Hi everybody, so I decided to pursue my education in History but I'm stuck at where I want to specialize. I'm extremely interested in European history, specifically Scotland and Wales. I'm also interested in Vikings and Norse mythology. My dream is to eventually study the history of the Celts but I don't have an opportunity to do that in the specific area I'm at right now. So my question is: which should I focus on? I'm really interested in the Highland culture of Scotland and honestly, I've always been interested in Wales but haven't pursued learning much about it yet. I'm not even sure if I can focus on Vikings. Besides the locations and the people, I don't know the specific time period to choose from, either? The universities I have access to really only focus on European history by time period, so if I want to eventually specialize in a specific country, I want to be previously studying the accurate time period to which I'm interested.
I'm just lost about which to choose. I struggled with choosing European history in the first place because I'm interested in so many different places and cultures. I'm kind of all over the place right now about what to do, you know? Because the history of Europe is so extensive and there are so many places I want to learn about. I would greatly appreciate any help!
I would recommend trying to get a broad grounding at this stage. You are learning the discipline as much as facts so every course you do will add something. In my own degree I was lucky to do quite a lot of medieval history and even though I specialised in 20th century, I learned more about the craft of history from medieval than anything else. If you want to study Scotland you will need to know the European background anyway. Use the time to absolutely pillage the learning resources and library access you have for your favourite subjects. It sounds like courses on medieval and early modern Europe would be a good start for you.
I would second the answer saying go broad. I went to uni specifically to study military history but before I began my degree I was given the advice to study as widely as I could before specialising. As a result I took medieval history, early modern, 20th century, American. I did linguistics courses, English literature and all kinds of things. For me, that strengthened my resolve to finish what I set out to do - military history. But it very much helped me learn my craft if you will, and although mostly not my topic area now, has made me a much better historian. So go as widely as you can and test your interest as you go, so that when you start to narrow down your speciality with post graduate work you are more sure of your passion.
And for my two cents, Wales is the best country on earth. Go with that 😊. The very best of luck to you.