Child wants to be a Historian

[Priceyyy]

Hi all, any advice please. My ten year old is absolutely mad about History and has wanted to be a Historian since she was five. She is currently greater depth in History and it’s something she’s really serious about. Is there anyone she could speak to that could give her more ideas and information as not sure who I would go to. This probably sounds like a silly question but every careers fair she goes to she gets excited there will be someone to talk to but there never is 😔

I think she should research what jobs are available in the history field, as historian isn’t really a job of itself it’s more of a category of jobs.

I work in careers and I’m intrigued as to the format of the careers fair. Who are the exhibitors?
Are they specifically aimed at primary schools?

I'd suggest in a couple of years time you get her reading the chronicles of st Mary's by Jodi Taylor. If she's an advanced reader already, some of her short stories would be suitable. Be aware that in the full books there is some sex and a SA incident in the first one. (My daughter read the full books once at high school, she's 17 now and still reads them incessantly). So sorry, no help on the career but these books will be right up her street!

It can't look after the artefacts, it doesn't do all that now at all.

I don’t think it’s weird - my ds10 wants to be a historian too ☺️ So I’ve read this thread with great interest!

I think it’s a bit sad so many people seem to be down on 10 year olds thinking about careers - were you never asked what you wanted to be when you grew up? It’s no different - just encouraging an interest.

I agree with all of this very sensible post!

Im a historian (I’m not really, I’ve just got a history degree and I like pretending!) with a job outside of history that I love. Keep that interest up. My dd1 was the same and also went on to study history. It’s such a source of joy and interest between us.

I don’t think it’s the history interest that people find weird just the going to career fairs

What history is she interested in? Who’s history? The history of art? Family history? History of Ancient civilisations? Military history? Medical history? At 10 surely ‘history’ is just stories of the world that existed before she was born ie. Pre-2016.

She sounds an engaged, clever, enthusiastic child with a curiosity for the world around her. Just keep encouraging her with that. The most important thing to develop is critical thinking. Exposure to how people tell very different stories about their past, dependent on viewpoint, context, culture etc…

Is it that she likes the idea of being head-down in a library, scrutinising manuscripts and ancient texts? Or does she want to be a Dan Snow or a Mary Beard striding around ancient monuments and battlefields on TV?

I’d encourage her interests but drop the obsession of having it have to be ‘a career’. I actually think it’s sad she’s thinking about it in ‘career’ terms. Just study hard at school, pursue her passion and see where it takes her.

It’s not weird! It’s great!
it’s the going to multiple careers fairs which is a little odd. I’ve worked in the career development sector for over 20 years and I’ve not come across year 5 children attending multiple careers fairs and I’m intrigued as to who is exhibiting.
Typically a careers fair is attended by employers, colleges and universities. They don’t tend to want to speak to very young children!

My 8 year old also wants to be a historian. Although she wants to be a gymnast-historian, thus combining her two favourite things.

Any tips from those in the gymnast-historian trade would be greatly appreciated 😂

What about a heritage officer?

You can work somewhere like the National Trust properties.

Houses and collections, learning about the history and stories that come with the objects and properties and how to tell those stories. Also restoration and preservation.

It's my dream job.

I think it’s pretty obvious that the OP has exaggerated the “careers fairs” claim. The kids primary school has obviously not been dragging them round several of these. We did have a local college once pop in and tell the year 6s all about what they do, maybe it was something like this. Once.

OP, just keep giving her trips and experiences to keep the love of history alive and she’ll find her path (in another 10 years)

In a previous job, I did quite a few careers fairs with schools, and careers talks, which included primary schools. It's good for children to get the idea there are lots of different jobs available. (Most of them want to know what your worst day at work was.) But the heritage industry is rarely represented in any way - It's usually big corporates.

I'm a historian too. I was getting books about the Anglo Saxons from the library when I was at primary school. I've had a variety of history-related jobs.

I agree with pp that she could start researching her local area now. I did, from quite a young age and local history became my specialist area.

See what local history books the local library has.
Find out where your original (medieval) parish church is and visit it.

For the 19th and early 20th century:
See if the library has old photos of the area on its website
Look up old maps of the area here: https://maps.nls.uk/os/
Historical trade directories here: https://le.ac.uk/library/special-collections/explore/historical-directories

If she really gets into it and you want to spend some money - maybe when she's a bit older - a subscription to FindMyPast gives access to census returns and local newspapers.

She'll also need to learn about old money and old measurements and how to read old handwriting. Nottingham University has a good website on research and resources. I'll find it later and post a link.

I would have a think about friends/neighbours/colleagues and if any of them have a connection who works in history or anything faintly relevant. Try and get her to chat to someone at your local museum or perhaps even email a history academic at a local uni if you have one and ask for their advice or if they would be willing to have a quick chat with her over a coffee. Real life role models are so important!

Here's the Nottingham site I mentioned:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/introduction.aspx

Other things she could do - not all at once of course but over time if she continues to be interested -
Look out for any history fairs on locally, where local societies get together one weekend to have displays and talks.
Look out for any archaeological digs with community involvement local to you
Look up your local university's history department - or any university that interests you - and see what research interests the academic staff and research students have
Research her own family history
And of course read all kinds of historical fiction and nonfiction.

It is possible to be a historian without having a history related day job. Once you have the skills you can read, research, write, give talks, teach classes, whatever you do to earn a living

It's not unusual for a 10 year old to be thinking about jobs , and by all means encourage her, but I do think careers fairs at this age are a bit OTT.
Presumably she is not at secondary school yet, so there will be a whole range of subjects that she either hasn't studied yet or has only scratched the surface of, so it is quite likely that her interests will change dramatically over the next 5 years or so.
The important thing is that you encourage her to enjoy as broad a range of things as possible and don't let her to get boxed into a fixed route at this stage.
I am thinking of my own child. Aged 8 wanted to join the army, aged 10 archaeologist, aged 13, surgeon, aged 18 medical engineering, aged 19 mechanical engineering. Current job, software developer.
Who would have thought!!

She sounds fab
I have an elderly friend who is now 88 and worked all his life in the British Museum. He says he had the best job in the world

@Perpetuallywondering i don’t think people are querying her enthusiasm for history or desire to work in the field when ppl say “what do you want to be?” But after all many 10yos IME would say footballer or something equally unlikely- which is fair enough.

It's the careers fairs and several of them that some PPs are surprised about. As I say, many10yos have unrealistic ideas of their career so I’m not sure how useful a trip to a careers fair would be. Better in secondary surely?

They hold 'Careers fairs' at our local primary school. It consists of mainly parents of pupils in specific jobs coming in and setting up a table with information about their roles and talking to the children. It's all done at their level.
Surely most children say "when I grow up i want to be xxxx" during their childhood. It doesn't necessarily mean they'll follow through with it.
My DS was always interested in history. He had every Horrible Histories book that was available but he also had the Horrible Science books too. He went to lots of museums and sites of historical interest as a child. We took him to watch things like archaeological digs if they were on nearby. He did a History degree and a History Masters but having search for jobs in that sector (most of which were part time) he now works in a totally unconnected job. He still spends his spare time visiting museums both here and abroad and has an interesting collection of artefacts in his home.

As I say, many10yos have unrealistic ideas of their career so I’m not sure how useful a trip to a careers fair would be.

It makes them aware of careers they might never have heard of. Broadens horizons.

They're 10, why not let them enjoy their childhood without thinking about the future. The world is going to change dramatically in terms of jobs within the next 10 years, with AI.

My SIL worked as a curator and then managed William Morris Gallery. Curator jobs aren’t well paid though. I’d encourage her interest in history (I love it too). What local history do you have? Recently someone did history videos for insta in Croydon (sort of outskirts) and told me far more about the area than I ever knew! Going back to medieval times, though Surrey Street Market dates from Roman times.

Why does thinking about jobs in the future stop them enjoying their childhood?

I don't get all the concern about kids thinking about future careers aged 10. Kids younger than that are regularly asked what they want to be when they grow up!