History is so diverse and influential that it can be really difficult for me to know where to start learning. In high school it was easy because the information was taught to me (although biased) and so I saw further information to gain the full picture.
Now that I am out of school, trying to study history is difficult. Trying to find a proper starting point, or even WHAT to study. I am interested in so much that it can be a challenge even picking a subject. If this is the right subreddit to do so, how did you historians go about starting, and how did you choose what you wanted out of the vast amount of topics to choose from?
Greetings I hope some other contributors and flaired users will be able to follow-up on my own comment, but here's how I personally chose my "topics" and areas of interest. Hope this helps!
Actually let me be more specific here: I'm interested in a lot about History. It's a key reason why I'm so much more active on this sub than on any other I follow on Reddit, it's a reason why my library is filled with all manner of books about history from Ancient Times to the 20th Century. It's the reason why I'm planning on making history an integral part of my life and (excuse the pun) future career. Being interested in many things about history is actually a good starting place, and I'd vouch that many other contributors here also have a fair few areas of interest about the past as well.
The trick to choosing which of those interests to take and develop into an area of expertise is, from my experience, aptitude. Some historical areas appeal a lot more to different people than some others, and that's all down to what those areas involve and thus how the research is conducted. For example, many of the pre-1500s contributors and flairs talk about the divergences in different societal practices, the everyday lives of people from various civilizations, and the larger interactions between entire groups. By contrast, many of the responses dealing with matters after the 1600s focus more on the interplay between abstract concepts, and the "larger forces" which have caused events, as well as the roles of individual/groups in instigating various conflicts/movements. For each and every area, there's a different trove of sources which are used, some more readily available than others.
In my case, my areas of expertise rely heavily on primary sources mixed with some secondary publications. I spend a fair bit of time researching as well as analysing government dispatches, intergovernmental correspondence and war-related legislature, so that's something I enjoy doing. By contrast, I often struggle researching about areas we don't have that many primary sources for, and as such don't have as much of an interest for them as I do for more source-heavy ones. How you like to read about history (primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary source balance) and whether you'd like to read into complex historiographical debates or not are two key factors which might help determine your area of research.
So what about choosing an area in the first place? That can be hard, but luckily you're in a grand and great place to begin doing so! Try to take some time each day to scroll through the sub (assuming you don't already) and just read any responses to questions which seem interesting to you. Chances are these questions fall under an area you're rather adept at or know a fair bit about in terms of foundational knowledge. Then go further. Look at your own personal library or online journal history. Are there any books on areas you've been reading a lot more frequently or with more attention than others? Again, you'll likely find that there's one area whose concepts, figures, and events are more appealing to you than others.
Once that's over, consider seriously researching the subject a bit more. We've got our incredible share of flaired users who document their responses to questions here, so go give the ones you're more interested in a read when you can! Think you've found an area worth researching more deeply? Then consider purchasing a book or two from the AH booklist, which has all manner of publications on all manner of historical topics, and see if you can really get lost (in a good way!) in the writing.
Think you've found a good area? Research it for a bit, and then I'd invite you to attempt the ultimate test: writing a response to a question on the AskHistorians subreddit. If you can formulate a thorough and well-evidenced response might merit some praise from other people or just some upvotes, then you may very well have found your area of the past to study more intensely!
Hope this helps! If you need any more advice, feel free to post a follow-up or pm me your queries.
I have previously answered As historians, how do you find sources and put them into context when writing a book?
See also When writing a historical book, where do historians find their sources? feat. /u/alriclofgar and /u/Coeurdelionne and /u/restricteddata