I have a History BA, and in my opinion it was a huge waste of money. It's exactly as valuable as any other Arts degree is, which is to say, not very. It's better than a high school degree, that's about it. People will tell you that companies like to hire history grads because they've learned strong critical thinking and writing skills. I haven't yet encountered a company that values any of those skills.

Hey, History major here. I have a BA in History, with a certificate from the University of Vienna in German language. I graduated last year, and have not had much luck getting a job in this field.

I did have an internship with a museum that revealed you need an MA in order to apply for most museum positions. I also know you need an MA in order to apply for most professor positions.

I'd say a BA in history is a good stepping stone to becoming a professor/curator. If that is what you have in mind, then I would pursue it.

Make sure you apply for internships and fellowships for your summers. They will help to such incredible degrees.

And volunteer if you can.

Which country do you live in? Because it might vary. My advice is Britain-based, it might not apply precisely to other places.

In Britain, where I graduated (I have an MA and BA in History), History is probably one of the more respected arts degrees. Certainly it's a lot more respected than, say, media studies. However, it's still an arts degree. Many companies do want people with a degree, but don't care a huge amount what the degree is in. So having an arts degree will help you get some job. But probably not a job related to your particular major. My current job (teaching English and British Culture at a Chinese university) required a degree, but any would do. An English degree probably would have been helpful, but it doesn't make a lot of difference. I do get a bit out of my degree, since I teach some very basic British history, but to be honest it's mostly stuff I could have done without the degree.

Knowing all this, I still don't regret choosing History. As most Arts degrees are roughly similar in terms of getting a job, it's worth choosing the one that you think you'll do best at. If you're much better at History than other subjects, and more interested in it, you'll likely find passing easier.

Saying this, if you're considering between an Arts and Science degree, and think you'll do just as well in either, then the Science one will probably allow you to get 90% of the jobs you could get with History, and a number of directly scientific jobs.

There are jobs where History is directly applicable, but unfortunately not nearly enough for all the History majors. So unless you're very good at History, or very committed to it, then job-wise it's probably not that useful.

I wasn't a history major but have friends who were. They're doing all sorts of things - successfully, and didn't have too much trouble finding jobs. If you're also generally knowledgeable/functional and have relevant prereqs, you can do tons of stuff. I have a few lawyer friends who were history majors, some friends from undergrad who ended up getting their Masters in Accounting and do accounting now (one does business consulting) and a few who stayed in academia. I don't know anybody who did this personally, but I've heard from those friends it's not uncommon for history majors to go into government work, like for the state department or foreign services.

Anyway, as a freshman, if you're not sure what you want to do, just try different things and don't stuff yourself into a box or on a limited track right off the start. Some people have a clear vision, but most don't, and try not to let it bother you if you don't have everything figured out (almost nobody does). You could find that history is fine but you don't enjoy it like you thought you did, or that a random class you took for a required credit was surprisingly interesting. Or you could fucking love it. Regardless, all the best!

How do you define worth? I got as good a job as anyone else my age, except I loved every minute of what I studied and most of my friends hated their choices - finance, accounting, marketing. I did not choose history because I wanted it as a career, merely because it is an interesting thing to study. Employers see that you have a degree, that is all. If they need an accountant, then yes, you're out the mix - but do you want to do accounting as a job.

I work as a developer now - solar and mini-hydro projects in sub-saharan Africa. I'm happy where I work and I definitely wouldn't have studied anything else, except maybe philosophy or maths (because those are interesting subjects). Most jobs you learn the skills you need on the job. There are millions of different types of jobs.

Education is enriching and no one can ever take away from what you learn. Do what you want to do. Don't do something cause its the smart career move - its a sure path to dissatisfaction (anecdotal experience)

My advice to everyone entering university goes like this:

1. Do what interests you*, but be realistic about it. A history undergraduate degree will not get you "a job in history" unless you take other steps. A Masters might. A PhD might. If you can, double major: take an interest degree and something that gives you an edge (e.g. a science, a fine art or a language).

2. Take steps to ensure you have a plan to be employable in the long term. Vary your experience. Volunteer, apply for internships and try to get semi-substantial jobs (as opposed to drone jobs). If you have to get a drone job, try to advance in the role and volunteer half a day a week.

3. Assume, unless you have a computer science, nursing, engineering or pharmacy degree, that you will likely have to complete some kind of second degree: a diploma, a masters, a second bachelor etc. It can be in all kinds of subjects, but you will need something.

4. You don't have to know exactly what you want to do, but you have to know that you want to be something. Not taking action in some direction, even if it turns out to be the wrong direction, will be more harmful than taking no action.

*I think educating yourself is important. I think we are all enriched as a society, if financially poorer, by having underemployed university grads with history degrees swanning around.

What do you want to do? The best advice for school I was ever given was to think about where you want to be and work backwards to how you get there. Most liberal arts degrees need a destination in mind if you want to not have them be "wasted." That being said, any 4-year degree can lead to many unrelated fields, it's often just harder to figure it out after you turn your tassel.

I was a History and German double major. I currently work for a very large company in inventory systems. I got my first job at this company on the strength of writing skills developed as a liberal arts major, but the job has nothing at all to do with my education.

I am an engineer, with a Bachelor's degree. I frequently hear the comparison that arts degrees are worthless, and only science or tech degrees are valuable

It's not the degree, but the process. If you want to get the most out of any subject, take it seriously, REALLY seriously! Do all the assigned work, do all the extra credit work, ask the professors for more work. Do work on the side, get an internship, make friends with people in the field. This is what I did while studying engineering

In the end, it's not the degree that's valuable, but the mental discipline learned and practiced by getting the degree

If your plan for college is binge drinking and cheating on exams, then any subject is a waste of time

I don't work in anything related to my history degrees, but it was invaluable in developing my writing and critical thinking skills that got me to where I am. I currently manage global supply chain for a mid-size apparel company. Having a historical and cultural context certainly helps me work with vendors and colleagues in other countries.

Had a lutenient boss in the Air Force and his degree that got him officer status was history. He was very smart and I think his degree applies to a military career if that's something that interests you.

Anecdotally and subjectively: I've hired for roles in history publishing and what's quickly become obvious to me is that BA History is something a lot of people do with a view to becoming journalists or working in publishing. This becomes very obvious in the interview process when they're unable to demonstrate any evidence of engagement with the subject beyond their degree - they don't read History Today, watch documentaries or read books, and they're unable to speak passionately about the subject and the periods that interest them.

From my perspective that's devalued a BA History a good deal, but in CV terms it gets them through the door and into the interview, but from the handshake onward my focus is on whether they're demonstrably tuned into the subject and genuinely want a career in it.

Sorry, very narrow answer, but in my experience: yes, it's useful if you want a job in the industry, but only if you're able to support it with extracurricular activities.

I have a BA in History in the US. It wasn't particularly practical, but it gave me invaluable critical thinking, research, and public speaking skills. Those skills did land me my first job, and directly contributed to making me successful there.

If you want a highly practical degree look at STEM, but the value of skills you will learn in a good history program is very high, and shouldn't be underestimated.

Depends on which school you go too. I know history majors from Yale and Harvard working as management consultants and investment bankers and a couple even in tech making a lot of money- and others from even respectable state schools struggling

I work in government facilitating benefits for welfare programs. My history degree had no practical applications to my job, just filled the degree requirements. Good luck, change your major while you can if you want good employment. Keep going if you want to learn about the world.

I (a history degree holder) used to work as a college Admissions Counselor; I told every family and student who visited campus the same thing: your degree is worth what you put into it and your college experience as a whole. This is especially true for non-"vocational" or "practical" degrees. As others have said, most "history" jobs require additional schooling, and the degree certainly helps in that regard. However, that doesn't mean you're pigeonholed into having to go into grad school (as other responses attest).

History courses are great for helping with critical analysis and communications skills -- bolster that with other experiences. Volunteer, apply for research projects and scholarships, do internships, and work, either during the school year and/or summers. It's not the "educational experience" of your resume that employers will spend a lot of time looking at. I worked for residential life showing my room and played in a lot of the bands. Those experiences were what got me job opportunities after graduating -- I had two offers a month after I graduated (I started my job search late because I decided not to go grad school right out of undergrad): the admissions counselor job that I accepted, and a job with with an energy/oil company that paid $20k/year more.

I think the key is to be a top-notch student, not just complete a major in it. Also, learning additional languages can open doors for you.

It really depends. Do you have any kind of career preferences at all? The fact that you have a planned major despite being an incoming freshman implies that you do, but I may be overinterpreting as I was a real plan-ahead person in this area.

Many jobs require a BA just as a way to winnow down the pool of applicants. A degree in history would be just as applicable to your standard entry-level office job as any other (apart from a specialized field like, say, accounting). It's reasonable to get a BA in a field that interests you but you don't plan to work in if this is the sort of career that you want, although you might have an edge if you were to get a degree in a slightly more related field instead.

If you want to work in the history field, a BA is only the beginning. You will maybe be able to get an internship somewhere. Partly this is because, as in many other fields, the undergraduate degree is too generalized to give you all the skills you'll need, and partly this is the aforementioned winnowing. Getting a master's degree in History, Public History, [Country] History, Art History, Museum Studies, or Education will open different doors to you - academia, museum curatorship, elementary/secondary teaching.

But my best advice is to think about what you want to do after college and then figure out what to do to get there, rather than to decide on a major and figure out after the fact what to do with it - or else to keep your options open, take a variety of courses in your first couple of semesters, and decide what fields you'd like to go into then.

I figure I'd chime in as well. I have a BA in history and work at a job I love as a Librarian in Maryland (where Master's in Library Science isn't necessary). I am also getting my master's in historical studies, with a duel concentration in the American Revolution and Public History.

Public history is an extremely versatile degree depending on where you live. If you live in a major city with museums, Public History degrees are where many jobs are at that lie outside of teaching. This is especially true if you are anywhere are on the Northeast coast between Washington and Boston. I suggest checking out job posting for national historical organizations (like the national parks service) or others and see if there are jobs like that in your area. If there aren't, consider if you'd be willing to move to a place where they are available.

Im a history major now. I love it, probably not going to get a job in a history related field but I'm ok with that. Im interning right now with Aflac and I dominate at bar trivia.

I would like to work in government. Local, State, and Federal are all options. Would history be a good major for that line of work? A ton of lawyers that are politicians majored in history...so I've heard.

No. Some liberal arts degrees are more applicable to the job market than others. A history degree does nothing.