Don’t tell me my History degree is a dead end

There’s nothing more awkward then telling someone, especially a family member, you’re studying History and watching their face drop in disappointment.

Three years of reading about Henry VIII and you can then take your pick between a teacher or working in a museum – which do you fancy?

Six weeks in and the reality is a lot of reading, a lot of writing and a hell of a lot of essays. The first year doss doesn’t apply and by the end of the second week you can barely remember what free time felt like.

You don’t always study the “cool” topics people expect and when you tell them you’re studying religion, politics and society from c. 800 its often met with a sarcastic “oh that sounds interesting.” It’s hard and it’s boring.

That’s not to say History students are boring.

We have lives, we go out, we can’t always just spurt out dates off the top of our heads and I don’t think I would ever talk about History unless I was asked about it. I study History because I enjoy the subject but that doesn’t mean I find everything to do with History exciting or interesting, like any subject there’s parts you enjoy more than others.

Our second home

A History degree can be hard but it pays off.

Graduates are by no means restricted to becoming a teacher – most end up not doing anything related to History whatsoever. It’s the skills you learn during a History degree that make you stand out and be one of the the most employable graduates making it such a competitive course to get onto in the first place.

History is a great stepping stone to a top career and can set you above the rest as someone who can work hard and think about problems differently.

A History degree teaches you how to communicate thoughts and ideas and consider the bigger picture helping you win the argument, smash the pub quiz and be the organised one of the group.

History graduates can go on to shape policies and laws from the research skills they learn from their degree so it must be worth something right? We all know History has a habit of repeating itself, so why not study the past and predict the future.

Studying History might be seen as risky, but you’re more likely to survive uni and get more out of your degree if you actually like the subject. If you’re indecisive like me, you’ve got three years to think about how you want to use your degree rather than three years to hope you definitely want to be a nurse.

So, just smile through the pain and you’ll be laughing in ten years time when you turn up to family day in your Merc and you’re not a teacher.