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Hello, Queen’s! Welcome back for another exciting year! This year, The Watson Blog is run by two lovely writers: Cade Cowan, a Politics Major and History Minor, and Shannyn Bald, a History Major and Medieval Studies Minor. We really look forward to this year and we have some great things planned for this blog, so keep your eyes peeled for more fun posts!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and that means a lot of us history students will find ourselves sitting around the family dinner table. This can be a harrowing time because of one dreaded question:
“So, what will you do with a degree in history?”
We have all heard it, pondered it, scrambled over an answer for it. Hopefully, however, this article will help you come up with some great responses to successfully answer whichever family member decides to bring it up. The best defense for some pesky, extended relatives is preparation. Imagine you are preparing your castle for a siege, but instead of raging barbarians at your gates, it is just your annoying aunt Carol.
In the History field, a lot of jobs usually require further education past a bachelor’s degree. Because of this further education, the answer, “I have plenty of time to figure that out while I do more schooling,” can sometimes satisfy people's’ curiosity, and as a bonus, can make you look extra studious! This situation is not just specific to History Majors but many other disciplines as well. Using the idea that this need for further education is not unique to just us historians, is another way that you can defend your history degree.
Although, the question of “after the studies” often rears its head after that answer. So, now you can tell the inquisitor that you have many options like archival and museum work. Jobs such as curator, archivist, and conservator are all open up to you. These jobs all involve working with historical artifacts and documents. With enough schooling, the role of Historian is also important to modern day society. Researching and being an authority on historical topics is important in understanding our society today. A lot of people who inquire about why you study history, don’t realize that it goes much deeper than just having to know an insane amount of names and dates. (Those are also important too, though!). A history degree allows you to be able to look at the present day with an idea of how life worked way back when, and that allows you to figure out how best to approach whatever comes your way.
However, if the persistent questioner is someone who doesn’t understand the importance of historical practice, or you’re someone who is looking for a different kind of career, a history degree from Queen’s can lead to jobs in the government, a library, the film industry, public policy, law, genealogical research, education, and tourism. Queen’s history courses are designed to emphasize writing, research, and analytical skills that can be applied to many different jobs. These skills are tools that over the course of a four-year degree, students become very good at using.
Getting a history degree often comes with a lot of difficult questions about what you could possibly do afterwards, and that sometimes leads to fears concerning landing a job after you get a degree. But, there are so many options open to a history student that no fear is necessary. There are plenty of impressive, valuable, and useful things that come from a history degree that you can tell your prying uncle, or worried gramma around the family dinner table this Thanksgiving.
But of course, the best Thanksgiving family interaction regarding your history degree looks like this:
“What future is there in history?”
“Well, none, it’s all in the past.”