Jobs for a History major

[USMCPOG]

Originally Posted by ryhoyarbie

What's the definition of comfort zone anyway? Applying for any kind of jobs in the same city they live in? Applying for the same type of job in the same city and not looking at other jobs in other cities in the state they live in or other states?


I'm just curious.

Besides laziness and thinking they are entitled (especially tech degrees like IT, CS, engineering, etc.), the main problem is that students don't know their markets. A political science degree is going to take you a lot further and give you a lot more opportunity in Washington DC or Virginia for example, than it will in Nebraska. An engineering degree though, would do the opposite and probably take you further in Nebraska, which is becoming a data center hub now, than it would in Virginia. The way this site is so prejudicial against certain degrees is comical. Would I ever get a history degree if I went back? No. But does that mean that someone else with one can't find a job? Absolutely not.

Look at how many high level government officials and politicians have "BS" political science, history, or international relations degrees on their resume. It'll actually surprise you. Yes, many went to law school or got a masters afterwards, but most became employed right after college in some high level occupation. It was their drive and willingness to take chances (like moving to another city) that made them become our leaders eventually, not a worthless GPA or their major.

[esunsalmista]

Originally Posted by Frihed89

Whatever degree you earn, if it teaches you to think analytically and critically and to communicate the results of your analysis very clearly in writing and speaking, you will have a marked advantage over those who embark on professional studies.

OP, you might hear this a lot but this is honestly some of the clearest advice here. Although I'd refine a bit and just say that any degree that teaches you those skills gives you an advantage, period.

One reason (so far as my experience has taught me) why some degrees seem unemployable is because they can generally be obtained with very little effort (some of them can even be obtained with high grades and little effort). You can imagine getting such a degree only to find you're hardly any better at anything than when you started. That doesn't mean they're useless, it's just that everyone has to be responsible about how much effort they will invest. Eventually the effort pays off.

Again, this isn't exhaustive or even the main issue with employability of a degree. It's just something I'm sharing based on my time in college.