So this thread might of of interest to you, especially the middle section, as it spends a lot of time going over how to do self-directed research and keep focus.

You should also check out Monday Methods, and Thursday Theory, as these continuing series ' will help introduce you to more in-depth historical work and what "doing history" is all about.

/u/paul_blart_54

What is your dream job like? Please describe it as much a single you can. Is it research, teaching, etc.? What about the setting? Field work, office, etc.?

I wrote something in the same vein just today here but that might be already one or two steps ahead from you.

Aside, what /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov recommended below, the tips I'd give to someone in High School and interested in history are:

• read, read, read

Reading is a if not the quintessential part of the historical profession. From secondary literature to sources, reading a lot and learning the skill of reading, meaning the ability to read and process information by interconnecting it with other stuff read, is at the core of what historians do. Honestly, as a start, I'd recommend picking up books on subjects that sounds interesting. While they don't all have to be books from academic publishers, you can also throw some of them in the mix but at this stage, in 10th grade, they also can be pop history books with a subject that interest you.

What is however, important is that when reading them, it's good not just to keep the information they contain in mind but also look out for how they argue their case and convey said information. What I mean is, you can pick up the currently best selling biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and read it while thinking about how Chernow portrays Hamilton and the founding fathers. If you afterwards pick up Howard Zinn's a People's History of the United States and look how he portrays the founding fathers, it will be a wholly different experience because of a fundamentally different approach to history between those two. Recognizing and critically engaging with these different approaches is a fundamental skill in becoming a historian.

And my second tip to you would be:

• trying it out

While I did have an interest in history during High School, when I graduated, I wanted to study law (system is different where I am from). However, after trying that, I quickly realized that it was not for me and started studying history. What I mean is that take things slowly. Go and study history at university but if you find that it is not for you, don't despair. There is a huge number of people on this sub giving answers that are self-taught people with a passion for history rather than trained academic historians. It's always possible to follow that passion but be prepared that you might find that pursuing it in an academic setting might not be for you because in many ways academic history is fundamentally different from how history is taught in High School. I'm not trying to discourage you, all I am saying is that one should mentally prepare for the eventuality that history in an academic setting might not be as one imagined it. So basically, what I am saying is keep an open mind while following your passion for history.