April 2013 – Page 4 – Applied History

Historians beyond Academia

While I can perfectly understand why this weeks readings might not be as useful to others in our program, I found them quite helpful. In my undergraduate history program I learned about various eras in extreme detail but never participated in internships or volunteered at historical institutions. I watched my political science, social work, and psychology friends work in their internships while I continued to write papers. While I don’t regret anything about my undergraduate education, I do wish that an internship had been included or at least a course including some of the different items discussed by Beatty and Stroh. Jim made the point that the percentages presented by the Dept. of Labor were not particularly in our favor as historians and I think that history students need to be given the tools to get ahead of their peers aiming for the same jobs. As Graduate students we need to be unafraid of fighting for internships.

Stroh mentions what he looks for when hiring: “When hiring, I seek passion, positivity, and energy. I expect a service orientation, and a smile. I crave individuals who are curious and want to learn, but more importantly, those who take action on these intentions. I seek people who have confidence, courage, and faith, and who are willing to take risks.” While many of us may not have any problem displaying these features in public, applying for jobs online do little to show our personalities. USAJobs.gov occasionally has a job that I will apply for, but selling myself online is difficult. I have to be very intentional in my pursuit of internships and jobs with phone calls and personal interactions. Including different items discussed in this weeks readings will only aid my interaction and search for positions. After gaining my Masters I will certainly take this weeks advice and pursue my career through (hopefully) more successful venues.

Careers in Public History

As I looked at this week’s menu for the readings, it seemed that this was indeed light, but in looking at the opportunities for jobs, the outlook looks grim and bleak. As with any job it seems that knowledge and that term, “experience” is the one thing that is needed before you should even put in a resume to a prospective employer.

The Bureau of Labor Statics was quite surprising in that an Archivist makes more than a Curator. I would think that a person in management would more than a “grunt” doing the manual labor of finding and archiving materials for institutions. I clicked along the top tabs and looked at the various jobs and it listed what would be the top paying jobs and I was surprised that the political scientist would be paid the most. I wonder if it is as a lobbyist that the profession of lobbying legislatures that would pay the most salary if you represented an institution that needed federal funding. The one occupation that I was surprised at was that of the post-secondary History teacher. Teachers beginning salaries are not that much starting out, and I am really surprised that the BLS would publish this.

The one thing that I do agree with my fellow students is that doing an internship or working already in the field will open the doors for full time employment. It is usually word of mouth on how most jobs are advertised and I am certain that this is the same pattern in the public history arena. I know that internships always look good on a resume. I am always asked what I plan to do after I graduate. Being retired, I still have many options open and want to fill my time wisely, and I feel that one is never too old to fulfill a second career. The future is just as bright for me as it is for younger students, so I don’t want to let anything hold me back.

The Realities of the Historian Career Market

Doom and gloom, that seems to be an underlying theme in many articles that discuss the potential job market for historians. While other professions may have the greater potential for a larger job market, it seems to me that many individuals who have spent the time and money to acquire a degree in a field such as history are there for their passion. The downside to going for one’s passion is it does not guarantee you a job. I think that is why many of the professors at Boise State promote students, especially history students, to think outside the box when it comes to how to apply your career and yourself to the career market. On the upside of the doom and gloom theme present in some of the articles that discuss it, they did show predictions in job growth in line with other professional fields. Some of the issues present in the career field for historians are issues that we have discussed in class. One being how the potential number of applicants often outnumbers the level of openings present within the market.

One of the greatest benefits that this week’s readings gave was what it potentially took to obtain and maintain a job in the field of history. These articles serve as catalysts to prepare those with an interest in obtaining a job in the field of history. It discusses education, training, and experience. The articles even go into what potential employers seek for in their future employees. Reading these articles shows how important it is to project oneself out into their desired field of employment. Through active participation, history graduates can gain the necessary experience to work in the field through internships and volunteering. Also joining history societies shows potential employers a desire that the individual displays for history. I think when you start to vigorously pursue your career in history, you must be realistic about it. It is highly doubtful that one will obtain their dream job or dream location for a job right away, but having the knowledge of what must be done in order to obtain your dream prepares oneself to undertake the journey to achieve it.

Reflections on Careers

At first glance the readings for this week seemed rather limited in scope. Although I appreciate that most people go into public history in order to work in museums or archives or in a related field, the training public historians receive can be applied to so many different fields. Knowing that I do no plan on taking the conventional route, I tried to approach this week’s reading with an open mind. I also decided to tackle the list of hyperlinks backwards, just to mix things up a bit.

Out of all of the links, I ended up spending the most time reading the forums on Versatile Ph. D. While I have certainly enjoyed my time in school, I have always known that I am not interested in working in academia. For that reason it was encouraging to see a site that promotes non-academic career paths. I appreciated that they offered realistic advice for young professionals who are trying to decide what to do after graduate school. I also appreciated that they acknowledged that the job market is less than ideal. While it is fine to list statistics (such as those found on the BLS links) to highlight positive growth in the field or to try to make a dismal job market seem better than it is, we all have to be realistic. And I am not trying to sound pessimistic about the situation. On the contrary, I think having insight into the experiences of people who are in similar situations as me makes the prospects of looking for work and building a career more manageable. I know what I am up against. I can learn from the mistakes other have made. It is also nice knowing that if I make mistakes along the way or face unforeseen challenges that I can rely on the advice and support of such a large online community of people (who, by the way practice polite, professional, and engaging discourse!) Plus, having this type of knowledge is much more comforting that reading statistics saying that the “job outlook for historians from 2010-2020 is expected to grow by 18% (about as fast as average)” and that they hope to add 700 new positions in the next seven years. These numbers tell me nothing about my chances of landing a career where I will be able to use my skills and knowledge as a historian.

After realizing that I do not want to be some number used by statisticians to build a façade of false optimism, I read the blog by Bob Beatty “What Employers Seek in Public History Graduates (Part 1): An online discussion in preparation for NCPH 2013.” What I ultimately took away from this article seems to be the take-away message of the semester. History is about people and relationships. I found the mention of the importance of collaboration within the field of public history very intriguing. I know that people in all fields are pushing for us to “work across the aisle” and seek solidarity. And I do agree that this is a necessary and in many instances rewarding part of life. But with any venture (even the solitary work encouraged within academia) you have to be smart about it. Protect yourself, your ideas, and your work. This is a habit that needs to start in college, and at the very least in graduate school! If legal agreements were required of all undergraduate/graduate group projects it would make for more streamlined collaboration later on in life. In essence these legal protections (copyright agreements, etc.) would become part of the assumed etiquette of collaboration.

Find a job path or Play the Lotto? Either way the odds are not in your favor.

My 2 cents:

I have a love/hate relationship with the BLS occupational outlook pages. Every time I read these statistics I get a warm feeling that “hey thats not too bad.” But then I see the little line that says “there are 4,000 jobs in 2010, 57 percent of which were in government.” My math degree taught me 4000 jobs out of 300 million people is bad ratio. 4000 historians. That’s it. 6100 Archivists. So then I start searching other fields…accountants….there are 1,216,900 accountants. Median pay is $61,690 per year! Why did I pick this field?!? Then I settle down, or more accurately my wife calms me down, and I remember nobody tells an accountant “Wow I wish I could read historic documents all day, this must be a cool place to work.”

I think the truth is there are very few jobs that are quantifiably “historian” or “archivist” or “curator,” BUT there are many more jobs that are very close and just as fun. There is no set path to these types of jobs. I think you just have to stick with the field and if you’re good at your work you’ll find something to do. If you’re not good at history, you might end up just being an accountant…and make double the salary.

I take issue with the blog posts from History @ Work.

All of us chose to continue our education probably in hopes it would put us ahead of the curve in the stack of applications for our future job. The most important element of the MAHR program, in my opinion, is the internships. Internships give students added lines on a resume that show employers they applied their education in the “real world.” The blog post “What employers seek in public history graduates” suggests this real world experience is not as important as time in the classroom. I whole heartedly disagree. I think the author’s point is the student’s primary goal should be to learn how to do good history. While this is true, the question he was answering was “what employers seek in public history graduates.” The answer to that question is flat-out: INTERNSHIPS. He even admits “(I have noticed this has changed since then, as there is an Internship requirement in the program today).”

I have participated in many searches for archivist and librarians at Boise State, I have also served on a few hiring committees for archivists. The strongest resumes had at least one internship. An impressive internship can make up for work experience if you’re trying to enter into the field.

There is of course one very important caveat: published work can in some cases trump internships. Having your work published can show employers that you do have the educational background desired. It is strange the authors did not mention the importance of published work…

It seems to me these blog posts were more for higher ed program developers trying to design programs with limited budgets and time institutions have to provide internships for students. Both used a sheen of advice to graduate students to mask the real argument about keeping public history programs more like their traditional counterpart. They put all the responsibility on the graduate students (joining professional associations, contributing to the community, etc.) and argue for continuing program’s tradition role as classroom teacher.

I say don’t let your public history program off the hook! They might say their job is just to teach at you, it is the student’s job to find non-school based experience. Don’t believe it. Find as many ways to blur the lines between professional and educational work. I for one, don’t have time to wait until I’m done with school to start my professional work. The more times I can get a resume reader to say “was this a classroom assignment or did he do this for work?” the better.

This is not about a Garden

I found this week’s reading rather light on substance. I feel that if I need an academic to tell me that I need to think outside of the box, I’m not really thinking outside of the box. It is like having to be told to be proactive. (It would seen that one being told to be proactive must have missed the boat on being proactive). I’m not sure whether these catchphrases are really and honestly parsed by those who use them. At any rate, that is my rant for the week, now to the business of the history business.

I read through the different articles and browsed the websites this week—I even signed up for The Versatile PhD, which I felt provided a greater scope of insight, or perhaps outsight than most of the other career focused jargon on the other websites. I chose to get my MA in history because I felt that of all the academic disciplines it provided the greatest scope. By that I mean that historians are trained thinkers and analyzers, taught, as one author this week put it, “to assess conflicting interpretations.” I also have discovered along the way that many employers value a history degree, even when it does not directly relate to the position for which they are hiring, because they believe that these people have the ability to bring together data and create understandings about that data. Historians also tend to withhold judgment toward more fringe interpretations. In a world as fast moving as technology, these are very desirable skills. Historians do have one great flaw, by and large, however: over-analysis, and sometimes, stagnation of thought.

As I read through the websites and considered the data presented on the Department of Labor website, I considered whether this is all being too thought. I have heard so many times from professors, bosses, teachers, even some of my students, parents, spouse, family in general, friends, etc, “You’re overthinking this.” In talking to my colleagues that practice history, I hear the same story from them; that they have been told the same thing. So maybe all this talk of career is being greatly overthought. At first I thought the statistics were depressing, but then I realized, “Hey, I don’t have to be a statistic.” Just because x is what everyone else does with their history degree does not mean that I have to do x. I have a particular set of skills that works for me, others have their own. In truth, just because I am not directly employing my skills in history, does not mean that they are not being used. Skills are a part of who I am, which means that I will use them somehow in whatever I do. Having spent nearly four years (and tens of thousands of dollars) getting a graduate degree, I would hope that I want to more directly employ these skills.

Back to the issue of getting out of the box. In order for a person to really emancipate himself from the box, he must remove himself as a whole, body, mind and soul from that system. When we talk about a box, we are speaking of a system. It would be foolish to say that I was out of a box if I was simply imagining what the outside looked like while I remained firmly locked in the box. Likewise, it would be a simple mind who, having been liberated from the box, kept his mind entrenched in thinking about the comforts and ease of being in the box. (BTW, for those who were with me in 501, remember the fishbowls? This is very similar) In terms of academia, or whatever you may call it, as a system of thought, it is based on data analysis and scientific method with some good old fashioned common sense thrown in the mix. Academics are taught to withhold judgment until the data has all been analyzed and an interpretation has been sussed from that analysis. I felt like that was much of the reading this week, we were being told that it was a different system of considering employment for historians, but it amounted to being simply different ideas within the same system. I found myself still analyzing the data for historians, looking at the jobs that historians get and trying to draw new conclusions based on the same evidence in the same system. This I didn’t like.

Perhaps it is just me that got trapped in that thinking as I read, or perhaps not. What I do know is that I do not plan on spending my life and time in the academic system. There are so many other systems tow which I could apply myself, why stick within only one.

I did find some of the results of USA jobs quite fascinating when I searched for historian, because many of them were not historian jobs at all. They were, however, still within a more, or less, similar vein of thinking to the academic system, since Government seems to mimic the academic models in many ways. What I find more interesting is a search on Monster, or other job sites that list private businesses seeking employees. While many of those are large corporations, or institutional companies (private museums and educational facilities), there are a few that are smaller businesses. To some degree, even large corporations operate as institutions, and along the same systems that are employed in academic institutions, so I am more interested in small businesses that think differently; businesses that are developing their own systems of government and new ways of performing work. These are the businesses that are experimental in how they perform, and create systems that adapt quickly, rather than to bleed dry resources then panic as they realize that their system is no longer working.

There was another great article published this week in Forbes that addressed the issue of an entity that actually manages to work on a different system with great success: BSU Football. And Yes, I said Forbes, not Sports Illustrated. In order to make things work, and to continue to make them work, the bar for setting expectations must constantly be addressed and redressed. Such thinking is indicative of organizational out-of-the-box thinking.

How does this all play into historians and finding a job? Well, it is simple, first think out of the box, get out of the box and be out of the box. Look to make a paradigm shift within your own life, thought and existence. Reflection can provide some good insight, but it can also create a very enclosed box. While the reading this week is perhaps a good starting point, it is not a paradigmatic shift in thought or process. It does not raise the bar for where historians can achieve excellence, it maintains a firm root in academic systems of thought and analysis. I think for those who are of a like mind to myself Guillebeau’s book was far more insightful.

I told you it wasn’t about a garden. What did you expect?

Careers Reflection: Depressing? Not Really.

Some might get discouraged from the statistics shown by the BLS, but I was not one of them. I didn’t pick this degree because I wanted to be guaranteed a job, I chose it because I loved it. Although, I am certain that my career will be historical in some way, there are a lot of ways to go about that. As the American Historical Association showed, historian can find jobs in museums, publishing, academia, contracting, archives, preservation, etc. There are a lot of options for us, so we shouldn’t ever get discouraged and depressed when we hear it’s competitive. Getting a job anywhere is going to be competitive, it’s not unique to historians. Staying positive is going to get you a job a lot easier than if you are discouraged about it. Some of the readings actually encouraged me, such as the American Historical Association. Academia is one of the areas I am interested in finding a job, but the section on consultants and contractors really caught my attention. Working for the various entertainment outlets would be ideal. Also hiring myself out as a contractor to do historical research was another career which interested me. So the options are very open for historians in my opinion. Competition just means they are not going to allow anyone to get the job. You have to be proficient in your field, and you have to be passionate and dedicated. Competition weeds the less passionate, the less proficient, and the less dedicated out, so in a sense we should not get so discouraged from it.

The short articles from Stroh and Beatty provided good tips on how to achieve the goal of getting a historical job. Stroh said he looked for a positive outlook and enthusiasm. He wanted to hire those that wanted to learn. Companies don’t hire the down and outer, they hire the positive learner who wants to contribute, not complain. This is where being humble comes into play. Even experts in their fields don’t know every single thing about that particular field, every day is a learning process. I agree with Stroh that enthusiasm and a desire to learn are good things to look for when hiring someone for a historical job. I find that lots of people who do not enjoy history had unenthusiastic teachers. Even people who are not history buffs, or who had no interest in history before, enjoyed classes with enthusiastic professors, or enjoyed tours with enthusiastic guides and museum employees. Evoking that passion to those you are trying to educate really impresses them. Beatty showed me that I am on the right track in getting my MA because it places me above those competing for jobs without an MA. So while it can be easy to get discouraged by looking at those stats, it will only make the process worse. Staying positive and enthusiastic about your opportunities is the best way to make it in struggling job markets.

Careers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers a plethora of information that can be interpreted many different ways. The optimist will quickly realize that all of the history related fields pay well. The pessimist will readily notice that the number of applicant far outweighs the number of history related jobs. The realist will accept these realities and recognize that all of these jobs have a modest, modest meaning at par with the national average, job outlook percentage. The real benefit of the Bureau of Labor Statistics webpages is the descriptions that explain the quick facts. In order to garner a history related position, one needs something beyond the traditional educational experience; practical skills, hands-on work experience, and a competitive spirit. Rather than being distraught with the current job market, I was assured that I am in the right program. Getting a Masters in Applied Historical Research will allow me to fill the gaps of traditional academia while simultaneously boosting my chances to stand out above other candidates in whatever history related field I choose to enter. Something else this website reminded me of was that historical research does not necessitate a historical position; people in the MAHR program are especially equipped to compete in a variety of job markets. Sometimes looking for a job entails thinking outside of the traditional box and looking at where you can best utilize your skills and interests.

Bob Beatty’s article contained great insights about the public history; although, I wish he would have left the personal stories and clichés out. The best sentence I found in any of this week’s articles was Bob Beatty’s “the process of doing history was, and should remain, the primary focus of academic history.” He goes on to say that it isn’t always possible for public history programs to teach skills and provide service learning opportunities. My questions is why isn’t this possible? If public history programs can’t teach the necessary skills and provide the necessary opportunities then what are they doing? What is the point of a “public history” program if no one is learning about doing history? This should not be a question of possibility or need, there is no point in having a public history program that can’t train people to do history for the public! He concludes his article stating that it is okay for public history students to not receive formal training in museum work, but I completely disagree. If someone wants a museum job, they need to be working with museum things, they need to be studying museum things, and they need to be doing museum things. Beatty’s article can be boiled down to some great sounds bytes that fail to truly benefit public history students.

Scott Stroh’s article read like a “How To” article for eternally happy and ambitious people ready to change the world. He explains that organizations must inspire, challenge, question, nurture, inform, educate…the list goes on and on. At what point does a descriptive list still help people? Rather than provide bullet points of what an organization does, Stroh should add prose explaining why these things are imperative for a successful, beneficial organization. Moreover, Stroh should explain how to do these things. By this I do not mean that he should list eight ridiculously simple steps to, seemingly, succeed in life. “Be relentlessly positive.” “Take action on your passion.” Really? This article lacks depth and life application.

Thoughts on Readings: Careers

This week’s readings were both simultaneously depressing and encouraging. Exploring the Bureau of Labor statistics website it appears that a job in the field of history is interesting, fun, and is compensated with a nice salary, however, reading a little further we find that all these jobs, especially that of historian, are highly competitive with only 4,000 jobs for historians in 2010. Further, with federal, state, and local governments employing 57% of all historians in the country there is definitely a need for historians to get creative with their job prospects, just like Guillebeau recommends. The BLS website included the fact that “because of the popularity of history degree programs applicants are expected to outnumber positions available.” This seemed to be a common thread for all history related jobs listed on the website: the occupations of Curators, Museum Technicians, Conservators, Archivists, Anthropologists, Archeologists, and of course, Historians all had more applicants than available jobs. However, with all of this gloom and doom, the BLS does offers some encouraging words for those of us in the MAHR program by stating that “those with practical skills or hands-on work experience should have the best job prospects. Also, encouraging is that historians’ broad training in writing, analytical research, and critical thinking will be beneficial in many different occupations.

The best part of the reading for this week was the blog posts from Public History Commons. There were many things that struck me as important. After reading Bob Beatty’s piece it is a little disheartening that Boise State, through the MAHR program, cannot provide a practicum for all graduate students. Internships in Boise, in the field of history, are extremely limited and with public history work being a hands-on endeavor it is important that students have the opportunity to practice these skills, like Beatty wrote, “public history work is often messy and disjointed;” and sometimes the only way to appreciate and learn about this element of public history is by actually doing the work, not just reading about it.

Scott Stroh made some of the best points about public history that I have read in a long time. He lays out some important things for cultural organizations to consider in his assertion that “cultural organization’s greatest value rests with its ability to change the world, and that cultural organizations must seek to provide experiences that:
1. Inspire, challenge, and question;
2. Nurture, inform, and educate;
3. Offer dialogue, discourse, and debate;
4. Provide opportunities for reflection and action, and
5. Offer enrichment through authentic interaction with people, place, and heritage.

It seems that all of us in class share similar assertions and realize public historians’ role in accomplishing these kinds of experiences. From class discussions there also seems to be a consensus that “instead of focusing on career specializations or subject matter expertise, professional development, especially beyond academia, must focus on the development of people—civic minded citizens—able to lead, inspire, and engage community based on an appreciation, knowledge, and love of history.” The advice that Stroh offers to public history students is encouraging and practical, and I am glad it was the assigned reading this week.

Thoughts on Reading: Startups and Public Historians

The readings this week provided quite a bit of optimism for up and coming historians. However, the book the $100 startup may have been a little overly optimistic. Unfortunately, the way the economy works does not allow for everyone to be their own boss. The blind optimism that the author attempts to sell us could prove dangerous. It is important to think creatively and use our unique talents in whatever profession we choose, but we also need to be flexible and realistic in our approach. Even though the author touches on some hiccups he doesn’t talk about hard work, or changing markets, which could lead to further reinvention and creativity.

As historians we ask, are people willing to pay for historical knowledge and experience? After exploring the websites assigned this week the answer seems to be yes. The website provides an example of recognizing a niche market and capturing it, however eventually more people will creep into the niche, and once again these creative history jobs will become saturated and difficult to get, just like teaching jobs.

Even after this week’s readings I still don’t believe public history should stick to a “profit before people” mentality, but we do want to make a living. Two skills historians will always have is excellent research abilities and critical thinking, therefore no matter what profession we end up in the skills we have will be beneficial. However, our schoolwork can be a hindrance, as Rudd Putnam states: “The cognitive overload of an academic life prevents us from being truly thoughtful.” Sometimes this mental block can prevent historians from being creative, and sometimes it can prevent them from assessing what is possible for their future.