<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>My name is Angela and I graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Psychology in 2010. I have been gainfully employed in the field for years - this is the only path I've ever really explored ever since I was about 17 years old. I am now 24.</p>
<p>Recently I thought I wanted to be an RN so I could make more money in the field, but now I'm realizing I'm really not that passionate about psychology/medicine anymore. It doesn't excite me; it feels burdensome. </p>
<p>I am NOT good at science/math and my transcript reflects it. My strong suits are writing/English (I have never gotten less than an A- in any related course and test above average in them) and my true interest lies in history (specifically Tudor England); I read and write voraciously and have done so on this topic for years. </p>
<p>I dream of being able to study this area of history and make a career out of it, but I don't know how. I have NO connections in this world so when it comes to references for graduate school? I have none. I don't even know if a place would take me because my undergrad/work experience is vastly different from history. I also am aware that the careers in these types of fields are hard to come by but I'm not willing to let go of the dream just yet.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever done anything even remotely similar to this? Or have any advice as to what I should do? Please!! Thank you so much in advance.</p>
<p>What do you want to do? There are quite a few things you can do in history. The traditional route is to become a history professor, but the job market is abysmal in that field and it would require a PhD that takes on average 8-10 years to complete.</p>
<p>You could become a history teacher, which would likely require a master’s (or second bachelor’s) in the field combined with teacher certification. That would probably take you 2-3 years to complete.</p>
<p>Or you could do museum work. There are a variety of degrees that lead to a variety of jobs within museums. Museum curators usually need an MA or PhD in history, but there are a lot of jobs in museums that only require bachelor’s degrees. You could also be a public historian, which may require an MA or a PhD in history.</p>
<p>The thing is, there’s a difference between being passionate about a field and wanting to study more of it and having to make a career out of it. I too love history, and I always joke to people that if I hadn’t gone into psychology myself I might’ve gone into history instead. But in reality, I don’t think I would. The study of history as a scholarly pursuit is different from the casual interest (even casual passionate interest in it) as a hobby. I read historical novels and histories all the time and I am able to indulge in my interest - even a very specific time period interest that could be developed into a research topic - without necessarily getting a degree and working in it. You could do that too, if you wanted. I guess what I’m saying is that you have to determine whether a career in history is worth the sacrifice for you, and worth braving the very bad job market in that field to take a chance, especially when you will most likely have to pay for your degree unless you get a PhD.</p>