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History is one of those things I'm extremely good at. But what with what is going on at home I get to hear how I'm going to destroy my life with it. I'm really good with Political Sciences as well.
So give it to me straight, is pursuing a History major in Graduate School an idiot decision? Because if I do I'm sure I'm going to catch a lot of ridicule for it.
What do you mean good at History?
If you meet all of the following you may pursue this field with good prospects upon graduation:
1. Your GRE scores are in the top nationwide 10% ranking.
2. You have the means to pursue a PhD immediately after the B.A.(family money, grants, loans,etc) Also to live the PhD lifestyle of a TA and still do research off campus as needed.
3. You are accepted by a school with a known program or staff and secure a well regarded faculty member as an advisor
4. Your thesis is either a unique subject or takes an unprecedented view of previously mined subjects.
5. You are young as in under 30years of age upon completion of the PhD.
6. You have the ability to produce scholarly articles while researching your thesis.
7. You must be able to speak publicly and present material to laypeople.
8. You must have a high degree of social intelligence.
9. You must be able to relocate anywhere upon graduate to secure employment.
10. Unless you are an extremely intelligent person you must be prepared to sacrifice your personal recreational activities for the next few years.
This field should have all of your passion and you should be investing your free time reading Toynbee, Braudel,etc.to develop your own style of writing and presentation and understanding of how History as a field has and can be researched. If you feel the need to network it would be on one of the specialized academic history forums and not some half-assed forum such as this for advice.
The academic market in history is not good- some have likened getting a tenure track position to winning the lottery. Don't take my word- read the Chronicle of Higher Education.
> Do not underestimate the ability to read, write and think well when it comes to getting a decent job.
I think this is very true- but it means that you need to look for a way to use these skills after graduation (and to persuade employers they want you, perhaps as opposed to someone with apparently more relevant background). Many graduate programs aim you right for the academic market- where there is very limited opportunity.
So my dad is right? I'm tossing my life away for it?
Figures the one thing I'd be good at wouldn't get me anywhere.
I mean what good would the IDS degree do alongside it?
No. A masters in history can be useful if you have a specific career in mind that you know will look favorably on that degree.
Don't just get a masters just because, however. I would say that for any masters degree.
Work for a while first figure out what kind of work you really want to do. THEN go back. Most masters are useless without work experience anyway.
What specifically do you like about History? What makes you good in those classes? Why are you also good at political science? The answers to those questions can give you clues on which types of jobs you might want to try first.
So my dad is right? I'm tossing my life away for it?
Figures the one thing I'd be good at wouldn't get me anywhere.
I mean what good would the IDS degree do alongside it?
You can't really be "good at" history. It's something you study, not something you do. So what exactly are you good at that you interpret as being "good at" history? Maybe you should focus on that and think about what paying careers you could pursue that use those skills. For example, if you are really "good at" interpreting and reinterpreting data and building an argument to support a point of view (which is pretty much what academic history is), then that is something that would apply to many professions, including law, marketing, and nonprofit work.
Have to disagree - the job market in academia for history or any of the other humanities is dismal at best. And by dismal I mean that there IS no market. You need a PhD from a top university to work in academia, and only the best of the very best will get tenure-track (full-time) jobs. Most will end up trying to figure out a career change so they can pay back the hundreds of thousands of dollars they took out in loans to train for a career that they won't ever have.
As for teaching in high school or lower, you don't need a graduate degree in history to do that, and actually a graduate degree in history will not allow you to teach anyway. You need a degree in education and a teaching license.
Unless you are desperately passionate about history and are at a top tier university (like Ivy league) and you are so good that you will be getting fellowships to pay for school, then a history degree is just a luxury that you will pay for but not actually use. So if you can afford, then go for it. Otherwise, don't say no one warned you.
Poly sci is only slightly better, but the job market there is also not great. Still, it's a little better, and if you are young and interview well then you can get a job. However, a grad degree in poly sci without any work experience is useless. You will age yourself out of the entry level world, and look overqualified and somewhat foolish applying for entry jobs with a grad degree. I'm not sure what the academic job market is like for poly sci, but I'm sure it's very competitive at the least.
If not history, what discipline do you suggest for someone who wants to become a history research professor?
If history is only good to study at a top tier school, then by all means, don't waste your time at a lower tier school.
What is the reasoning for the pro-History major crowd?
It all depends on how badly you want it. If you have an absolute burning desire to teach and research history at the academic level, go after it. Just go in with your eyes open and realize that it's going to be a struggle and you will likely have to work twice as hard than everyone else to succeed.
If you want to go to grad school for history just because it sounds cool but are not entirely show what you want to do with it, give it some more thought. Research your options and think about what you really want to do with your life.
History is one of those things I'm extremely good at. But what with what is going on at home I get to hear how I'm going to destroy my life with it. I'm really good with Political Sciences as well.
So give it to me straight, is pursuing a History major in Graduate School an idiot decision? Because if I do I'm sure I'm going to catch a lot of ridicule for it.
What you are studying is less important than whether or not you have a solid idea/plan of how you're going to use it. "Bad" majors don't cause problems, indecision and lack of planning for the future generally does. If you are studying something you have a vested interest in, and have come up with a good use for it, you'll be as fine as you can be. There are job market factors that are out of your control, and skill issues that are out of your control, but if you have a plan of what you want to do, and can make your interests work for that, you're in as good a shape as you're gonna be in.
No matter what you're studying, it's an idiot decision if you haven't thought about to what use you will put it. Or, if not an idiot decision, at least a bad buy. Don't spend money on things you have no idea how you'll use. This goes for retail puchases, and it goes for educational investments. Have a plan.
Also? People in your life who are standing on the sidelines ridiculing your decisions are pretty worthless. If you spend your time focusing on how to impress naysayers in your life, you're setting yourself up for misery, no matter what level of success you attain or do not attain. I've seen it
What is the reasoning for the pro-History major crowd?
Find one recent phd in humanities who belongs to that crowd, and that would be the only reasoning that would matter. But I don't think you'll find one. That should tell you something right there. Go to the Chronicle of Higher Ed forums and ask your question there, and see what the other history grad students have to say.
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