What is the Career Outlook for History Majors?

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The career outlook for history majors today is one that is alive and growing healthily. Don’t just take our word for it though. Let’s take a look to some current stats to help illustrate this sunny career outlook for history majors.

Markers for Success

It is important to say that the most effective way that we’ve found to measure such outlooks is through tapping into the diligence of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. It is this US government body that’s responsible for providing us with the ultimate numbers and specs in all matters of the many vocations out there.

For the purpose of this piece, we attribute our conclusions and individual statistics to the BLS. For the purpose of assigning a grade to the outlook of the field of history jobs in general, we look to a number of common careers within the area. The following four BLS-studied professions in the history arena tell the story quite well regarding the state of the field’s overall outlook.

Curator

Our first example of the state of the field comes to us in the form of the curator. Curators are those in charge of managing and administering an:

  • exhibit
  • museum
  • other display venue

History curation is a common form of this vocation specifically practiced by history majors. Growth here is steady at around 7% overall, which is quite solid for a somewhat niche industry to begin with.

High School Teacher

Another common occupation for many history majors is that of high school teacher. Most history majors gravitate toward teaching history specifically in this school setting. Many find themselves happily employed in other teaching positions in high schools as well. According to the BLS, the outlook for such teachers is steady at around 6% right now. This is a promising figure that is not expected to change any time soon.

Research Assistant

The position of research assistant is one quite commonly filled by today’s history major. A research assistant may work in any number of fields and be tasked with researching various types of information. History majors are perfect for such a position because of:

  • their critical thinking skills
  • their ability to research facts
  • their ability to hunt down elusive information

The BLS rates growth in this common employment area for history majors at a steady 6%.

Documentary/Film Editor

According to the BLS, today’s outlook for the documentary/film editor is an impressive 11%. Many history majors are drawn to this area of work for their ability to find the accurate presentation of historic facts and accounts in film presentations. Prior film production knowledge and education are not required of the history major in these areas of film-making.

Related Resource: 20 Best Deals on Small Colleges for History Buffs

There are other career paths that will elicit greater outlook numbers. However, the cumulative outlook for the many work areas for history majors is more than ample for those following this path. To research even more information on the career outlook for history majors and others, remember to regularly consult the outstanding resources of the BLS.

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