Double major with something that is more lucrative (but won't make you pull your hair out in frustration or boredom) and that way you can bring in the "soft skills" of the history degree to the table when getting jobs in a field that actually has an existing job market. It also allows you to explore that passion for history throughout school (and helps the major enrollment numbers for the history department you work in)

If you want jobs that will accept any degree, History is a good choice - particularly if the job wants research skills. If you’re considering becoming an archivist, lawyer, or librarian, it’s a good stepping stone. If you’re interested in any other liberal arts field for grad school, the skills in History are pretty translatable.

If, however, you want something more lucrative, it’s not the best idea. I know lots of people with History degrees who basically just wanted any job that would pay after graduation, and most are content (but, they were all okay with low or moderate pay).

I do think what you chose as a minor (or double major, if you’re inclined) can affect your prospects.

It will not help you get a job in any unrelated field. Creative writing, communications, journalism, english, psychology... Unless it's related you will just have 'a 4 year degree'.

If you can afford it, great. It will be a nice experience. If you lack the enthusiasm to finish any other program, do it. But I would make it as inexpensive as possible. When I graduated with a similar degree I ended up working at a coffee shop with a masters of fine art and a bachelor of art and design.

I recommend getting an AA in History at community college and then getting your actual degree. A History AA is pretty much just a General Studies AA but instead of electives you have history classes.

I got a History AA before my BS in Comp Sci and the soft skills + research skills I developed in my AA have actually been a huge help.

I have actually been considering doing the same thing, the benefits include having a pre-made tour of History that you can study with a direct link of people who hold more knowledge on the topic you are learning. It's an interesting way to learn basic topics, and find out what truly interests you, but it's an expensive way for sure- There are plenty of online free courses you can try your hand at, and you can always back out no harm done. If you do get a degree in History, maybe you could even be a Teacher?

Some great advice by others here, so I won't repeat what others have said. What I'll add from my experience on the job market, your degree is just going to be one small part of any job application. As others have already mentioned, any Bachelor of Arts is going to give you a lot of soft skills that you can use in a wide range of jobs. To set yourself apart, you're going to want to add other experience to that. Volunteer with an organization your passionate about. Try to land summer jobs that complement some of the skills you're developing in your degree. This is actually one of the pros of going to a university campus. There's lots of groups you can get involved with and people to meet that can provide connections to unique opportunities.

Your degree is not just about getting a job, so study what you're interested in while using extracurricular activities to boost your resume. Experiences volunteering or working a variety of different jobs will give you a lot more to talk about in a cover letter than anything you actually study at university.

Some degrees will help you get your first job. But the corporate world is all about the what-have-you-done-lately. Your degree doesn't matter much. What matters is your ability to think critically, learn new skills, obtain new knowledge and apply what you've learned in a way that helps your managers achieve their goals in the eyes of their managers. History or any liberal arts degree will help with those soft skills. For most careers, any hard skills you learn in college will be outdated by the time you enter the job market. Whatever you learn in school; Take the time to learn to present and advocate for your ideas in a convincing way without seeming cocky or over-confident (I would suggest taking public speaking and/or business writing courses or joining your local Toast Masters chapter and jumping at the chance to participate in class discussions. Learn to read the room and present your ideas in a way that the people around you will feel confident in your ideas and opinions. Practice advocating for other people's ideas and opinions when you feel that they may be on to something. I was given this advice by a family you friend early in my college years and I took it to heart. I've since managed to turn a degree in Political Science with a minor in International Relations into a 30+ year career in the television marketing industry. I may not have used the exact things I learned in my coursework in my career but I have definitely used many of the soft skills I picked up in college to further my career. I know quite a few people who graduated with Television, Film and Marketing degrees who have washed out of the industry because either hard skills they learned were outdated by the time or shortly after they started their careers or because they became disillusioned with the industry for being a lot more of a corporate culture than they were expecting.

The analytical and writing skills you learn as a history major are really valuable in a variety of professions. You learn how to look at a variety of different data sources, analyze, synthesize and distill that information to draw conclusions, and then communicate them effectively. You can do that in other liberal arts majors too, but I think it's especially stressed in history programs. (Also, if you're interested in a lot of different things, history is great, because everything has a history--history of science, business, medicine, etc.)

Anyway, the ability to think, analyze and write clearly is really valuable in almost any professional career. Don't let people talk you out of a history major with the "what are you going to do with that?" argument. The answer is: "whatever I want."

edit: I should add that this applies to an undergraduate degree in history. A master's in history is a totally different kettle of fish which you should only get if you have a real plan for what to do with it.

Currently a History student in the UK. From my research, I know I can be wrong, but History seems to be a good degree with many options, yes some may require post grads but that's nothing out of the ordinary. I love History but I don't think a career in academia is for me nor teaching younger people. I've actually looked into a postgraduate in Scots Law to progress onto being a solicitor, I'll probably change my mind though.

Studying history isn't just about learning about the past with it you develop argumentative skills, the ability to pick key information to back what you're views is useful in many sectors. Aswell as many other benefits it's enjoyable especially where I go I'm entering the years where I can pick my topics and delve even deeper into my area of interest.