To ask what career you’d go into after a History degree?

[dearfatherpraybuildmeaboat]

DD has almost finished and is in a rut. She’s the first in our family to go to uni, and hopes to get a 1st. She is at a RG uni and studying History, but now unsure what to do. She’s considering becoming a history teacher but isn’t very passionate, and from what I’ve read on here it’s a bad idea.

Apart from that she is stuck, and even after research she seems to have understood her only other decent options are law and accountancy, but thinks her chances for these are tiny. Her main aim is to earn decently and move away from our tiny deprived town in the North— but what careers would allow for that? I’d love someone who knows about skilled jobs to throw some ideas into the mix

With the languages, she could even check out MI6 / GCHQ. They have other interesting roles, not just spies!
She could also look at working for NGOs, the UN, diplomacy, etc?

My one-time dream was to work for UNICEF, but they need you to have a second language, and my GCSE French didn’t cut it!

I have worked in teaching and journalism. Now I'm freelance editor primarily for academics. History degree.

Fab suggestions!

The language skills will be a big plus.

All the historians I knew at uni are management consultants or bankers.

I have a RG history degree and started in financial PR, which I enjoyed. Other fellow historians are:

• several solicitors (law conversion)
• barrister (law conversion)
• joined the foreign office
• doctor (did a medical degree conversion )
• journalist
• social worker
• management consultant
• academics

In short, the world is her oyster. Very best of luck to your daughter, I’m sure she’ll find a job she loves.

@RosaGallica I couldn't disagree more.I come from very run down northern town. First generation to go to uni.I've never allowed it to hold me back nor have my family. My nephew has a first in history and works in the Foreign Office.His sister is a clinical psychologist. Both born and bred in that northern town.
For the OPs DD the only.limit on ambition is herself.

So civil service then. You’re not disproving my point about the sectors actually dedicated to preserving knowledge for ordinary people.

I had a few friends who did history at Uni. A few did go into law, others into the museums & heritage sector…

Exactly, every agent in the field still needs a good support team back at hq plus there's plenty of other roles too, always intriguing in the canteen.

For example Susan Cooper from Spy.

Stealth boast post

@troubleanstrife there is a postgrad conversion route to speech and language therapy

Do they still do the tap on the shoulder at various universities so to speak ?

Amanda Blanc, CE of Aviva, is a history graduate. History graduates are well represented on the FTSE 100 boards. Civil service is a big employer. Law, journalism, business admin. Museum/heritage work.

Academia will require a PhD, long hours, probably several short term contracts before a permanent post comes up.

I did history and now I am a librarian. I love it. I did a masters in information and library management which was great. Best wishes to your DD 😊

Like @anothertrainwreck I'm a non London Civil Service policy type with a History degree from an RC university. I can second there being loads of us. The research, analysis and writing skills lend themselves to it very well.

I went into marketing which I love. I still adore history and in another life if I had financial backing would love to go down museum route but I couldn't face being so poor in London.

There are loads of transferable skills. Lots of grads in tech have history, English lit style degrees

You can't move for museums outside London! There are so many! Think away from the Nationals.

Just to say... I had a first from a RG and a Masters from a top 3 university and I couldn't get a single paid bit of museum work when I graduated 12 years ago. It was so frustrating. I couldn't work for free as all my hours spare I was working to afford my rent. I think it's really really hard to get into those professions. Interestingly I was offered a museum job once I had a few years of marketing under my belt, but the pay was £30k less than I was on in tech and I just couldn't do it.

a good grad scheme, like the hsbc one she’ll rocket up the corporate ladder very soon and can try different areas from risk, aml, relationship management, project management or product management or even marketing… the list goes on :)

I became an outdoor instructor! Other people on my course (Durham Uni) did Fast Stream Civil Service, Army Officer, Accountancy, Management Consulting, Teaching, Ordination, Museum Curator.

Had she explored the more generalist graduate trainee schemes (as opposed to specialised with a particular degree?)

I don’t see why she’d have a poor chance in law, loads have history degrees, but I think you have to want to do it, as it’s hard work.

Civil service could be another one - there are lots of different fast streams/ graduate programmes these days.

Has she had much input from the careers service at uni? It sounds like she just doesn't really know what is out there...

I did an IT conversion MSc after my History degree and now work in Tech. I would really recommend my industry. There are loads of roles that don't need a Computing degree.