• LAVA Moderator: Shinji Ikari

What kind of jobs can I get with Bachelor in history?

the correst response is you either can go to law school or become a teacher. those are your 2 options.
 
bachelors is pretty irrelevant. if you take the proper test and get some letters of rec and some xp in a field you can get into a masters program in some other field. plenty of people have a BA in 1 field and a job or masters in something quite different.

you should never consider going back once you're nearly finished or finished with a BA. It would be like going through highschool again. I know several people who have gotten multiple BAs and I just wonder if they just want to never leave school. any job you go to will train you specifically what you need to know and be able to do anyway.
 
Historian?

Out of curiosity... didn't you give this any thought when you chose your major?

things were different when I picked that major, I wanted to go into law, but I changed my mind. Most likely I will go for my MBA.
 
Hey shahab6, I pretty much fit typically with what the answers are here. Major in History (Honors), minor in Women's Studies and went to law school. :\ That's probably not what you want to hear. I don't regret going into history for ONE MINUTE. I really don't think I'd doubt it even if I didn't get into law school. I studies what I wanted to learn and in the typical liberal arts fashion feel a more full, better person for it.

Does your university have a career center? From my experience, most universities have this for their students and graduates. And/or can you talk to history professors about connections? What they did to get a job before going into academia? Are you interested in getting into academia yourself?

Also, this may be dry but have you thought about library science? I know that's another common field for History majors to go into (the subjects sort of lead to each other).
 
Christ, can I relate to this...

Most people will tell you either law or history. I like law a little less than going to the dentist, so the other is the only other reasonable one. That said, my understanding is that having a degree at all is more important these days than its direct relevance to whatever ends up becoming your bread and butter, provided specialization is not needed (e.g., chemistry, electronic engineering, etc.). Incidentally, I'm actually going to become a history teacher, though I'd have balked at that only a short while ago.

Like Amor, I don't regret it; I loved history then and still do, and hope that one day I can transmit that enthusiasm to others. :)
 
I can relate to that too!! I just finished my BA and started my MA in history. Don't give up :)

Librarian is probably the most appealing of all opportunities you might have after you've completed your BA. In Canada though, you also need some schooling in «documentation studies» (sorry, I don't know what it's called in english!) for that. If you have a MA, you can teach at the college level.
I also know a few bachelors that got jobs in museums and in tourist offices, because they're able to do some research on a site's history and make it more attractive for the public. However these are mostly contractual positions.

In my case, I've been working as a T.A. and research assistant for one of my professors. You might consider that option if you have good grades and good relationships with your professors. It's probably helpful on a resume...
 
As someone else mentioned, these days it's more important to have a degree than anything else, regardless of what area it's in. I got a pretty sweet, although rather underpaid, job at a software company while working on a biochem degree (so no degree and studying in an unrelated field). The trick is to apply for as many jobs as possible, and try to apply for jobs in companies that do things you find interesting, even if the particular job description isn't exactly what you're looking for ideally - I got my job as a manager/interdepartmental liaison because I applied for an executive assistant job and impressed them during the interview.

Push comes to shove, it's usually quite a good deal to try to find a job as a manager of a fast food restaurant or similar establishment. Salary is typically close to 30k with benefits, and it looks good on a resume. With any kind of degree, it shouldn't be hard to find one of those. Not the best job in the world, but better than a poke in the eye, and again, good resume fodder.
 
I wouldn't stress too much at all. You have a B.A., and that's about all most employers care from your undergrads. I'm an East Asian history major, and I certainly didn't go into that intending to spend the rest of my life flipping through texts about the Qing Dynasty. Now, I'm working as a journalist, and I haven't even finished the fucking degree yet. But I'm going back just to finish my history degree, but that's really helpful to have, even this career path.
 
another option is to lead to sociology and perhaps leading to a role in government policy advisory

this is why i am doing history. teaching is a fall back option if the dirty political game puts me off later on.
 
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