I LOVE history, and I’m three semesters into a science undergrad. I wanna switch, but I don’t know anything about job prospects for history majors. Google didn’t help; any thoughts guys?
I don't have all the answers, I had two very specific job interests that I felt a history degree would aid. But here are some of the common ones among my peers. Most will not be closely related to the "doing" of history, some other people on the sub can probably address that more fully.
Many are going into history as an undergrad that transfers well to graduate school. I'm a pre-law undergrad, and history is a great major for that. Some others are going into History Masters programs, though that is true full-octane history, and you basically will use that for academic historian level stuff.
A number of my peers want to be educators, mostly secondary level (high school). They were in the department so they could teach high school history. If you are wondering about that, my advice is ask this question: do you love HISTORY, or do you love TEACHING IT. I came down on loving history more than teaching, so I dropped the education emphasis and went pre-law. It's unfortunate, but there is severe burnout in educators and I decided I wasn't committed enough to teaching students to deal with the many factors that cause that burnout. That is an individual decision though, and props to all who stick it out.
Finally, I would recommend anyone wondering "what do I do with this" to broaden your horizon of what the degree does. A history degree isn't just good for doing history. I will graduate with a business management minor, making me a competitive candidate for a variety of businesses. Other students I know have gone to work for a state legislator or equivalent. Really, a history degree conveys skills that are very broadly useful. Critical analysis, strong communication skills, and great literacy, all are very useful in any career.
If you have concerns about the degree getting you a job, consider a minor or just taking some classes in tangentially related fields you are interested in. That way you have the specific knowledge of the courses, with the broad skills that make you flexible and valuable as a manager.
You should read this thread for your own sake