarily at a museum now- archiving, researching, conducting oral history and photographing artifacts. However, to get a job there I will need to finish my university degree with honours and possibly a PHD. Even if I eventually gain the most highly regarded job in the museum- Senior Curator- I would still not be paid very well and the work is incredibly demanding (albeit stimulating). In short, I've come to the conclusion that the pursuit of intellectualism (reading in library) and the pursuit of money (career) are two very different things. It's a pity that one must have money to survive, so I guess all that we can do is try and find some kind of balance

 

By the way, I wonder how you become involved in the historical side of movie production?

Edited November 25, 2005 by Messalina Mommsen

[Ursus]

I have an honors degree in political science.

 

I answer phones and e-mail for a living.

 

I encourage people to have a liberal arts degree because it aids in their understanding of the world and their intellectual refinement, but it's essentially useless as far as real-world business is concerned. Outside of narrow academic or technical fields, how you present yourself to your superiors is more important than the degree you have.

 

If you really want to get paid to write all day about history, I suggest going into some media concern like an archaeology magazine.

[TOPHalanx]

I whole-heartedly agree with the comments made my Ursus. If success in life is based partly on technical skills, then an education in liberal arts will actually hurt you.

 

I say that because the basis of a liberal arts education is to teach the student how to effectively think. I went into University thinking I knew everything: I left University asking questions and analyzing everything that came out of everyone's mouth, pen and keystroke. Not to catch someone off-guard, just to enlighten yourself with regard to some area of knowledge, and I loved every chance I had to talk with a professor, scholar, etc. Mainly because it didn't cost me much to ask those questions.

 

When you constantly ask questions, and you move to employment ,the price you pay for those questions goes way up. Sure, you might think it harmless to ask question procedure in a company, but to management, they think you are some kind of dissident out to change the system. My jobs after university taught me one thing: only the rich people get to ask questions, and they never ask themselves anything.

 

If I could have it all, I mean an excess of everything, I would want just enough to live humbly with my girlfriend, enough to play paintball, and the rest to read the history of the world. History is my mistress, data entry and MCSE certification are my colletive wife.

[Tiberius Sylvestius]

Sounds like my worst nightmare being stuck in a library everyday reading books... trust me at the moment i work in one. Yeah i like books and yeah i like reading, but i couldn't do it as a job it'd take the fun out of it... imagine having to stay focused on one topic for weeks on en...

 

I'm afraid focus was never my strong point, i like to go off at a tangent wherever possib...

 

History is definately more fun as a hobby. The only way to get into being a professional historian (i.e writing historical books for a living), is generally through working in an academic institution (i.e a university), most historians are affiliated with educational institues. Other 'historians' writing books are usually people out of television, Tony Robinson for instance (out of Blackadder), who went on to present the archaeology show 'Time Team', and now seems to make a living from doing tons of historical documentaries and writing books to go with them, like 'Worst Jobs in History'. Obviously these are not the dry academic texts of authors such as John Guy (the definate expert on Tudor England), who writes the most driest (aka boring) books going. Whilst more 'popularist' histories tend to be less academically acceptable or academically useful, take that humorous book "1066 and all that", a total historical farce (it was meant to be!) amusing indeed but not much good at using for citations.

 

Of course if you want to make it as an historian you have to question an historical interpretation or too, if you want to be really famous you have to question the whole accepted stance on any issue. Having been immersed in the academic world for sevaral years now i realise that historical writing is much less about trying to explain the past and understand it as much as playing with the facts to make it look like something that's never been said before, something revolutionary. You can come up with the most off the wall argument in the world, but if you can back yourself up by being liberal with the 'facts' then well, that's what sells books!

[DanM]

The degree you get just starts you on a career path. Until we have some work expereince to show a prospective employer, its all about your degree and your GPA. Hiring authorities often find comfort in labels because they often don't understand the position well enough to know what they should be looking for once you get past the generalities. It might be surprising, but a 3.7 or higher in almost any field can often open doors. I have known Art History majors with a 4.0 who were hired to do back office technical analysis in mortgage companies. The logic behind it is that even the technical degrees such as accounting or finance often do not do much to prepare you for a real job and anyone with a 4.0 is a good prospect no matter what they studied in college. If your GPA is more in the average to above average range, then its more important that you have a technical degree. If they do not think you are a slam dunk from an intelligence standpoint, then they will often revert to the degree as a way to feel safe about you.

 

As a guy who has hired lots of people, I can say that its sad fact that most managers and HR people have trouble seeing anything that cannot easily be quantified in a resume or in a brief discussion over the telephone. They look for labels like Accounting major, your GPA or something else even if the job is some financial job that wil not directly use their accounting education or expereince. My approach was to look for bright people who seemed to have a strong internal motivation. If you know the job you are managing well enough to train someone else, then it the best way to go. Everything becomes much easier as a manager if you surround yourself with bright people who are motivated to do their job well. If the tradeoff is that I have to put in a little extra work on the front end of the process, then its time well spent.

 

Once you get some relevant work experience, however, your degree and your GPA will mean much less because the expereince gives the hiring authorities other comfortable labels to cling to. : P

 

As for the idea of having a career in history without a graduate degree in history, I agree with what someone said earlier. I think a career as a writer of fiction is the most likely path. Heck, if I had the writing skills to pull it off, I would love to write alternative-history. Sadly, my writing style is more suited for business memos so I probably need to stick with my day job.

Edited November 29, 2005 by DanM

[sullafelix]

By the gods! Show some imagination here guys.

 

There are loads of jobs within history and the museum side of things!

 

Archivist, conservator, collection keeper and curator.

 

On the private side of things archivists and estate experts for large estates (more in Europe than the states).

 

Museums are no longer just big cold buildings.

 

Insurance valuer etc

 

You would be far better off doing something with your history degree though, like conservation or archaeology. Some things are postgraduate training depnedant and nothing pays brilliantly. So it is vitally important to get out there volunteering during your degree and get yourself ahead of the game. Some of the training is dependent on your having previous experience, which is tough, but volunteering will help with that enormously.

 

Small finds expert, site manager...restoration expert....loads of stuff just don't do straight history, add another string to your bow....

 

Good Luck!

 

Sullafelix