What are careers in history i can get a degree in college for?

Question

im a senior at high school and ive always wanted to pursue a career in writing. now, however, i have more realistic goals (as writing may bomb out) and history is my greatest strength as well as passion. unfortunately the only careers i am aware of are a museum worker/curator, and a teacher. i also know a little of archaeology and the study of artifacts and such. what are my other options? and if posible, what are salaries and years to go to college for the particular job?

Answer 1

I majored in history as an undergrad. I worked as an ESL teacher for some years, then found my way into freelance technical writing. My career in this field would be stronger if I had a degree in technical writing; some universities offer both bachelor's and master's degrees in this discipline.

However, I am a collector of old and rare books. This has led me into a master's program in Library and Information Science. I'm specializing in document/manuscript preservation and restoration, which is very similar to curatorship. I'm a student in the MLIS program at SJSU-SLIS, the largest program of its kind in the world. There are many such programs around the country: the Pratt Institute in New York, UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina, UT at Austen in Texas, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, and Indiana University at Bloomington are a few of the most notable. There are many, many career opportunities available to graduates of such programs, both in the public and private spheres.

However, if you are not interested in an advanced degree, nor a career in teaching, I would encourage you to pursue a bachelor's in journalism, communication, or techinical writing. All these bachelor's can lead to a rewarding career in writing. The bachelor's in history, without an advanced degree, leads only to teaching or similar work, and that at a great disadvantage next to those with master's or teaching certs. Of course, any degree will help you get to middle-management in a corporation, but to be honest a business degree is better for that. Anyway, I sense that's not where your interests lie.

The MLIS is a two-year degree, as is, for instance the MS in technical writing. Entry-level salaries in these fields depends a great deal on where you find a job, but in a state such as CA you can expect 40,000 for both fields with your master's. It'd be lower in poorer states, and those in the middle of their careers tend to see substantial yearly increases with seniority, as well as sigificant security and benefits. Some university librarians even enjoy faculty status, meaning they can achieve tenure (job-security until retirement, barring gross misconduct), depending on the university.

Good luck to you! Hope this helps!