What to do after History Degree

Original post by ANB1993

Not really. A history degree is very favorable to many job markets. Law or Accountancy is a destination many find themselves in. A few I know are considering the Royal Marines!

Are you talking based on what History degree info usually says or based in actual facts?
When you say Law or Accountancy, do you mean after making a postgraduate course or just with the History degree?

Most History degree job options are outdate, and doesn’t represent nowadays job market. If you look the last five years statistics (e.g. What Graduates do) you will find that tiny History graduates work on the traditional jobs associated to History degree, and much less Law or Accountancy.

If a person study History degree to join the Royal Marines, will be a high educated, but probably has wasted his time, because there is not need of a degree (much less History degree) to join the Marines.

The traditional History degree’s “transferable skills will open any door” doesn’t work anymore.

Reply 4

ANB1993

10

Original post by irasa87

Are you talking based on what History degree info usually says or based in actual facts?
When you say Law or Accountancy, do you mean after making a postgraduate course or just with the History degree?

Most History degree job options are outdate, and doesn’t represent nowadays job market. If you look the last five years statistics (e.g. What Graduates do) you will find that tiny History graduates work on the traditional jobs associated to History degree, and much less Law or Accountancy.

If a person study History degree to join the Royal Marines, will be a high educated, but probably has wasted his time, because there is not need of a degree (much less History degree) to join the Marines.

The traditional History degree’s “transferable skills will open any door” doesn’t work anymore.

No I mean after taking a postgraduate course. It is right what you are saying that without a postgraduate course the "transferable skills will open any door" does not work. However, many Law firms will pay history applicants through the conversion (no more than if an English student etc wanted to convert!)
No, I do not mean joining the marines with his history degree. I mean joining the marines to enhance the skills from a history degree when applying for law after three years in the marines.

Reply 5

Original post by ANB1993

No I mean after taking a postgraduate course. It is right what you are saying that without a postgraduate course the "transferable skills will open any door" does not work. However, many Law firms will pay history applicants through the conversion (no more than if an English student etc wanted to convert!)
No, I do not mean joining the marines with his history degree. I mean joining the marines to enhance the skills from a history degree when applying for law after three years in the marines.

So you are saying that “after making a postgraduate course in Law” a History graduate can try a Law career. You agree then that History degree without a postgraduate course is pretty worthless nowdays.

I guess was not your intention, but comments like your original one “Law or Accountancy is a destination many find themselves in” for (History graduate) is what make people so mislead about History degree’s real job options.

We have to speak properly and just say that, what will get you in a Law will be a postgraduate course in Law. A History degree will not get you in Law career.

(I am not convince that even a postgraduate course in Law will get you in Law career, but absolutely not a History degree).

I don't see your point about joining the Marines. It's nothing to do with History degree's skills or applying for Law, and much less if it takes three years.

Reply 6

ANB1993

10

Original post by irasa87

So you are saying that “after making a postgraduate course in Law” a History graduate can try a Law career. You agree then that History degree without a postgraduate course is pretty worthless nowdays.

I guess was not your intention, but comments like your original one “Law or Accountancy is a destination many find themselves in” for (History graduate) is what make people so mislead about History degree’s real job options.

We have to speak properly and just say that, what will get you in a Law will be a postgraduate course in Law. A History degree will not get you in Law career.

(I am not convince that even a postgraduate course in Law will get you in Law career, but absolutely not a History degree).

I don't see your point about joining the Marines. It's nothing to do with History degree's skills or applying for Law, and much less if it takes three years.

Ah yes I agree that the history degree alone in that respect is of little value. However, an undergraduate History degree coupled with a Postgraduate degree is highly desirable. Of course how your perform in both of the degrees plays a major part, whilst also who you know plays it's part, but on the basis of a history degree alone I will agree with you. I think peoples understanding of what the raw history degree can do for you is more naivety than anything else.
What a history degree does for many people is delay making the final decision of what they want to do. This can be critical for some people!

Reply 7

ChocoholicPolyglot

9

Teaching, banking/finance/management (most of the firms don't have any subject requirements when it comes to the degree) and if you're multilingual you can do something like interpeting or translating for an international body. These are the jobs that don't really require a qualification in any specific field so to speak in the way that a career in law does.

Reply 8

River85

17

Original post by irasa87

If a person study History degree to join the Royal Marines, will be a high educated, but probably has wasted his time, because there is not need of a degree (much less History degree) to join the Marines.

There are graduate entry schemes for the Armed forces (fast track officer routes)

Reply 9

Original post by irasa87

Are you talking based on what History degree info usually says or based in actual facts?
When you say Law or Accountancy, do you mean after making a postgraduate course or just with the History degree?

Most History degree job options are outdate, and doesn’t represent nowadays job market. If you look the last five years statistics (e.g. What Graduates do) you will find that tiny History graduates work on the traditional jobs associated to History degree, and much less Law or Accountancy.

If a person study History degree to join the Royal Marines, will be a high educated, but probably has wasted his time, because there is not need of a degree (much less History degree) to join the Marines.

The traditional History degree’s “transferable skills will open any door” doesn’t work anymore.

Actually, you'd be surprised how many History and Arts grads end up in Accountancy, I'd say more History graduates go into it than Economics graduates.

By the way, I love how everyone is saying Arts degrees are rubbish for employment these days, not too long ago before the economy went belly up, no one was complaining are everything was rosey. The same will be the case when the economy is growing at +2% again per year.

History grads can, and still do, go into finance (insurance, accountancy, IB), politics, journalism, civil service, law, management...to name but a few.

And then you have the traditional teaching route which many take. One reason I guess is there true passion for History.

Reply 10

People keep repeating the same nonsense. Please use your grey cells, do a little research, for example have a look the latest statistics, look vacancies requirements. Even apply for a job just with HIstory degree, you will see the result.
Everything that Makebelieve15, ChocoholicPolyglot and River85 mention needs a postgraduate or special course or training. That courses or training is what will make you an accountant, army officer, teacher, etc. Just with bare History degree you don’t get hire as accountant, teacher, etc.

To teach you need to be register, and to register you need a Teaching postgraduate course (e.g. Master in Education, Teaching Qualification Further Education, etc)

To work as interpreter or translating you need a degree in language (e.g. English degree, German degree, Chinese degree, etc). This is a myth but actually never happens, a person just because speak a language doesn’t get hire as translator without a language degree. (I speak 2 languages, I’ve tried but doesn’t happen).

To became an army officer you need to do a special course in the army, and pass exams. So it’s the special course what makes you an officer, not the History degree.
The same story with Accountancy. No one with bare History degree get hire as accountant. You have to make a special course, or training, some times on the company itself, learn first and then became an accountant. So it’s the special course what makes you an Accountant, not the History degree.
Banking, finance; please, have a look at some vacancies. Most of them require a related degree, e.g. Economics degree, Business degree, Administration degree, etc. The vacancies that says “any degree” the History graduate have to compete with Economic graduate, Business graduate, etc. who do you think they will hire?
Journalism; there are thousands Journalism graduate, do you think they will hire a History graduate, please!

I can see that none of you have a History degree and is looking for a job. Everything that all of you say is what you have read in History degree info, perhaps in Prospect and the Universities degree info. But the in real world doesn’t happen.
I don't know why people can not understand that what get you hire is the postgraduate, or special course or training, not the HIstory degree.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 11

Original post by irasa87

People keep repeating the same nonsense. Please use your grey cells, do a little research, for example have a look the latest statistics, look vacancies requirements. Even apply for a job just with HIstory degree, you will see the result.
Everything that Makebelieve15, ChocoholicPolyglot and River85 mention needs a postgraduate or special course or training. That courses or training is what will make you an accountant, army officer, teacher, etc. Just with bare History degree you don’t get hire as accountant, teacher, etc.

To teach you need to be register, and to register you need a Teaching postgraduate course (e.g. Master in Education, Teaching Qualification Further Education, etc)

To work as interpreter or translating you need a degree in language (e.g. English degree, German degree, Chinese degree, etc). This is a myth but actually never happens, a person just because speak a language doesn’t get hire as translator without a language degree. (I speak 2 languages, I’ve tried but doesn’t happen).

To became an army officer you need to do a special course in the army, and pass exams. So it’s the special course what makes you an officer, not the History degree.
The same story with Accountancy. No one with bare History degree get hire as accountant. You have to make a special course, or training, some times on the company itself, learn first and then became an accountant. So it’s the special course what makes you an Accountant, not the History degree.
Banking, finance; please, have a look at some vacancies. Most of them require a related degree, e.g. Economics degree, Business degree, Administration degree, etc. The vacancies that says “any degree” the History graduate have to compete with Economic graduate, Business graduate, etc. who do you think they will hire?
Journalism; there are thousands Journalism graduate, do you think they will hire a History graduate, please!

I can see that none of you have a History degree and is looking for a job. Everything that all of you say is what you have read in History degree info, perhaps in Prospect and the Universities degree info. But the in real world doesn’t happen.
I don't know why people can not understand that what get you hire is the postgraduate, or special course or training, not the HIstory degree.

LMAO. Pretty much any job these days requires extra training/qualifications of postgraduate/equivalent. This is the case with anything. Teaching, IB, large swathes of the finance sector, law, even medicine requires experience after getting their degree.(

IF you wanted to go into Journalism and work for the big guns, you'd most likely go and get a diploma in Journalism - again, a post grad equivalent. Your thing about loads of Journalism grads is BS btw. Hardly any of the top universities offer such a course. Hence, many History and English graduates end up being journalists.

This is not specific to History, get that into your head. An LPC for example is a postgraduate equivalent. The ACA for accounting is paid for by firms, and look at the big4 intake, they don't care where your degree if from and what it is in, they'll pay you to be one.

All the bold stuff is the bull**** you've typed. Even if you did Accounting and Finance at university, you'd be on the same level as someone who did History at university if you intended on being a chartered accountant, why? Because you need to pass exams set by external boards, not universities who have a vested interest in churning out as many 2.1 grads as possible so as to boost or maintain their tuition fee income. Same goes for Law, a non-Law graduate isn't that far behind LLB grads in the law field provided that they have AAB at A-level. This is represented in figures, 50:50 split with Law and Non-law grads taking TCs at the major firms.

All the jobs listed above are professional jobs and they require professional qualification, not a B.A. or a BSc. So I don't know why you're bashing History. Furthermore, you do know the banks don't care what your degree is in except for the most quantitative of roles - in which many require MSCs.

Yes, the History degree didn't make that professional, but it gave that person the skills to pass the professional examinations. If you took a school leaver and gave them the LPC or ACA and told them to study hard and solidly for 6-9 months and pass the exams, I doubt that one person would pass any of the exams. A degree gives you the skills to time-manage and give dedication to a subject, there's more to a degree than just what field it's in, every degree gives you core skills, whether it be in Economics or Sociology, at the top at Oxford or at a RG like Manchester. That's the bottom line.

Of course, if you don't intend on studying further in any way after gaining a History degree, then you compete with everyone else who's sick of studying and that's where it can get tricky to get a job; when you're going for generic management schemes.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 12

Lumos

13

I think it's about what you do with the degree. I am 100% sure I will pursue a masters course or conversion course - That's what makes a history degree valuable, it provides a solid foundation for further study in politics, journalism, law, economics, business, or any such related masters degrees. A history degree on its own is, admittedly, not a ticket to a good graduate job. But it is a degree that keeps a lot of doors OPEN to you, if you pursue further study.

Tldr; history BA = not a lot
History BA + law conversion/ masters in journalism/ econ/ politics/ business school = good prospects

(All of the above assuming a good university and degree classification for both undergrad and postgrad)

Reply 13

You said:

Original post by Makebelieve15

History grads can, and still do, go into finance (insurance, accountancy, IB), politics, journalism, civil service, law, management...to name but a few.

and later you said:

Original post by Makebelieve15

All the jobs listed above are professional jobs and they require professional qualification, not a B.A. or a BSc.

So what is going to be? Can a History graduate do these jobs or cannot because require a different, professional qualifications. Well done!, the person who asked what History graduates do must be quite confuse now.

All the fuss and at the end you are saying the same than I’ve said. Basically that History degree on its own doesn’t get you anywhere,

Original post by irasa87

History degree without a postgraduate course is pretty worthless nowdays.

Original post by Makebelieve15

Yes, the History degree didn't make that professional… Of course, if you don't intend on studying further in any way after gaining a History degree, then you compete with everyone else who's sick of studying and that's where it can get tricky to get a job

and to work on all these jobs (Teaching, Journalism, Law, Accountancy, etc) need a postgraduate course, or professional course.

Original post by irasa87

Everything that Makebelieve15, ChocoholicPolyglot and River85 mention needs a postgraduate or special course or training.

Original post by Makebelieve15

All the jobs listed above are professional jobs and they require professional qualification, not a B.A. or a BSc.

When something is changing and we are commenting what is written doesn’t correspond with the reality, you call it bashing, that’s pretty inquisitorial.
I think anyone considering what degree to study, should be fully aware rather than spend fours years studying hard and get a surprise after graduate.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 14

username1020490

Besides the obvious one of being a teacher- I'm hoping to be a barrister; my girlfriend is doing postgrad history and wants to be an academic; and among the close course friends I had at uni a lot go onto Grad schemes with banks, supermarkets etc, and a few have gone into recruitment. Basically you can do what ever you like!

Reply 15

Original post by ajh1990

Besides the obvious one of being a teacher- I'm hoping to be a barrister; my girlfriend is doing postgrad history and wants to be an academic; and among the close course friends I had at uni a lot go onto Grad schemes with banks, supermarkets etc, and a few have gone into recruitment. Basically you can do what ever you like!

You can do what ever you like after you have done a postgraduate course. So it is the postgraduate course what allows you to do what ever you like (no the History degree) Why people don’t talk properly?

Yes there are some graduate schemes we can simply apply with History degree, but we have to compete with guys with more close related degrees than us (e.g. Economics, Administration, Business, Marketing, etc) is like going to war with a bow and arrows when the others have firearms.

Reply 16

Original post by irasa87

You can do what ever you like after you have done a postgraduate course. So it is the postgraduate course what allows you to do what ever you like (no the History degree) Why people don’t talk properly?

Yes there are some graduate schemes we can simply apply with History degree, but we have to compete with guys with more close related degrees than us (e.g. Economics, Administration, Business, Marketing, etc) is like going to war with a bow and arrows when the others have firearms.

You need to draw a line between Postgraduate courses and on the job experience as well as obtaining professional qualifications. You can achieve the latter in Law, Accountancy and Insurance without having to fund yourself for a further course, thus, History may pave the way for you to end up in those careers...not any other degree if you so happened to choose History as your degree subject.

Reply 17

River85

17

Original post by irasa87

People keep repeating the same nonsense. Please use your grey cells, do a little research

Please don't be so patronising especially as you are the one who is misinformed.

You are clearly not from the UK, judging by your standard of English, so perhaps things are different in your country that they are in the UK. However, I will tell you how things work in the UK.

You are quite right that there is a saturation of humanities graduates relative to graduate jobs. However, this does not mean that postgraduate study or training is always needed with a history degree as you claim.

Everything that Makebelieve15, ChocoholicPolyglot and River85 mention needs a postgraduate or special course or training.

No they don't.

The only thing I mentioned is that the armed forces have a graduate entry scheme. This is fact. It does not require a further degree and it does not require any further training (that someone with any other degree doesn't need to do).

Some scientific and technical roles will require a specific degree. For example, an engineering degree to become an engineer. However, most roles are open to people of all disciplines and the armed forces regularly recruit humanities graduates.

That courses or training is what will make you an accountant, army officer, teacher, etc.

To be a history secondary teacher you MUST have a degree in history (single or joint honours).

It is possible to become an accountant with a history degree. The big accountancy firms have graduate schemes, and accept all degrees.

Armed forces I've covered above.

The Civil Service Fast Stream has been mentioned. It is possible to enter this directly with a history degree. No further qualifications or training is needed. Only certain areas such as the economic fast stream require certain numerical subjects. Again, humanities graduates are recruited by the Civil Service every year.

Just with bare History degree you don’t get hire as accountant, teacher, etc.

Yes, you can.

To teach you need to be register, and to register you need a Teaching postgraduate course (e.g. Master in Education, Teaching Qualification Further Education, etc)

To teach in secondary education you need a PGCE. However, this is a postgraduate qualification. How do you expect to get a postgraduate qualification if you don't have an undergraduate education? Therefore getting a history degree is a necessary to become a history teacher.

There are also certain graduate schemes such as Teach First which can be entered with a degree, including humanities degree, and no further qualifications or training. The post-graduate teaching qualification is earned while you are working as a teacher.

Journalism; there are thousands Journalism graduate, do you think they will hire a History graduate, please!

Kate Adie. George Aliagiah. Jeremy Vine....

Most of the UK's leading journalists did not study Journalism as an undergraduate. Instead they studied Politics, History, Law and the like.

A journalism degree is not necessarily any better a preparation for a journalism career as a History degree. Few Russell and 1994 Group universities offer journalism, but many of our journalists come from these universities.

In short a journalism degree, particularly one not accredited by the National Council for Training of Journalists, is not preferred over a history degree.

I don't know why people can not understand that what get you hire is the postgraduate, or special course or training, not the HIstory degree.

Because as I've mentioned it often isn't the case. It is possible to enter these professions with a history degree and, when further exams do need to be taken (e.g. accountancy) you are still in employment. Therefore it is the history degree that has got you this graduate job.

I think the only career that has been mentioned in this thread, and would require a postgraduate conversion course, is law.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 18