Undergrad was History, went on to pursue an MLIS and became an archivist.

Congratulations on your MA!

You can get any number of jobs with that degree.

But to do history-related work? Unless you go into teaching or pursue a PhD, the field is somewhat limited, and competitive (like historians for state or federal agencies, museums, etc.).

But if you view your academic work in history as an experience that taught you how to research, analyze, write, and present, you can find work in many business contexts.

And if your thesis work required quantitative approaches, requiring statistics work or data science, you can find a lot of opportunity using those skills.

People with degrees in liberal arts are the majority in F500 companies. The jobs are out there.

If you have the ability to pursue a post-graduate internship, that would be very beneficial for orienting yourself to a given career.

A lot of historians also work in the public sector, both as “career” civil servants or as politicals (operatives, not candidates).

Law school is also a popular choice, but with a high opportunity cost.

You could always get a side hustle as an adjunct for some online program. Though, with the flood of history PhDs out there that can’t be absorbed by academia, the adjunct market is more competitive than it used to be. But still worth a shot.

Looking forward to what others may suggest.

Good luck and, again, congratulations on your MA!

Thinking of my cohort in grad school in a history department, who were on track to receive PhDs in about 2004 (though not all finished--I didn't):

--Many are history professors. I suspect the odds have become much less favorable!

--A few have other jobs elsewhere in universities such as administrators and academic advisors. These jobs did not require additional credentials.

--At least one got an additional credential to work in universities (library science degree).

--A few work for policy-oriented non-profits that interface with their fields; e.g., a historian of science works for a science-adjacent industry professional organization and a historian of India works for a group advocating particular policies for India.

--A few of us went to law school to get JDs. I think we actually achieved equilibrium on this point, since some members of the group left the legal profession to become historians.

--Another went to business school to get an MBA.

--At least one is a novelist.

--At least one is a CIA analyst.

--At least one is a schoolteacher.

--We had a few people from other institutions pass through (military officers and one monk) who returned to their professions.

I finished my MA a bit over a year ago and I work as a claims adjuster now. Working on papers and thesis as part of my own scheduling really weighed on me, so it's nice having a job i can completely forget about once my shift is up.