Hi, I'm an American archivist working at a university and I'd be happy to talk to you in PMs if you'd like. Got bad news about your Mickey Mouse fantasies though. ;)

First off a caveat - I'm not in the US, so your experience may differ to mine.

I think that in most instances you will need a postgraduate qualification if you want to work in a history/heritage related role.

For some jobs this is necessary due to the need to upskill. Conservation/preservation would likely be one of those.

In others, competition is so strong that you'll need a postgrad to get a foot in the door.

Salary/prospects in the sector are pretty woeful, unless you can find yourself a niche. That will depend on local circumstances, but conservator roles are generally a bit more niche?

The other way to do it is to go in at the bottom and work your way up. This used to be what people did, but as more people do postgrad courses, I think this will get more difficult.

For reference, I have an undergrad in history and a postgrad in heritage practice. I don't work in history per se, but much of my work is related to public history and is a bit niche.

I'd spent 10 years as a researcher after my undergrad, but never got a look in at roles like the one I currently have, because I didn't have the postgrad. Luckily, my other experience ended up meaning I had a good niche!

It's a lot of money, and I would do a lot of research, but if you want to pursue this as a career, then you probably need to think about the postgrad.