I'm a first year college student majoring in History. I'm looking to pursue a career in becoming a high school teacher or possibly a college professor. What I'm looking for is a way to become more knowledgeable about history. I've been told it's a bad idea to specialize in any one period if I want a career in education, so I'm looking to know more about many periods and areas of the world. How do I go about starting somewhere, and how should I find resources to learn from? I was lucky enough to have an amazing AP history teacher throughout High School, and my professors are great, but how do I go about learning on my own? Mods feel free to delete this question if you feel it doesn't belong!
If you are interested in World History in particular, which it sounds like you are, you can check out H-World's recent publications list. It should serve both as a useful set of readings to get you on your way and a way to familiarize yourself with the recent historiography.
https://networks.h-net.org/node/20292/pages/36043/world-history-publications
Generally speaking, you are going to want to read broadly in your areas of interest. I would recommend looking at the history faculty list at your university (where are you?) and trying to set up a meeting with one of them about putting together a reading list. It might feel intimidating, but professors are going to be eager to help someone in their first year who is showing initiative and interest in the field.
This is a great question. I myself did exactly the wrong thing. Before I went to grad school I read somewhere around 40-50 biographies of famous Americans of the 19th century. Very enjoyable to do, but had almost nothing to do with grad school work. Graduate school then started out talking about objectivity, different styles of historical thought (marxism, feminism, etc) and then did extensive work on one project while reading monograph after monograph. So, the biographies were totally useless in preparing me for grad school (though it filled my head with an unbelievable load of knowledge that helped me shine in the seminars!)
My honest advice would be to google up grad schools and classes (literally google up graduate studies history syllabus edu and you will find syllabuses and then do some of the reading that those prof requires.
Buit, yes, /u/tenminutehistory is also correct and you would be wise to follow her or his advice. But definitely google up syllabuses and that will help narrow down, for you, what are the books that are currently being assigned in grad schools. Additionally, find your way to conferences (google them up, or look under H-Net) and introduce yourself. Write to profs, particularly ones at your closest schools, and try to get ideas from them about what you should be reading.
Like all things, show an interest, work hard, and you will be fine.
I have been enjoying Susan Wise Bauer's History of the World Series. Currently it spans earliest accounts to the fall of Constantinople in three volumes. It is a very good and readable series, not sure when the next book is due out.
If you are interested in a longer, more Eurocentric series Will Durant's The Story of Civilization series covers earliest accounts through Napoleon in 11 volumes, totaling about 10,000 pages. Its expansive but I have enjoyed it so far, currently working on volume 9 The Age of Volare.
From there I suggest reading based on questions those books raise. Most of my history reading is answering questions I still had from a previous book.
The other flared users on here covered most of the bases, but I thought I'd add in one more piece of information since I plan on teaching as well.
You're correct that high schools want you to have a broad understanding of history. Yet, keep in mind that if you plan on going to graduate school soon thereafter, you will be expected to pick a particular part of history and then narrow down to a specific topic for your thesis. But, at this point in your academic career, I recommend doing something that had been suggested to me right when I started college (I myself had a bit of a late start because I joined the Army and served for four years before going to get my bachelor's degree). That piece of advise is reading entry level books into various periods of history that you may find interesting. This can best be done by doing as /r/TenMinuteHistory suggested and talking to a faculty advisor.
I myself had a feeling I wanted to study something in Antiquity, so I read books on Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom, Classical Greece, Hellenistic Period of Rome, and even some cultural anthropology books to put things into perspective. That was when I first read Bart Ehrman's Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. It's an entry level graduate book that is often on the reading list at colleges who study Early Christianity around the country, and I was captivated by it. It made me want to start studying books by other authors in the field, and really helped me see what path I wanted to follow.
Tl;Dr: Talk to professors about getting books in a wide range of the field you may find interesting -- it could change your life. It did for me.
Go to everyone of your professors during office hours and ask for advice. You will get many different perspectives and I am sure if you are friendly they will give you free books as well since their offices will most likely be overflowing!