To have a successful application for flair you have to prove that you know what you are talking about, and that you know how to deal with the latest scholarly research on your topic. You can see a list of the requirements to be granted flair here. Notice it doesn't actually require a degree or anything, just a proven record of really knowing what you are talking about, and especially being able to back up any statements you make by citing specialist literature. For most of us, that means academic degrees in the field. For others, it means an extended, long-term interest and a LOT of reading. I personally have a BA and an MA in my field, plus over a decade of archaeological field experience. I am not actually working in the field, however. At least, it doesn't give me any money. I do go on digs every summer, and they pay for me to be there but don't actually pay me. So I don't know if that counts as "working in this field". Not sure I'd call it a hobby, either. I call myself an archaeologist, even though nobody has ever paid me to do it. I will continue to call myself an archaeologist, because that is what I like doing and what my passion is, whether it's what I'm doing to pay bills or not. It's just what I am.

I have worked and hope to continue to work in West Mexico as I complete my MA and go on towards a PhD. I have no plans to do anything but study West Mexican archaeology as long as I can find a place or grant that will pay me. Archaeology is a tough field to get into, both academically and commercially, but I believe in myself that I will prevail.

hi! to get you started, you may be interested in the User Profiles created by several of the flaired users: link on sidebar.

My "fancy flair" does not imply any specialty in history: I was originally flaired as a "QC" for being helpful to OPs (directing them to FAQ sections, good posts, other subs -- as I did above) and then joined the mod team

I am working generally in the history field, as a collections manager in a museum, but am not specifically working in fashion history. I am, however, hoping to eventually get a job in a fashion/textiles department in a larger museum at some point, and work as much with the clothing in this one as I can.