Ask EDN Question
Hi EDN! I’m currently pursuing a degree in history. I was wondering what career paths I could take with my major while still maintaining the integrity of my major. Thank you!”
Dear Historian:
Thank you for a question. You’ve picked a pretty cool and interesting major so kudos to you! We have a couple thoughts.
Firstly, consider taking a career aptitude test to figure out what types of things you are good at. A lot of them are free and can easily be found with a quick google search or a visit to your college’s career center. A good example is MAPP, a career assessment test which can be taken here, It takes your unique test results and matches them to real careers and jobs that are right for you. There are 5 free assessment options and up to 1,000 paid options.
Secondly, as a liberal arts major, the world is your oyster. Among the jobs you can consider are: advertising executive, analyst, archivist, broadcaster, campaign worker, consultant, congressional aide, editor, foreign service officer, foundation staffer, information specialist, intelligence agent, journalist, legal assistant, lobbyist, personnel manager, public relations staffer, researcher, teacher . . . the list is almost endless. More commonly though, a degree often leads to careers in education, research, communications, information management, advocacy, and even a business. Here is a great blog on a few more.
If your goal is to specifically pursue a career as a historian, consider working at museums and historical organizations, within cultural resource management, organization that focus on historic preservation and think tanks . Historians also work as advocates, lawyers, paralegals, litigation support, legislative staff, in foundations and nonprofits.
Regardless of the career path you pursue, one thing we would like to stress, especially given your specific niche, is the importance of internships!! Internships are especially important if you find work in a museum or historical organization because they are particularly competitive. What is likely to set you apart from other candidates may be the fact that you have a little bit more experience in a given field. An internship is evidence of a seriousness of purpose on your part in planning and pursuing your career objective.
In the event you got an offer to return to the internship employer the following year (e.g., if you interned after junior year and were extended an offer of full-time employment following graduation), that indicates strong, on-the-job performance on your part. If the prospective employer is in the same field as your internship employer then your experience demonstrates a focus on and commitment to that same field (one of the most important considerations for any employer considering an entry-level candidate: does the candidate really want to do this kind of work?) Consider working with the career center at your school to find a good fit for you.
Best of luck to you. Please let us know how it goes.
EDN Professional development Team
If you’re dealing with a dilemma at work or at school #ASKEDN’s PD Team here.