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HISTORY

 

Resources for Careers in History

Many students who find history to be an attractive major in college worry, and rightly so, about what they can do with a history degree after they graduate. (We’ve all heard the jokes about history majors who drive taxis or flip burgers.)  Many students, and the general public, believe that teaching is the only door open to history majors.  Not so.

Many other occupations and employers provide opportunities for history majors.  Students bound for law school or divinity school often major in history.  Museums employ historians as curators and directors.  Some corporations hire history majors as company historians or archivists.  The federal government has jobs for historians in many of its agencies, including the National Archives, the National Park System, the Library of Congress, the Departments of State and Defense, and the Smithsonian Institution.  (These people are often called “public historians.”) State and local historical societies are obvious sources of employment.  Larger public libraries are another source.

Teaching, of course, is the occupation of choice for many history majors.  For teaching in public schools or prep schools, a bachelor’s degree usually suffices.  A master’s will be required for teaching in two-year, junior, or community colleges.  For four-year colleges and universities, the Ph. D. degree is often necessary.

All college history majors should seriously consider a double major.  A second major in a field such as computer science, library science, political science, or another academic area will almost certainly make one more employable.

And finally, history majors should never forget that the skills they gain from the study of history—reading, writing, analytical skills, and historical perspective—will put them in good stead whatever their chosen field. 

  • The History Virtual Library at the University of Kansas. This is a clearinghouse of sites related to historical research. Sites are mainly arranged by nation, but there are a few topical headings. Use this site to find information for research projects and papers. http://vlib.iue.it/history/index.html


     

  • The National Endowment for the Humanities. You can investigate possibilities for internships with the NEH, or just get an idea of what type of work goes on in this national funding center for history and other disciplines in the humanities. http://www.neh.fed.us

 

  • The National Archives and Records Administration. Here you can get information about jobs in various types of archives, or other centers that specialize in records management. http://www.nara.gov

 

  • The American Historical Association. It provides many services, such as an online member directory, current notices, summaries of current and past issues of the American Historical Review and Perspectives, and current job ads. http://www.theaha.org

 

  • Directory of Historical Resources. This site provides links to virtually anything related to history, from the American Association for State and Local History to the Writers Guild of America.  http://www.history.la.ca.us/

 

  • Repositories of Primary Sources. This site lists all the archival collections in the US, but it is bookmarked to find the Georgia portion of the list first. It is a good place to look to identify areas where archival workers might be needed, as well as guiding you to historical sources. http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/east1.html#usga

 

 

  • The History Place. This site provides good, basic historical information, mainly on US history, but there are a few other items as well. It is a commercial site, but you might find resources for a term paper there. http://www.historyplace.com/

 

  • Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Edited by professor Paul Halsall, this page is just an entrance to a world of primary and secondary information on an incredibly large variety of sources. Use this site to help with research on papers and projects. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/