Anakin Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 What advice would you guys give to someone who has finally decided to pursue higher education majoring in ancient history? Just to give you guys a quick background: I work in finance, am academically qualified in accounting but I chose that more to keep my parents happy, or rather because they counseled me that was the most practical thing to do. But let Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Well, the education and how useful it is differ a lot depending on where you are from. I've got a masters in classical history from the University of Lund (Sweden) but I still need to get another masters in languages (modern and ancient) to be considered for a PhD which is tremendously difficult to get here. I've heard though that it is far easier to get a PhD in the states, leading to too many PhD's compared to how much work there is. To be honest, I love classical history and I will do what is necessary to work with it but I am well aware that it might fail, and even if I succeed it'll lead to a life where I will be forced to move around and most likely never stay in one place for more than a few years. I will also require that I study for 10 years and work more or less for free during that time on digs and articles. It's a though life but if you are willing to do what is needed, then I believe that you should try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Well, the education and how useful it is differ a lot depending on where you are from. I've got a masters in classical history from the University of Lund (Sweden) but I still need to get another masters in languages (modern and ancient) to be considered for a PhD which is tremendously difficult to get here. I've heard though that it is far easier to get a PhD in the states, leading to too many PhD's compared to how much work there is. Well, by those standards, yes, we don't have to earn double Masters' degrees before entering a PhD program here. However, the reason there are too many PhDs awarded here in the States has more to do with programs allowing too many students to enter in the first place; they're cheap labor who can teach and/or assist the lower-division undergraduate courses, which frees up responsibilities for the professors. It's still quite difficult to finish a PhD here; there's as much politics as there is studying. Regardless.... Your first point is still the most valid...it depends on where your are geographically, Anakin, before much else can be said. There are a couple of threads in here where people have asked similar questions, and I'd read those, too. This one was even posed by one of our Triumviri, Viggen; and this one regarding online study. Good luck! Edited May 25, 2009 by docoflove1974 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Whatever you do, young Anakin, may The Force be with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 I'm not sure why it should seem so daunting. As you already hold a degree you should have an advantage over your fellow students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maty Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 What degree are you going for specifically? From your original post, I followed the 'higher education' part, but some (perhaps more familiar with the US education system than I) appear to have inferred a Ph.D. I'm not sure how you would have got to that point without some earlier academic involvement in ancient history. If you are planning to study as an undergrad, your tutors will start by assuming only basic information about ancient history. I too as an undergrad did the 'Roman republic at 100 years a week' module, and I can assure you that far from complete mastery of the topic was required to pass the final exam. Bear in mind that ancient history is a humungeously big subject, and even top ancient historians only know a fraction of it. Even as a doctoral student I found areas where my tutors frankly admitted ignorance, and now that I am a decade or two beyond that point I'm amazed at how much I didn't know when I wrote my thesis. So I'd not assume that when a topic is dealing with 500 years of history you'll be offered more than a look at important trends and highlights. No-one writes a course that no student can pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakin Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 What degree are you going for specifically? From your original post, I followed the 'higher education' part, but some (perhaps more familiar with the US education system than I) appear to have inferred a Ph.D. I'm not sure how you would have got to that point without some earlier academic involvement in ancient history. If you are planning to study as an undergrad, your tutors will start by assuming only basic information about ancient history. I too as an undergrad did the 'Roman republic at 100 years a week' module, and I can assure you that far from complete mastery of the topic was required to pass the final exam. Bear in mind that ancient history is a humungeously big subject, and even top ancient historians only know a fraction of it. Even as a doctoral student I found areas where my tutors frankly admitted ignorance, and now that I am a decade or two beyond that point I'm amazed at how much I didn't know when I wrote my thesis. So I'd not assume that when a topic is dealing with 500 years of history you'll be offered more than a look at important trends and highlights. No-one writes a course that no student can pass. I completed my undergraduate degree majoring in Accounting. As I said in my original post history has always been just a hobby for me. Looking at things in hindsight I guess I should have (originally) done my undergraduate in history but coming from a Indian family I guess at the time when I made my choice it was always about doing something that "put food on the table", or so my parents were fond of saying. Nearing 30 now I decided it was now or never for a change in career, hence, my decision to not pursue further education in accounting and the study ancient history. I understand what you're saying about undergrad studies and the requirements and when you said "even top ancient historians only know a fraction" that provides some comfort My personality is as such that I have the desire to know as much humanly possible, though I know it is not always possible to know everything, and I take the same approach with my studies as well. With history its different to accounting. With accounting there is only one way you can do things, with history there is no right or wrong answer - its how your present your argument. The volume of reading as well differs greatly between accounting and history. I guess it's not the reading part but rather the remembering part that scares me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 With history its different to accounting. With accounting there is only one way you can do things, with history there is no right or wrong answer - its how your present your argument. The volume of reading as well differs greatly between accounting and history. I guess it's not the reading part but rather the remembering part that scares me There are many ways to do things in accounting... every transaction or entry must have a counter on the opposite side of a ledger, but otherwise there really is very little set in stone (even the ridiculous US tax code is full of "different perspectives"). For you, accounting seems simple, because it's what you do and what you know, but for the average person, an accounting career can seem terribly daunting. I'd hazard to guess that whether you are a corporate "bookkeeper" or working for a CPA firm, you specialize in something... whether it be taxes, audits, daily accounting, etc. The study of history really isn't much different when you stop to consider it. While you will need a basic understanding of the overall arc of time involved, you will eventually end up with a relatively focused specialty. Focus your passion and there will be less reason to fear the bigger picture. (Then again, this is coming from an amateur historian with an advanced education in finance as well... so what the hell do I know ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakin Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 With history its different to accounting. With accounting there is only one way you can do things, with history there is no right or wrong answer - its how your present your argument. The volume of reading as well differs greatly between accounting and history. I guess it's not the reading part but rather the remembering part that scares me There are many ways to do things in accounting... every transaction or entry must have a counter on the opposite side of a ledger, but otherwise there really is very little set in stone (even the ridiculous US tax code is full of "different perspectives"). For you, accounting seems simple, because it's what you do and what you know, but for the average person, an accounting career can seem terribly daunting. I'd hazard to guess that whether you are a corporate "bookkeeper" or working for a CPA firm, you specialize in something... whether it be taxes, audits, daily accounting, etc. The study of history really isn't much different when you stop to consider it. While you will need a basic understanding of the overall arc of time involved, you will eventually end up with a relatively focused specialty. Focus your passion and there will be less reason to fear the bigger picture. (Then again, this is coming from an amateur historian with an advanced education in finance as well... so what the hell do I know ) Hehe thank you for elaborating on my point. I wasn't going to go into as much detail about finance/accounting here. But you are right with what you're saying and I can see where you're coming from. Thank you for that. Helped me put things in perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beholder Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Whatever you do please keep this in mind In my country we are taught Latin , Ancient Greek (+ literature and history ) That country is Greece and it has one of the most outdated educational systems in the whole world. High school kids have to handle a 500 page history book in order to have a slim chance to enter in any college. No, its not optional. They HAVE to do it or they might as well drop out of school. For you me friend it should be easier because you made the choice. If you find the book badly written or you just have some difficulty i have some advice: - Draw a timeline where you write yourself the emperors, events etc - Write yourself a summary of the chapter you study, its gonna be more memorable this way. That's it for now, please let me know if i actually helped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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