Being a history major, I often run into a widespread misconception: people think that if you major in history, the only thing you can do once you’ve graduated is teach history. While that is a viable path, that’s certainly not the only path.
What else can you do with a history degree?
A lot. The American Historical Assocation has a detailed page about what a history major might do after graduation. People with a history degree might find themselves working in education, obviously, but they could also end up being communicators of some sort. Working in business, particularly administration, is also a possibility.
If you do a Google search for “what can you do with a history degree” and check out some of the top results, you’ll find that a lot of people think that all you can do with one is teach. They’re wrong.
Where It Gets Personal
It’s not a crime to be misinformed. It’s not a crime to put your nose where it doesn’t belong, either. While neither are a crime, when you combine those two things, the end result can be quite frustrating.
I can’t tell you how many people have questioned my choice of major; not in a curiosity way, either, like “Oh, cool, what do you want to do with that degree?” Instead, people have essentially attacked my choice of major: “History? What are you going to do with that?” (scorn) “You should switch to being a business major, they make way more money.” Their argument always follows the path of “Well, if you aren’t going to teach, you can’t do anything with it.”
I’ve learned to take such nonsense in stride, but it’s still a bit of a put off. I’m not an idiot (really); I have looked into this stuff, you know. While I can be spontaneous smetimes, I don’t often set aside 4 years of my life to get a degree without looking into what I can do with said degree.
Insult is often added to injury when these people will try to argue with me about this. I’ll tell them that you can do many things with a history degree; that I’ve looked into it a great deal. And they will, without missing a beat, tell me that I’m wrong, and that if I’m not going to teach, I can’t do anything with the degree.
Argh.
What ever happened to getting a degree in something that you enjoy? What’s with the obsession with vocation-based education? Jobs are important, but they aren’t the end-all, be-all of your life. If I wanted to major in business or nursing or dental hygiene or some other “you can get a high paying job immediately after graduating with this!” degree, I would. But I don’t. I want to major in history, and I refuse to be swayed by the masses.
I can hear the army of history geeks mustering now, to back me up. I hope.
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