Hello there! I have always been passionate about history. I graduated with my B.A. in August and have received acceptance into my acceptance letter to my school's M.A. History with an emphasis in military history. My thesis plans are something to do with Ancient Chinese military tactics. My plan afterward is to move on to a PhD program and hopefully either teach college or move into museum/research. My parents are extremely against this and instead want me to either go back to school for Information Technology or take a job on the line at a local factory. Is my dream of being a historian as terrible as it seems? I am a first generation college student from a very rural area.
You might actually find this older Monday Methods thread of some use:
It's full of information about why getting a history PhD is a terrible idea, and also how to apply if you really want one.
That said -- what do you want to do with your life? If you want to teach college, a masters' will do ya (as it will at private high schools) -- not a tenure track job at a Research 1 school, because those don't exist anymore, but at a community college or even as an adjunct at a bigger school. Or, a history master's can be a jumping off point into other careers.