I think it's a common concern; luckily, I also think you've come to the right place. There are a number of threads here on this subject:

• History major [questioning what he/she has learned in college] (http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/wmuj9/entering_senior_year_of_history_major_i_feel_like/)

• History major in college wondering about career prospects

• Another thread asking similar questions

And then there's my favorite thread, a fairly lengthy one asking about other history career trajectories. I had a couple long exchanges about law as one option.

What I would advise, in addition to reading these threads and others like them, is that you find someone you can talk about your interests and career goals. This can be a favorite university professor, a university career counselor, or a trusted career counselor in your area. Ask them what they have seen others with your interests and talents go on to do. You're lucky in that you have a steady job already; from that position of security, you have the ability to question, as you're doing now, whether it's what you really want out of life.

Also, consider speaking with friends or colleague with similar interests in a different field -- or even someone you trust, a best friend or husband/wife/fiancee. With the former, ask what they have seen to get an idea of options. With the latter, brainstorm. Come up with ideas. With a good idea of the career options available to you, you might find that there is some possibility you want to pursue more than others.

Once you've settled on that, network. It's uncomfortable and awkward, but it is the way things happen. I hope this is some help. Good luck and come back to let us know what you pursue!

Write books. You studied it, now write about it. What slice of history are you passionate about? Research it better than ever before and write a book about it. Come up with some intelligent synthesis to make it unique.

I'm certain to get downvoted into oblivion for uttering such heresies in this subreddit, but history is a very difficult field to monetize in the age of wikipedia and mass adjunctification of academia. I have a PhD in history from a prestigious, fully-funded top five American program. I did many conferences, held a visiting position and was on the verge of publishing - until the academic market went to hell. Now, despite my best efforts, have been unemployed for over a year. In addition to applying for some 200 academic positions, I've also filed for around 150 academic admin jobs. Had a number interviews in both, but nothing thus far that offered a a path toward even a shadow of a middle class existence. For nearly two decades, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. The irony is that now that I've actually attained a PhD (and not a small amount of expertise in my field), I have never been more uncertain as to how to proceed career-wise.

EDIT: silly typos and obsessive-compulsive word choice corrections.

I know exactly how you feel. Ended off with History and Sociology double major. Graduated and got a job with a bank, which morphed into Insurance and Financial Sales work. There are certainly places that are interested in history majors, but I've found that with most of those places they are interested in us because of our ability to research and organize information from varied and vast sources. All the work it took to get your degree should have left you with a better handle on certain skill sets than someone without a degree would have; use that to your advantage. Highlight your ability to compile information, think critically, and present a complete and comprehensible summation of it all. I did exactly that and finally ended up with a job that is challenging and interesting to me even though no one I work with has any idea who Nero or Nietzsche is.

Passions are great, but you might be happier indulging your love for history outside of your professional life. Any which way you go, best of luck.

It's often hard to find careers outside of academia that deal directly with history, but there are plenty that allow you to apply your skills. For example, I just graduated from college and am working in the field of journalism. If you can write well, are good at researching, and are interested in global events (which I think are characteristics all fans of history share), it's not a bad career path.

I'm surprised nobody posted this: AHA Guide to Careers in History. The AHA and other disciplinary organizations have been doing what they can to promote both non-traditional and "alt-humanities" career education at least over the last decade or so. There's even a separate "What can I do with a History BA?" page.

What I did was work four retail jobs at once; I graduated into a recession also. Then I got a government job, and started a historical preservation consulting firm on the side with two of my classmates. All three of us had history BAs and based on one solid course in architectural history (and a good research methods course) we were able to land contracts doing National Register nominations, writing copy for history site interpretive signage, business histories, etc. After a few years we all went to grad school and moved on with our careers.

I know the market is bad now, but history majors from my department are finding work in all sorts of interesting places. You have to learn how to sell the skills, and how to search for positions that history majors might specifically fill. There are still some out there I'd wager, and of course additional training (a GIS certificate is an 18 month prospect in many places) can open lots more doors.

Do you have any interest in journalism (history magazines or otherwise)?

I'd be happy to look at your work or anything like that.

If you want to keep your research and writing skills sharp, there are lots of History Podcasts and podcasters out there who are always looking for help and advice. Or maybe you have your own stories to tell from history? What's your specialty and passion? I'm happy to get you in touch with the history podcast community if you're interested.

What is state farm? Is that in agriculture?

As odd as it sounds, have you thought about law enforcement? I was in your boat, not doing anything with my BA, and working as a machinist. I realized I made my hobby my job and now I hated it. I had always wanted to be a police officer, and now I'm in academy to become a law enforcement officer. You spent years looking at all sides of a problem or statement, now you could make it your job. Is it working with history in a traditional sense? No, but you'll use your research skills, your writing skills, your ability to see all sides of a problem, and get to learn more about your local city/county/state/US government jobs. Plus, you could look at going into something like the state department has a diplomatic security service agent in a foreign country or help a local department learn more about a local culture that has a large population there.