Hey I got a history degree from UCDavis and a second in Middle East South Asian studies. Ended up doing my MSW. Worked as a clinician for a bit. Now I’m a farmer driving tractors in the Central Valley and just got my Class A license. So will be driving big rigs soon :) history degree can take you anywhere! lol sarcasm.

I chose my own path. But there is a lot out there!

I have an undergrad and a master's in history and after a brief stint trying to get into foreign policy I've been successful in financial sales and now (with a professional designation) investment research.

As a history major it's not just about what you learned about different periods. The core skills are being able to understand a large amount of information, put it in context, and speak or write about it cogently. If you can do that you can do A LOT of different jobs.

You might think about archival work, or librarianship. You don't say what your specialisms are, or what country you're in, but in many parts of the world they are viable career options. And frankly, being a professor of history is not necessarily just teaching it. If you're at a teaching-led institution, then yes, there'll be a lot of lecturing involved. But at the better universities (R1s in the United States, Russell Group universities in the UK), lecturers and professors have many different responsibilities, including producing their own research, usually in the form of articles for peer-reviewed journals and monographs/books with academic publishers, which can be fun if you're into the subject. Hope this helps!

Alright, coming from a PhD college professor now who was once extremely lost around 20 years old circa 2008...

I leaned into the "more schooling" route because a) the knowledge I had as I came up towards graduation simply wasn't enough; I wanted to know more--like, A LOT more--so I decided to aim for grad school; and b) because, frankly, I had zero idea what I would do outside of college. Not exactly a recipe for success but ultimately it worked out for me.

That being said, I do not advice graduate school unless you've really thought it through and are aware of both the consequences (very heavy workload, horrible pay, and the likelihood of student loan debt) and the expectations (a very specialized interest and a willingness to put life more or less on hold while you pursue some niche research that 99.99999% of the world will never read nor particularly care about).

I'm not actually being negative here because I loved my PhD experience overall, my research by the end was quite fun and gratifying despite all the pain, and I now can make ends meet with a pretty decent full-time adjunct salary at a state institution. But I am being realistically blunt. Grad school for something like history does not immediately lead to a well-paying job (like I naively assumed it would). It gives some great, transferable skills but the grad school > professional academic route is VERY difficult and increasingly rare to pull off in the humanities.

So, per what some other people have said on this thread, consider all your options. Grad school may be the right call for you but it's definitely not the only option. Many, many private sector jobs are desperate for people with basic critical thinking and writing skills, and you as a history major should have a huge leg up in that regard. If you do want to stay within the humanities, however, grad school is probably the route you'll need to go. Before committing to that, definitely give it not only a lot of thought but a lot of genuine research into what it entails.

Feel free to DM if you want any more insight on the PhD > full time lecturer route. Happy to talk more :)

***For context, I came from a working class family with zero college experience so I had to figure all of this out for myself. On the one hand, it was nice to be naïve because it kept me focused without all the negativity about the inevitable decline of the humanities, the stark financial reality of graduate school, etc. On the flip side, it definitely led to some poor decision making about student loan debt and other stuff like that.***

There are jobs out there related to actual history, they run the gamut from tour guides and museum staff to archivists and librarians and of course teachers (and more!). With that said, the vast majority of people who get history degrees don't really end up in a field directly related to historical research. In my experience, the benefits of a history degree (and what most employers are really looking for) are the core skill you acquire while pursuing it. Namely, good written and oral communication skills as well as research and analysis which form the backbone of historical study. Being able to conduct research (especially in a foreign language which I'd urge all history majors to pursue at the collegiate level) and synthesize an analysis of the relevant documents is a skill that is really valuable to a lot of employers. Once you realize that, you realize that you can apply to a massive range of jobs and it's just a matter of figuring out what you actually want to do.

Graduated from Cal State East Bay in 2014 with a degree in US History. I was in a similar position as you - didn't want to be a teacher, but also wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

I looked into the Natl Park Service and more Regional Park Services because I love the outdoors. But those can be tough because there's usually quite a few candidates and the money isn't that great. After graduating, I moved into the 9-5 world while I tried to figure out what I wanted in life.

After a few mind-numbing desk jobs, I ended up getting into the mountain bike industry by working for a bike manufacturer and I love it! Gives me the ability to have a 9-5 work schedule and still allows me to enjoy (and even promotes) my passion for the outdoors. BUT, I wouldn't have this job without a college degree. I still love history, but it's more of an interest/hobby now.

Figuring out what you want to do with your life can be tough and feel daunting, but you have your whole life to figure out what that is. Just don't get sucked into a job that makes you miserable!

TLDR: Got history degree, don't work even remotely close to the history field, but the degree got me my dream job. History will always be there when you want it.

In Canada, there's a reasonably large industry for development oriented archaeologists.

You could also become a land use planner, specifically focusing on having a solid grounding in heritage planning.

Both these career paths would most likely require additional specialized schooling after you finish your history degree. If you're interested you should start researching now, see if you can get summer work in either field or close to either field.

I do historical interpretation for a state park and I love it. Check out state and national parks.

I got a Bachelor's Degree in History in the USA about 12 years ago now. I ended up in Computer and IT work. I did not find anything besides a good foundation with this degree but it was enough to get me in the door with any place that was just looking to see that you could get a degree. The skills it taught me have helped me over the years. It was not a waste but be prepared for the very real chance that your love of history will not lead to a career.

The American Historical Association has written a bunch of resources on just this question. You can find them here: https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/why-study-history/careers-for-history-majors

I have my MA in History and work in the Cultural Resource Management field as an architectural historian. I evaluate buildings for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places, most of my projects require historical research which is then used to craft an argument for/against its historical significance.

I would highly suggest checking out the field of Public History, especially if you like/are good at communicating. Here's a link to the National Council for Public History's overview of the field: https://ncph.org/what-is-public-history/about-the-field/

Like you, pursued a history degree without knowing exactly what I wanted to with it. I ended up getting BAs in history and political science and now I work for government investigating labor complaints. I've found the history degree has been immensely helpful in my work. During investigations, I collect, organize, and evaluate sources to draw conclusions - all skills I learned while studying history.

There's not many professions which *require* a history degree, HOWEVER, the mere fact you have a BA opens doors. Many large corporations disregard candidates without degrees out of hand because they feel candidates without a third level education won't have research and composition skills required in corporate office environments. (I don't think this is actually true, as I've known many people with degrees who were human planks and many without who'd rival any scholar I know).

A history degree tells me you can deep read and write, but so does a philosophy degree or an English degree. Still, a history degree can give you a leg up if you have a specialisation. If I was interviewing two candidates for a position where they were expected to liaise with APAC customers, and one had a history degree specialising in Asian colonial history and one had a degree in French history, I'd choose the one who would have experience of the history of the nations they'll be dealing with. I specialised in EU / Russian relations in my undergrad degree, and it did inform the position I took after graduating.

You can't actually become a librarian or archivist in most countries without a specialist qualification. More than likely, you will end up going on to specializing in something later, I got an MA in Digital Humanities for example. Other people I know went on to train as archivists, or specialise in a language, or pivoted completely into law or business.

The question you need to ask yourself is 'what do I like doing' and 'what kind of life do I want tp have'. The second is the most important question. If you want a flexible job that allows you to work remotely, then you'll pursue a different path to someone who is more focused on getting a very high-paying job. In my profession, information design, we have a *lot* of humanities graduates but it runs the gamut of medievalists to psychologists.

The history degree is just a stepping stone, not a key by itself. I hope this helps reframe the issue and lead you to a path you'll be happy with.

If you don’t mind researching historical documents, written precedent and writing research papers the rest of your life, being a litigator isn’t half bad. Many of my law school buds were history majors and law school was probably some of the best years of my life.

It’s a very difficult job and committed lifestyle, but if you can manage your time well, it’s very rewarding. I’m a problem solver, so when I use the past to justify my way of fixing the problems of the present, I feel like I was made for this job. I really can’t imagine doing anything else.

DM me if you want to know more.

I'm a project manager in a construction-related field. No specialist qualifications needed for my slightly niche role (though they do exist for project management generally) but I have found many of the skills from studying history useful. Most notably the bullshit detector: why is this person saying this, is it likely to be true or are they covering their arse, does this line up with other things I know, etc. Basically analysing sources, summarising and reaching a conclusion - except the sources are actual people/companies and the accuracy of my conclusions makes a difference to projects that make people's lives better. I absolutely love my job.

BA/MA in History.

I worked as a Park Ranger during grad school. Landed a job as a Natural Resource Specialist doing pretty much everything there is to do at a 1400 acre flood control project with 3 recreation areas.

Left there for better hours and pay, and now I do Healthcare contracting. I'll probably stay in contracting after this - skills translate well and the field pays well.

All 3 jobs are federal, and I'll be retiring at 57 with a pension (in addition to my own investments).

I got a bachelor's degree in History of Science and ended up as a product manager at Uber. My team says I'm really good at writing emails and updates. It's funny how your skills from constructing rational arguments in long papers translate. If you're interested in being part of the startup/techy world, definitely consider it!! Skills that make you really good for the job include: synthesis of random varying source types, being nosy about everything that could be tangentially related, talking/ interviewing people, reframing past events in a new light. It's shocking how much more relevant having a historian training is, than the "recommended path" of say, getting a computer science or business degree. Those really don't give the you right soft skills.

Something that helped me find this path was realizing which part of history I like. I was drawn to history of technology (unlike my other classmates who clearly were drawn to history of medicine and became doctors).

As someone said, finance. My daughter did her bachelor’s and master’s in Japanese philology (half of which seemed to be history/culture studies). She eventually ended up working in a finance company doing asset sales and analysis (in Japanese of course). As other also said, you can teach someone, say, finance, but harder to give them the analytical and communication skills that come from studying history, for example. And if you happen to have extra language skills because of that, then bonus.

Consider law school sir! I have a history degree and I’m starting law school this Fall after taking a gap year post graduation. All you need is to do is start studying for the lsat (khan academy has a full free lsat prep program and 7sage is great and affordable) and start asking for letters of rec. I asked on the last day of class if I had a good relationship with the professor, even if it’s well in advance of when I actually need the letter.

The first year of law school will be all required courses to prepare you for the bar exam but year 2 and 3 can be electives and hands on work in clinics.

I had mock 45 min constitutional law class at admitted student’s day and it felt like a fascinating history class. And I assumed that would be one of the most boring classes.

Edit: just saw that you’re in Canada, all of my info is regarding U.S. law schools

Also, if I didn’t follow the path of law school, I would have gotten my phd in history. Academia can be a rewarding and eventually lucrative career path. Great work life balance as well

Hey! I know the feeling - I was in your shoes in 2011. I was convinced I wanted to be a history professor - and even was excepted into a PhD program - but decided against it. I am glad I did. It is very hard to become a history professor unless you are truly fluent in a foreign language, because US and British history slots are jam packed. If you are fluent in a foreign language - i.e. you can translate 500 year old documents on your own - then a professorship is a viable career path. Otherwise, that US history PhD will be lucky to lead you to an adjunct spot.

Instead, I spent 4 years in sales - which I enjoyed and was successful with but got bored at. I ended up going to Law School, and I couldn't be happier. I have been practicing for almost 3 years now, and I love the job. Pick up some books on contract law, property law, and torts and see if any of it interests you. If it does, law can be a very rewarding career. It also utilizies many of the same skills you are using now - research, argumentative writing, and critical thinking.

HOWEVER - and this is critical and you will learn on your own - where you go to law school is a very big deal. If it is a top 14 on US news, you can do whatever you want. Top 50 - (like me at UF), and you will still be fine in your region. Much worse, and the job prospects really start to dry up. If you decide to make the move, make sure you crush the LSAT and I would only advise going to Law School if you get into a ~top 50 program.

You can get work as a GS employee with the federal government. I work as a Transportation Assistant with the Department of the Navy(civilian position), and you can use a bachelor's degree to qualify for the GS-5 position. The pay isn't the best starting out, but you're guaranteed a pay raise evey year(step increase). Alot of federal employees are lazy so if you have decent work ethic it is pretty easy to move up 1-2 GS positions every year, especially if you're willing to relocate for a higher position. If you're a wordly type, you can find anywhere in the world that has a US military basw like Japan, Italy, Spain, Germany, or South Korea to name a few.

If you're nor a veteran, you will be passed over sometimes when applying for a new position as veterans receive preference, but their are plenty of GS employees that have advanced to high positions without being veterans.

Feel free to private message me if you got any questions.

I work for Veteran Affairs Canada in Ottawa, though in their legal department. I’m just spitballing here but since your passion seems to be military history there may be some need for you at VAC, though I’m not sure what exactly. We have the war museum here too which has a pretty expansive research department. There’s a lot of remote gov work in Ottawa in general right now, so you might have some luck just by going to check the federal government work database as well as VAC’s and the RCMP’s websites.

You can reach out to me via dm if you have questions but idk if any of what I said is even remotely helpful lol. We just have parallel interests and locations in common, so thought I’d give it a shot

If you specifically want to use your degree I know people can work with museums, national parks, and other things that have a need for someone to research things.

Me personally, I have a BA and masters in history and I am a physician. I don’t use my degree day to day but I think the process of learning history and studying primary sources and historiography etc helps you become a better empathetic person. Also patients are like primary sources. What do they mean when they say something? What aren’t they telling you? What biases and cultural norms do they have? Trying to figure out the untold context is something you do in history and I have to do as a physician.

I feel there is more overlap than people realize with medicine and the humanities

Graduated from the University of Toronto in 2014 with a MA in history (with a focus on the French Resistance in WWII).

I ended up going back to grad school, but this time in public policy. I now work as a policy researcher and writer for a provincial government.

To be honest, I feel like the skills I learned in my history degrees have been more useful in my career than the ones I learned in my public policy degree! I still wish I could work in history, but the research and analytics skills have translated well to my job!

I graduated with a history degree and didn't know what I was gonna do with it. I worked a number of customer-facing positions in museums (gift shop, visitor services, member services) which I liked, because I had time to go through the museum on breaks. Eventually, I got out of the museum field and went into a support position for non-profit fundraising called prospect research. I have been in the prospect research field for about 7 years now at various institutions and I love it! It's great for someone with historical research training, sometimes you end up having to start digging through some interesting source materials to find the information you're looking for. I find myself semi regularly looking for old articles or digging through the census to confirm information. I'm happy to answer questions for you if you have them!

Edit: I just noticed you're working at a library. That's fantastic! The prospect research field actually has a ton of people who got their MLIS and eventually moved out of library work. There are a LOT of transferrable skills.

I studied history in the Netherlands from 2012 to 2015, did a master's degree in book history and digital media in 2016/2018, now work as a special collections librarian. It's great: I get to do hands on work with historical documents every day, while it also requires more technical skills and project management. Currently I am thinking about doing a PhD parttime, because I'd like to be a curator someday.

One thing that helped me a lot was a (paid) internship, as well as a short summer work experience placement. It helped me figure out what was possible, what i liked and didn't like, and I got to know people who helped me further along the job market! Was stuck doing an honestly kind of boring job at a library for about 2 years right after i graduated, but learned loads and got the experience needed to find my current job. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right place!

Hello there, I graduated with a BA in history with several specialities. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t dive too deep with my specialities but I did follow my degree. I do living history interpretation for a historic site. It’s not just glorified tour guiding (maybe sometimes lol) but a lot of maintenance, research, and having good foundational connections. I definitely don’t suggest it if wearing layers of historical clothing in the dead heat of summer, but I enjoy it so I tell others to try. I am looking to move up in the world. It really just depends on what you want to do. I eventually want to do consultation on film and other media but right now that means establishing a bigger social media presence and portfolio. If you truly want to be involved in the professional world as someone who does history, it’ll be a lot of work but don’t give up. I enjoy my work so much and it’s not only my job but my passion. It makes everyday a bit easier to get through when you’re a corset and seven petticoats deep! Let me know if you have any questions or just need a fellow historian to talk to!

I was a history major. Don’t underestimate your skill set in writing, condensing complex information into simple concepts, ability to work diligently, research background etc.

Lots of fields need these skill sets. If you’re a decent verbal communicator things get even easier. I took a co op job as ux writer on a design team out of university. Turns out it clicked with me and I’ve been working in tech in the same discipline for almost ten years now. It’s all about taking your core skill set and building on it.

My partner and I both have BAs in History from a small university in the American South.

We are both Project/Program Managers, one for the private sector and one for the government. The communication, logic, research, problem solving, etc skills you gain from studying history apply to so many things.

Point is: Don't sell yourself short and think you're stuck in only history related fields - unless you want to, of course!

One of the coolest things I did after I got my Bachelors in History was enlist in the marine corps reserve (initially started love in history with war history, now I am more interested in factors that led to war and societies at large). After boot camp I saw an article about being a war historian. They had an officer and an enlisted sergeant who would go to active theaters for interviews and trophy hunting. I applied, had a brief discussion with a retired major and a Lt Colonel. Ended up getting the billet (active orders) because I was the only who applied. The head of the History Division was a retired Colonel from Vietnam and was an absolute active student of history. Ended up in charge of recording any interviews of vets from any war anywhere I could in surrounding area. Based in Quantico, VA. Did that for 2 years then went back to my home unit and deployed. Helluva thrill to do it. Don’t do anything with history now, work in elevator industry for the corporate side.

I majored im History and minored in museum studies. I started working at a museum in ‘17 in the front desk selling tickets and merch. I graduated in 2020 and was promoted to a different department a year after. I had hoped to get in collections management and object digitization but I’m now in the education department.

Anything you want, I meandered through the world of newspaper circulation for 10 plus years, then got into Supply Chain. Now working in Digital Strategy for a large CPG. Never went hungry as my parents predicted and added a Master’s and Professional Certifications where needed. My history degree gave me the ability to think criticality which is important in any field.

I graduated with a history degree last May and was hired last August by my home County which is one of the largest in the US. I'm an Administrative Services Assistant in a department's contract unit. I write, edit, amend, and submit contracts between the County and service providers. My unit manager was a history major too, she has since received a doctorate in public planning. Also the CEO of the County above us was a history major. Public administration is a field where history majors can thrive, and most entry level positions just require a degree. From there its about the work you do and the connections you make. However, a graduate degree such as a MPA, MPP, MBA, or a MS are necessary to progress into managerial/executive positions.

Lawyer here. Law is an option for most degrees but history is a particularly good fit. It uses the same skills you honed with your history degree (namely reading old documents and constructing arguments based on them). Some law classes are essentially history classes as you go through the development of a field of law in order to understand the nuance (e.g. my Torts class in law school started with an overview of the Battle of Hastings and William the Conqueror before going into early legal cases like the Thorns Case (1466)).

I have an MA in modern history and now work as an accountant after wasting far too many years trying to somehow achieve a career in my beloved field of study.

Yeah, this didn't work out so well. Frankly, it would have probably been better not to waste so many years on something that offered relatively little direct benefit (that is aside from having a degree) to me.

My one piece of advise is to cut your losses when the situation becomes untenable. Finish your studies, try to get into the field if you wish but if this is not possible then dont be afraid to do or learn something completely different.

Project Management! It's a field that is always in demand and a history degree lends itself perfectly to the field. A history degree teaches you how to read and write, but a hidden skill I learned is how to plan. You need to learn how to plan out timelines for major research papers. Additionally, you learn to identify stakeholders you are writing for and what subject matter experts you need to consult. I leveraged my senior thesis in my interview for my current project management job, and my manager loved my story.

It does help to have a background in a specific field. I held customer service jobs within finance for 7 years before transitioning to project management.

I did history/polisci for undergrad and mainly studied modern war since I was in the National Guard at the time. I ended up becoming a Physician Assistant and now I do emergency medicine. I still read a lot of history for fun, but this pays a lot better and the jobs are easier to find. It's the skill set that counts. Take a lot of information, sometimes contradictory information, and do your best to figure out what actually happened... The interview techniques are similar to doing personal history documentation from a WWII vet to a crime victim when I was a cop to a trauma patient in the ED now.

I graduated with a history degree in 1993 and had no idea what I wanted to do (other than not teach), but was lucky to discover the this new thing called the World Wide Web. I was able to stay one or two articles ahead of other people, sound like an expert, and turned it into a career in digital marketing. While that was not an intentional career path, I definitely think that a history degree is helpful for marketers - it teaches you how to write and how to distill a lot of information into a tellable story. We have folks with degrees in English, journalism, library studies, and political science in the digital marketing department for our Fortune 500 company - you don't need a business or marketing degree.

In an ironic twist of fate, my daughter is about to finish her freshman year of college - and is majoring in history. She plans to be a teacher, but she also has three years to figure it out.

Good luck!

I’m a research librarian for a state archive in the southern United States. I have two bachelors degrees, one in History and another in Criminal Justice (I wanted to be an intelligence analyst originally.) I went to my state university and decided that I shouldn’t major in History because I didn’t think there were job prospects in the field. I minored in History, instead. I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful professor who recommended me for an internship with the Library of Congress into which I was accepted. I was in absolute heaven, surrounded by history and historians. I never wanted that summer to end. Eventually, I graduated with my CJ degree, applied unsuccessfully to some intelligence jobs, and fell into a corporate job to pay the bills. After four unhappy years, my company laid off my entire department, and I decided to change careers. I found a part time job at the archive, and after some retirements, a full time position became available. I was hired full time after about one year. I love my job. I make about 70% of what I made in my corporate job, but I am happier than I have ever been in a work environment. During the pandemic’s height, I decided to formally complete a History degree online. I truly wish I had done that from the beginning. I loved my time at the university I attended originally, but I value the online education more because of what I learned. Today, I work with the public every day. I answer research questions by phone, email, and in person. In a given day I might help a student locate resources for a paper, help a lawyer verify the details of a State Supreme Court case, and help a retiree locate their grandparents’ marriage license. I wasn’t required to get a masters degree or any special certification.

Even if you don’t end up in the field of history, there is still real value in being able to think like a historian. Putting details into context and being able to see the various factors at play in a given situation are great (and disturbingly rare) skills to possess. The people that I meet with History degrees are often better researchers, as well. One of the questions I often ask new researchers is “What information are you trying to find?” rather than “What document/book/item are you looking for?” Getting into the mindset of answering a question rather than single-mindedly looking for one specific item is important for more fields than just history.

That’s probably a much more rambling answer than you were looking for, but I hope at least one person gets something out of it. I remember being a young student completely convinced that I couldn’t major in History because I wouldn’t have any career opportunities. They are definitely out there.

Is it even worth trying anymore? 2 years of looking, here.

You're either an adjunct, teacher, archivist (with MLIS), or a tour guide.

You either already have a Master's (minimum), are willing to pursue a Master's while working full-time simultaneously, already educated enough, or willing to work as a Library Page part-time.

A Bachelor's is absolutely worthless, beyond it being a hall pass for $30k a year.

Nobody told me this in college. Nobody told me there'd be 4 jobs, all of which I am unqualified.

Should I just give up? Just cash in that $30k a year hall pass and let it all vanish?