I hope this is okay to post here! If not, I do apologise, and I'll get it down immediately.
Alright. Like many others here, I live and breathe History. Ever since I was nine and first learnt about Henry VIII, I was hooked. I spend most of my free time reading History books, I did National History Day in high school, I have a History minor, and I've got a bunch of papers related to social issues in the nineteenth century Madras Presidency bookmarked for future reading. But the fact remains: I don't have a History major. I graduated with a degree in Computer Science earlier this year, and that's the field I currently work in. I'd love to continue researching topics in History, and developing my paper-writing skills, in my free time –– so do you have any tips for amateur historians? Sites which you find particularly useful to research on, or resources for writing really good papers? Are there affordable online graduate degree programs I could complete in my own time?
Thank you so much in advance!
We need a bit more info from you:
What are your goals? You say you want to continue researching historical topics. What type of research are you wanting to do? Most professional historians base their writings on archival research. This is often expensive and, depending on your location, not practical. Depending on your topic of interest you may find primary sources online, in digital archives. Unfortunately, access to many of these digital archives requires a university affiliation. If you live in a big city, your public library might have access to some digital archives. If you're not looking to do archival work, then there's nothing stopping you from doing your research now! Just check out books from the library or, if you've got money to spend, buy them.
You also say that you want to develop your paper-writing skills, but what for? What do you plan to do with the papers you write? Post them in a blog or on a history-themed website? Or do you want to publish them in an academic journal?
Why do you want to do an online graduate degree program? There's honestly no need for a graduate degree unless you want to be a professional historian. Of course, if you want the degree purely for your own personal satisfaction, then go for it! There's a number of universities that provide online Master's programs in history. Getting your MA through an online course isn't ideal, but you'd be able to say you have the degree.
I and others can give you some better advice once you clarify what your interests and goals are.
Hi, I did a degree and then a masters in medieval history. It was tough but really worth it. Might be worth looking into the Open University if it's applicable to you. I don't know much about their course and it won't be the full experience but go for it.