Let’s be honest, the declaration that you want to take on thousands of dollars in student debt to get a degree in history definitely left your parents with a mild sense of panic. My parents had the same reaction. After all, what can you do with a history degree?

Hi, I’m Brittany! I got my bachelors and master’s degree in history, and I’m here to give you the hard truth about what it takes to make it with a history degree. Don’t doubt yourself! You can make a decent career with a degree in history, if you’re smart. It definitely took me awhile to get there, but I did it! So, learn from some of my experience, and failures, and, hopefully, you can pursue your passion and make money at the same time! (Trust me, it’s probably harder than you think, but it’s definitely possible!)

First, unless you plan on getting your Ph.D. in history, I strongly, strongly recommend that you double major in something “practical.” For example, marketing, computer science, graphic design, engineering or another major that is a much easier and more in demand industry. I’m telling you right now, a career in history without a Ph.D. will be a challenge.

For example, you will likely need a museum or public history degree, in addition to your history degree, in order to work as a curator in a museum. You’ll also probably need to have at least a master’s degree for most of those higher-level roles. Trust me, I have looked into those jobs with a sense of dread and thought, why didn’t anyone tell me this? A background in archival management or even library science also helps. If you think that you’ll walk right out of school and get your dream job in a museum, you’re wrong.

Those jobs are also rather difficult to come by, especially at the state or federal level. People in these jobs tend to stay in them for years if not decades. There isn’t a lot of turnover, so it is less likely that these types of jobs will come up. (If you’re like me and also like the idea of working in a library fulltime, you’ll have the same problem.)

That’s why, any smart history major gets a double major (I didn’t and wish I did). Having that marketing or graphic design skill will enable you to get a job probably anywhere, even at a museum. Yes, it isn’t taking care of the exhibits or handling the history, but you will get your foot in the door and that is the most important part.

You probably need to complete some internships as well, which is the second point. When I was an undergraduate student, I was in an interesting situation since I actually came to college, at 18, with half of my college credits completed. As a result, I ended up graduating when I was 20, but I didn’t really have time, or the guidance, that would help me get a job after graduating. I didn’t do an internship until about six months after completing my degree, and the internship was super cool but rather unhelpful.

If you’re majoring in history, double major or not, you’ll need to undertake, preferably a couple, good internships. These will help tell you what you like to do, and what you don’t. I did an archaeological dig in Portugal, and although it was incredibly interesting and a once in a lifetime opportunity, after it I knew that I didn’t want to be an archaeologist. It’s just not my particular skill set.

I also advise that if you’re planning on just doing a history major, that you take up internships in a variety of different fields. History gives you an immense skill set but you need to know how to sell it to potential employers after graduation. If you find a job you like in the sales industry, for example, your internship and experience will help shore up your resume since you didn’t major in business.

Third, if you decide to not double major for some reason, then I highly, highly recommend that you hone your writing and research skills. As a history major, those will be the easiest career areas to break into. Currently, I do work as a professional writer. It was a career I both crafted and fell into, which leads me to my fourth point.

Learn new skills as often as you can. I may be able to write, but I also have professional experience in marketing, Google analytics, social media, content management, website coding and a variety of other areas related to communications. Those definitely aren’t skills I learned in school, but all because I kept pursuing opportunities to learn new things that would make me marketable and employable beyond my educational field. I’m not just a one trick pony, but if I didn’t have those skills then I know that I would struggle to find and grow my career.

In four years, because of all the different skills and experience I had, I was able to DOUBLE my salary.

History is an amazing field, and something that I love deeply. BUT it definitely isn’t the easiest to make a career without a Ph.D. or without gaining some great and marketable secondary skills. If you’re a student and have any questions about history and how to make a great career with a history degree, feel free to reach out to history.with.brittany@gmail.com. I’m always anxious to help young and budding historians!!