<p>I'm going to be a senior in the fall, so I'm starting to freak out about the whole college applications process. I am interested in majoring in History (and maybe doubling with Economics) in college because I've really grown to love the subject. </p>
<p>The thing is, I have no idea what I want to do after I graduate from college. Would majoring in history be totally impractical if I don't pursue it in graduate school and beyond? What kind of jobs should I expect to be able to get after graduating as a undergraduate?</p>
<p>I'm not a big math and science person, so I'm pretty sure I'll end up majoring in something along the lines of liberal arts/humanities anyway, so am I pretty much "doomed career-wise" as my parents like to say?</p>
<p>Well, while there are relatively few history related jobs for history majors without a graduate degree, people who majored in history can get almost any type of job. Humanities majors often face the question of what will they do with their degree because these majors don't lead to a specific job or type of job like, say, engineering. But humanities majors provide a great background that can then be applied to all sorts of fields.
I was a history major and am now a grad student in IR, which definitely overlaps, and I know former history majors who are now in a wide variety of jobs. Major in what interests you and worry about job prospects later, your interests and goals will probably change or evolve over the next few years.</p>
<p>I'm a history major who would love to continue in the field. Nevertheless, to be realistic I'll have to go to law school. Hopefully I can continue some semblance of a career in history learning/teaching legal history. </p>
<p>Often, departments have to justify themselves to administrations and parents on just these grounds. The head of my college's history department offers to write a letter to any student's parents who want to know and understand what can be done with a history degree. I'm sure your department will be able to provide you with a similar list of options/choices.</p>
<p>I think paying attention to the job market for a particular major and being realistic about employment and salary prospects is a prudent thing to do. The idea that a great job will just fall on your lap if you study anything that interests you is naive. It's best to have an idea of what's likely ahead and make a conscious decision. </p>
<p>A history major is often a stepping stone to grad school in a variety of areas. I'm not convinced that the prospects of obtaining a high paying job with a bachelor degree in history is realistic but then, this is fine with some people.</p>
<p>If I do decide to major in History as an undergraduate and go to graduate school afterwards, what kind of career paths would open up for me? I know that the job market is great for all things science and technology related, but I don't know much about anything else.</p>
<p>The main reason why history majors (like us elite ones who responded) get such a wide variety of jobs is because of the training that it gives you. The departments are looking to train their students to read, to write, and to think critically. They push our noses to sources to see what's being argued and evaluate that. We can analyze anything and know how to separate facts from myths because we look for evidence to back up the information. It's sort of being like a lawyer in a way.... The profesors will challenge you to stand for your argument and force you to think from all different angles so you can be successful. It's a pretty hard-hitting major, I'll tell you LOL Or at least my university's department does.</p>
<p>And employers realize that by hiring history majors, they've got a well-trained employee who doesn't need to be told on how to help make the company successful. What you learned on your first day of African history lecture won't come to you again but the skills that you will gain are meant to last forever.</p>
<p>For me, I hope to go on and earn a PhD so I can work in a museum as a historian or educator :)</p>