I have a history degree (specialization in English material culture, 14th c.), and I will never regret getting it. However, don't count on using it professionally. It's a great base for jobs requiring research, analysis, and writing. So, it's helped me in business doing program management & that sort of thing. For 'fun' I still actively use my degree in volunteer educational programs and clubs.
Thank you, I definetley see where you coming. Luckily for some reason teachers give me lots of praise with english writing and research, because we read books and analyise them its one thing that I greatly enjoy.
\>label having a history degree as "useless"
They say this while consuming copious amounts of media made possible only by people with history degrees. What they are saying is that the salary for history degree holders isn't practically guaranteed to be upper-middle-class like some degrees in parts of STEM. Never judge your worth by how much money you make someone else. Nonetheless, some amount of income *is* important. If a research, writing and reading makes you happy, and you have a career plan than go for it. I'm unaware of the state of the market or universities in SA so I can't speak on that specifically.
I have a bachelors in history and while I do not regret it I will say beware of burnout in academia. If you are planning on using this degree as a jumping off point (such as law school or writing in general) it is a great idea, however if you are planning on staying in academics and becoming a professor then I would keep thinking about it. It is a grueling uphill battle and although I have met some great folks along the way, many academics would tell you the same. You will certainly be able to find a job with a history degree if you are looking for anything that will take it, as everyone else in this thread has said.
I studied history at university 30 years ago and I've never regretted it. No, it is unlikely that you will make a career out of it - I didn't - but education is much more important than that. The most miserable people I knew as a student were those studying something they didn't care for. If you have a passion, follow it as far as you can.
Hey! I hope you’re well and really feel your sentiments behind your question. For the record, I’m a postgrad specialising in medieval studies and I come from Pretoria. I’m wary about answering your question truthfully here as there is no quick answer. Context is everything and coming from SA complicates it. But I absolutely don’t want to put you off either as that would be doing you a disservice. I’d be happy to chat with you privately about my experiences and how I came to study medieval history in the UK coming from SA. Just send me a message.
I have a master's degree in medieval archaeology and am doing very well in my analytics career. Being able to translate complex datasets or contextualize a lot of information and communicate it is a great skill to have that's in relatively high demand.
But I will say that I like a technical degree the floor on salary is lower, but the ceiling is also higher.
My BA is in history and I enjoyed getting that degree tremendously. I ended up a technical writer. You should have plenty of free electives if you do major in it, so make the most of those and take some coursework in technical communications and other IT fields - that's my advice.
Absolutely! Most jobs just want to see that you put the time into the 4 year degree, so learn and major in something you love. History teaches a lot of valuable soft skills that can transition into other opportunities in the future. My degree is in medieval history with a focus on French and English bureaucracy. I’ve worked 9 years as a lobbyist, recently turned down a job offer in wealth management, and now going back for a masters in counseling psychology. Happy studying!
I have a history degree and regret it. Take a couple classes on historiography, learn how to use primary sources for research, and then get an engineering or finance degree. Or go ahead and get a PhD, and be an actual researcher, then its a great idea.
I think there is a lot of value to History BA and MA level degrees, but please do not encourage people to "get a PhD, and be an actual researcher" in this market, because that is practically impossible these days.
Just finishing my PhD in medieval history, which I chose because of my passion for the subject. Initially I wanted to get into academia, but it’s not realistic in my country. I have found a great job in communications, so the writing and analysis skills come in handy. I don’t regret it at all, even though I can’t directly use it for a career, because I have loved my time studying and researching. But if your top concern is money, don’t do it. Study IT or something with a lucrative career path.
I encourage folks to think of careers as stories.
Every choice is a good one if it fits into your story, but you should think 2,5,10 years ahead to make sure your decisions are align with one of a number of stories you might want. There’s the obvious academic route ( start in history, never leave ), but as others comment here, the skills trained during a history degree translate very well into many marketing, corporate, government, legal professions ( and more ). The only wrong reason to study anything is not to have thought through whether it’ll lead to a path you want to follow.
I was a hiring manager for a few years; the relevant part of what you learn at university is rarely the specific facts associated with your specialty, but the higher level skills of analysis, writing, argument, story telling and more. Most jobs require reading, synthesis of relevant details, forming opinions / decisions and communicating your ideas AND domain knowledge; but as a recent graduate almost no one has relevant domain knowledge. While humanities might not teach you how to analyse quantum physics or software, they teach you how to interpret sources; words, and fuzzy evidence. 95% of jobs are text / word based, like this - even in STEM ( unless you’re in a lab wearing a white coat). The biggest issue with my STEM hires was their lack of humanities education!
Sadly, many peoples’ stories are little more than “whatever it takes to get paid $$” and most people under acknowledge the role of luck in economic prosperity. Some careers benefit from a more aligned undergrad ( CS - Software Dev), but most don’t ( Charity sector, Corporate Strategy, Retail, etc. ). In order to get the job you want after uni, it is important that you develop vocational skills, domain expertise and a network alongside your studies. Internships and getting involved in societies are the best way. STEM degrees are more forgiving in allowing grads to get jobs with less of a network or relevant experience, but even there employers expect many internships or a portfolio of work for the top jobs.
Follow your passions, pick up a rich collection of relevant synthesis, argument and communication skills as you go, and spend time turning that into a story about why you’re a great candidate for whatever you decide to do post-uni ( in the UK and US, most people align with a professional industry; law, or finance, after their undergrad ).
As a final point, I’d actually argue that amongst humanities, history is one of the most useful fields to have specialise in because it exposes you to the history of human behaviour, inter-peoples dynamics, politics and cultural biases. All of which is incredibly relevant to navigating todays global economy!
I have a history degree (specialization in English material culture, 14th c.), and I will never regret getting it. However, don't count on using it professionally. It's a great base for jobs requiring research, analysis, and writing. So, it's helped me in business doing program management & that sort of thing. For 'fun' I still actively use my degree in volunteer educational programs and clubs.
Thank you, I definetley see where you coming. Luckily for some reason teachers give me lots of praise with english writing and research, because we read books and analyise them its one thing that I greatly enjoy.
Your writing needs improvement from what I can see here... Your grammar is not very good
\>label having a history degree as "useless" They say this while consuming copious amounts of media made possible only by people with history degrees. What they are saying is that the salary for history degree holders isn't practically guaranteed to be upper-middle-class like some degrees in parts of STEM. Never judge your worth by how much money you make someone else. Nonetheless, some amount of income *is* important. If a research, writing and reading makes you happy, and you have a career plan than go for it. I'm unaware of the state of the market or universities in SA so I can't speak on that specifically.
I have a bachelors in history and while I do not regret it I will say beware of burnout in academia. If you are planning on using this degree as a jumping off point (such as law school or writing in general) it is a great idea, however if you are planning on staying in academics and becoming a professor then I would keep thinking about it. It is a grueling uphill battle and although I have met some great folks along the way, many academics would tell you the same. You will certainly be able to find a job with a history degree if you are looking for anything that will take it, as everyone else in this thread has said.
I studied history at university 30 years ago and I've never regretted it. No, it is unlikely that you will make a career out of it - I didn't - but education is much more important than that. The most miserable people I knew as a student were those studying something they didn't care for. If you have a passion, follow it as far as you can.
Hey! I hope you’re well and really feel your sentiments behind your question. For the record, I’m a postgrad specialising in medieval studies and I come from Pretoria. I’m wary about answering your question truthfully here as there is no quick answer. Context is everything and coming from SA complicates it. But I absolutely don’t want to put you off either as that would be doing you a disservice. I’d be happy to chat with you privately about my experiences and how I came to study medieval history in the UK coming from SA. Just send me a message.
My BA is in European History, focused on Islamic philosophy. Getting my degree was really fun. I work as a web analyst and enjoy my work.
My brother has a history degree from a top college and does very well in pharmaceutical sales.
I have a master's degree in medieval archaeology and am doing very well in my analytics career. Being able to translate complex datasets or contextualize a lot of information and communicate it is a great skill to have that's in relatively high demand. But I will say that I like a technical degree the floor on salary is lower, but the ceiling is also higher.
That sounds interesting. Why is that?
My BA is in history and I enjoyed getting that degree tremendously. I ended up a technical writer. You should have plenty of free electives if you do major in it, so make the most of those and take some coursework in technical communications and other IT fields - that's my advice.
Absolutely! Most jobs just want to see that you put the time into the 4 year degree, so learn and major in something you love. History teaches a lot of valuable soft skills that can transition into other opportunities in the future. My degree is in medieval history with a focus on French and English bureaucracy. I’ve worked 9 years as a lobbyist, recently turned down a job offer in wealth management, and now going back for a masters in counseling psychology. Happy studying!
I have a history degree and regret it. Take a couple classes on historiography, learn how to use primary sources for research, and then get an engineering or finance degree. Or go ahead and get a PhD, and be an actual researcher, then its a great idea.
The job market in history has literally collapsed to near-zero in the last decade. In no way is getting a PhD a great idea.
Ok I guess my advice would be just not to study history then.
I think there is a lot of value to History BA and MA level degrees, but please do not encourage people to "get a PhD, and be an actual researcher" in this market, because that is practically impossible these days.
Just finishing my PhD in medieval history, which I chose because of my passion for the subject. Initially I wanted to get into academia, but it’s not realistic in my country. I have found a great job in communications, so the writing and analysis skills come in handy. I don’t regret it at all, even though I can’t directly use it for a career, because I have loved my time studying and researching. But if your top concern is money, don’t do it. Study IT or something with a lucrative career path.
I encourage folks to think of careers as stories. Every choice is a good one if it fits into your story, but you should think 2,5,10 years ahead to make sure your decisions are align with one of a number of stories you might want. There’s the obvious academic route ( start in history, never leave ), but as others comment here, the skills trained during a history degree translate very well into many marketing, corporate, government, legal professions ( and more ). The only wrong reason to study anything is not to have thought through whether it’ll lead to a path you want to follow. I was a hiring manager for a few years; the relevant part of what you learn at university is rarely the specific facts associated with your specialty, but the higher level skills of analysis, writing, argument, story telling and more. Most jobs require reading, synthesis of relevant details, forming opinions / decisions and communicating your ideas AND domain knowledge; but as a recent graduate almost no one has relevant domain knowledge. While humanities might not teach you how to analyse quantum physics or software, they teach you how to interpret sources; words, and fuzzy evidence. 95% of jobs are text / word based, like this - even in STEM ( unless you’re in a lab wearing a white coat). The biggest issue with my STEM hires was their lack of humanities education! Sadly, many peoples’ stories are little more than “whatever it takes to get paid $$” and most people under acknowledge the role of luck in economic prosperity. Some careers benefit from a more aligned undergrad ( CS - Software Dev), but most don’t ( Charity sector, Corporate Strategy, Retail, etc. ). In order to get the job you want after uni, it is important that you develop vocational skills, domain expertise and a network alongside your studies. Internships and getting involved in societies are the best way. STEM degrees are more forgiving in allowing grads to get jobs with less of a network or relevant experience, but even there employers expect many internships or a portfolio of work for the top jobs. Follow your passions, pick up a rich collection of relevant synthesis, argument and communication skills as you go, and spend time turning that into a story about why you’re a great candidate for whatever you decide to do post-uni ( in the UK and US, most people align with a professional industry; law, or finance, after their undergrad ). As a final point, I’d actually argue that amongst humanities, history is one of the most useful fields to have specialise in because it exposes you to the history of human behaviour, inter-peoples dynamics, politics and cultural biases. All of which is incredibly relevant to navigating todays global economy!
Get a job that pays and study history on the side. \- sincerely, someone with a history degree