Career Options For History Majors

As exciting and interesting as a history major can be, it is still often considered to be a rather useless major because career options are thought to be more limited. But like many other liberal arts majors, history also provides a wide range of opportunities and job options for those who are interested. 

From popular professions related to teaching and academics, to other lesser known interesting jobs like those of being a museum curator, or heritage manager, history majors have all sorts of job opportunities lined up for them. Here are a few examples that you can consider if you’re doing a history major:  

  1. Teaching. History majors often pursue higher studies with a masters and even a PhD in order to gain more in depth knowledge and then share it with others. Despite the fact that people may think history is pointless, there is no doubt that it is an important subject that humans cannot do without. From primary school to high school to even college levels, studying and learning about the past is important, and for this, well learned teachers in the field are a necessity. Also, many people choose to do a teaching job and then pursue a PhD or research program simultaneously, which is also a good option to consider. 
  2. Archivist. Being an archivist entails keeping track of old records, documents, maps, and other important manuscripts that can have some significance. Archivists can work in private or public sectors in universities, newspaper agencies, libraries, or museums. Other than just documenting, archivists also work with analysing materials, arranging and organizing them, creating educational material, making the archives accessible for many users, etc. 

  3. Curator. A curator works with cataloging important artifacts, paintings, or historically significant art and they mostly work in museums or art galleries. They help with maintaining records and also in negotiating prices, organizing exhibitions, publications, or important events. Curators are well read about history and significance of the important artifacts that they collect, which makes them useful in educational fields as well. 

  4. Heritage manager. A heritage manager works to preserve and conserve heritage sites and locations. They work with keeping these historical locations safe and protected, and also easily and comfortably accessible for tourists to educate themselves.  They manage the restoration, budgeting, and maintenance of ancient buildings or structures. 

  5. Archeologist. An archeologist works on the field at excavation sites and even helps with the maintenance and documentation of ancient artifacts or structures. There are various specializations in this field, including numismatism which is the study of coins, or epigraphism which is the study of inscriptions. 

  6. Historian. Typically, historians may also work in the academic field as professors or teachers. They focus more on research and analysis of particular specializations in history, like military history of a particular region, or economic history, etc. 

  7. Media and Journalism. Careers in media are also a good option for history graduates because of how closely connected history is with current happenings and trends. Many political analysts and journalists have history backgrounds, which helps in the deeper analysis of and social commentary on news.

Overall, history majors have a lot of exciting opportunities with their field of study. Contrary to what many people may believe, learning about the past is essential in order to move forward. There are important instances in history we need to draw lessons from in order to better understand many current events in the world today. In addition to broadening one’s perspective of the world, history also facilitates you towards a wide range of professional fields where this knowledge is essential. 

6 thoughts on “Career Options For History Majors

  1. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

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